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A B737-700 flight crew experienced a front lavatory smoke alarm. They declared an emergency and returned to land at their departure airport.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 809823 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200810 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | msl single value : 9000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B737-700 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | climbout : initial |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 91 |
| ASRS Report | 809823 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : smoke alarm other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : landed in emergency condition other |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
The aircraft's APU had been written up a couple of times. Most recently it apparently self-destructed and was deferred. I don't know if it had been 'run' by maintenance the night before; but on our originating flight; the logbook had a fuel used by maintenance enter of 200 or 300 pounds. I mention this for later comments. We were climbing out with a leveloff at 9000 ft for traffic. The front lav smoke alarm starting sounding and the flight attendants called us on the flight interphone to notify us. After a short conversation; I declared an emergency; requested the fire equipment to meet us; and turned back toward ZZZ. We landed opposite direction on runway and the fire equipment accompanied us to the gate. Please accept some observations for consideration: from the time the alarm sounded to touchdown on runway was approximately 5 mins. As I detected no smoke or fumes; I called for the cabin/lav fire checklist. We were so busy that we had no chance to complete it. (Nor; with the information I had available at the time; did I think it was critical. I just wanted to get the aircraft on the ground before things got bad.) I thought pulling the lav smoke detector circuit breaker would disable the crew call system; so I let the thing sound. Not true yack lips; that is only the classic aircraft. In addition; the note talking about this is at the bottom of a full page of additional information/considerations in the QRH (classic and next gen both). Might want to make that more user friendly. Also; I believe the lav smoke detector location as described in the classic QRH is in error. Lastly; that circuit breaker should have a blue collar on it to expedite finding it. It's right behind the captain's left butt cheek which makes it a contortion for the captain and impossible for the first officer to reach. So finding it is one thing; pulling it is a crew endeavor.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A B737-700 FLIGHT CREW EXPERIENCED A FRONT LAVATORY SMOKE ALARM. THEY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND RETURNED TO LAND AT THEIR DEPARTURE AIRPORT.
Narrative: THE ACFT'S APU HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP A COUPLE OF TIMES. MOST RECENTLY IT APPARENTLY SELF-DESTRUCTED AND WAS DEFERRED. I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAD BEEN 'RUN' BY MAINT THE NIGHT BEFORE; BUT ON OUR ORIGINATING FLT; THE LOGBOOK HAD A FUEL USED BY MAINT ENTER OF 200 OR 300 LBS. I MENTION THIS FOR LATER COMMENTS. WE WERE CLBING OUT WITH A LEVELOFF AT 9000 FT FOR TFC. THE FRONT LAV SMOKE ALARM STARTING SOUNDING AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED US ON THE FLT INTERPHONE TO NOTIFY US. AFTER A SHORT CONVERSATION; I DECLARED AN EMER; REQUESTED THE FIRE EQUIP TO MEET US; AND TURNED BACK TOWARD ZZZ. WE LANDED OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON RWY AND THE FIRE EQUIP ACCOMPANIED US TO THE GATE. PLEASE ACCEPT SOME OBSERVATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION: FROM THE TIME THE ALARM SOUNDED TO TOUCHDOWN ON RWY WAS APPROX 5 MINS. AS I DETECTED NO SMOKE OR FUMES; I CALLED FOR THE CABIN/LAV FIRE CHKLIST. WE WERE SO BUSY THAT WE HAD NO CHANCE TO COMPLETE IT. (NOR; WITH THE INFO I HAD AVAILABLE AT THE TIME; DID I THINK IT WAS CRITICAL. I JUST WANTED TO GET THE ACFT ON THE GND BEFORE THINGS GOT BAD.) I THOUGHT PULLING THE LAV SMOKE DETECTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER WOULD DISABLE THE CREW CALL SYS; SO I LET THE THING SOUND. NOT TRUE YACK LIPS; THAT IS ONLY THE CLASSIC ACFT. IN ADDITION; THE NOTE TALKING ABOUT THIS IS AT THE BOTTOM OF A FULL PAGE OF ADDITIONAL INFO/CONSIDERATIONS IN THE QRH (CLASSIC AND NEXT GEN BOTH). MIGHT WANT TO MAKE THAT MORE USER FRIENDLY. ALSO; I BELIEVE THE LAV SMOKE DETECTOR LOCATION AS DESCRIBED IN THE CLASSIC QRH IS IN ERROR. LASTLY; THAT CIRCUIT BREAKER SHOULD HAVE A BLUE COLLAR ON IT TO EXPEDITE FINDING IT. IT'S RIGHT BEHIND THE CAPT'S L BUTT CHEEK WHICH MAKES IT A CONTORTION FOR THE CAPT AND IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE FO TO REACH. SO FINDING IT IS ONE THING; PULLING IT IS A CREW ENDEAVOR.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.