Narrative:

5 mins prior to push at the gate in ZZZ the a flight attendant passed a closed can of seltzer water to the first officer. The can dropped on the center console and exploded sending water everywhere. We immediately cleaned up the mess and started checking the system on the center console. The captain's communication panel was stuck in the VHF #2 transmit; all of the receive buttons worked; and the transponder had an amber fail light. We had the operations agent call for company maintenance and he showed up about 7 mins later. By that time everything was working properly. I asked the mechanic if the airplane was ok. He stated that when this sort of thing happened; the electronics shorted out and dd not come back if there was anything wrong. I asked if he wanted me to write anything up (nothing was wrong at this point). He said only if I wanted to put the late push on maintenance. I instructed the operations agent to put the late push on the crew and we pushed. After takeoff departure control informed us that we weren't squawking the right code. We switched xponders to #2 and everything worked fine. Transponder #1 was working correctly by the time we got to our destination. When it came time to power down the aircraft; everything was working properly. I turned the battery switch off and the APU fire bottle test light came on. I told the operations agent I was going to have a talk to maintenance. By the time I got to the jetway; he already had maintenance on the phone. I explained the full situation to maintenance control including the spill. He had me remove external power from the aircraft and check the light. It was still on. I asked how I should write it up. He told me to write up the exact problem. I wrote up the APU fire bottle test light on with the battery switch off. I read it back; he agreed and said that he would take care of it. I then called dispatch to tell them of the problem; but before I could explain he xferred me to the same maintenance controller I had just been talking to. I figured I had done everything I could do and called it a night. This was kind of an odd one and a 100% honest mistake for the first officer. I however should have written up the liquid spill in the logbook and talked to dispatch before we left ZZZ even though nothing was wrong at that point. I think maintenance should have asked for a write-up if for nothing else than a record of the spill in case something happened later. Having not done that; I should have recorded the spill on the final write-up at our destination once again just to get it in the records. I really wasn't in a hurry and was trying to do everything right; but should have gotten the spill in the aircraft logbook.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-700 EXPERIENCED A LIQUID SPILL ON THE CTR CONSOLE AT THE GATE.

Narrative: 5 MINS PRIOR TO PUSH AT THE GATE IN ZZZ THE A FLT ATTENDANT PASSED A CLOSED CAN OF SELTZER WATER TO THE FO. THE CAN DROPPED ON THE CTR CONSOLE AND EXPLODED SENDING WATER EVERYWHERE. WE IMMEDIATELY CLEANED UP THE MESS AND STARTED CHKING THE SYS ON THE CTR CONSOLE. THE CAPT'S COM PANEL WAS STUCK IN THE VHF #2 XMIT; ALL OF THE RECEIVE BUTTONS WORKED; AND THE XPONDER HAD AN AMBER FAIL LIGHT. WE HAD THE OPS AGENT CALL FOR COMPANY MAINT AND HE SHOWED UP ABOUT 7 MINS LATER. BY THAT TIME EVERYTHING WAS WORKING PROPERLY. I ASKED THE MECH IF THE AIRPLANE WAS OK. HE STATED THAT WHEN THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENED; THE ELECTRONICS SHORTED OUT AND DD NOT COME BACK IF THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG. I ASKED IF HE WANTED ME TO WRITE ANYTHING UP (NOTHING WAS WRONG AT THIS POINT). HE SAID ONLY IF I WANTED TO PUT THE LATE PUSH ON MAINT. I INSTRUCTED THE OPS AGENT TO PUT THE LATE PUSH ON THE CREW AND WE PUSHED. AFTER TKOF DEP CTL INFORMED US THAT WE WEREN'T SQUAWKING THE RIGHT CODE. WE SWITCHED XPONDERS TO #2 AND EVERYTHING WORKED FINE. XPONDER #1 WAS WORKING CORRECTLY BY THE TIME WE GOT TO OUR DEST. WHEN IT CAME TIME TO PWR DOWN THE ACFT; EVERYTHING WAS WORKING PROPERLY. I TURNED THE BATTERY SWITCH OFF AND THE APU FIRE BOTTLE TEST LIGHT CAME ON. I TOLD THE OPS AGENT I WAS GOING TO HAVE A TALK TO MAINT. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE JETWAY; HE ALREADY HAD MAINT ON THE PHONE. I EXPLAINED THE FULL SITUATION TO MAINT CTL INCLUDING THE SPILL. HE HAD ME REMOVE EXTERNAL PWR FROM THE ACFT AND CHK THE LIGHT. IT WAS STILL ON. I ASKED HOW I SHOULD WRITE IT UP. HE TOLD ME TO WRITE UP THE EXACT PROB. I WROTE UP THE APU FIRE BOTTLE TEST LIGHT ON WITH THE BATTERY SWITCH OFF. I READ IT BACK; HE AGREED AND SAID THAT HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. I THEN CALLED DISPATCH TO TELL THEM OF THE PROB; BUT BEFORE I COULD EXPLAIN HE XFERRED ME TO THE SAME MAINT CTLR I HAD JUST BEEN TALKING TO. I FIGURED I HAD DONE EVERYTHING I COULD DO AND CALLED IT A NIGHT. THIS WAS KIND OF AN ODD ONE AND A 100% HONEST MISTAKE FOR THE FO. I HOWEVER SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN UP THE LIQUID SPILL IN THE LOGBOOK AND TALKED TO DISPATCH BEFORE WE LEFT ZZZ EVEN THOUGH NOTHING WAS WRONG AT THAT POINT. I THINK MAINT SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A WRITE-UP IF FOR NOTHING ELSE THAN A RECORD OF THE SPILL IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENED LATER. HAVING NOT DONE THAT; I SHOULD HAVE RECORDED THE SPILL ON THE FINAL WRITE-UP AT OUR DEST ONCE AGAIN JUST TO GET IT IN THE RECORDS. I REALLY WASN'T IN A HURRY AND WAS TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING RIGHT; BUT SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE SPILL IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.