Narrative:

On preflight, I noticed the second observer's seat was such that its back was jammed up against the cockpit fire bottle. This made viewing the pressure gauge extremely difficult. Removing the bottle from the bracket was even more difficult. After notifying maintenance, a management supervisor from maintenance came on board. He said there was no problem--that the aircraft was accepted that way and that's the place it would stay. We told him that in the urgency of a fire, we might not be able to get the bottle out in time. The captain asked the management person to try and remove the fire bottle. It took him 19 seconds to get it out of the bracket. He still said it was no problem and signed off the discrepancy in the log book. His next action was to stuff the extinguisher under the seat belts of the second observer's seat instead of returning it to the bracket. Needless to say, if we had left it there, it could have fallen to the floor during flight with disastrous results. After the manager left, I replaced the bottle by rotating the unoccupied seat (second observer's) 90 degrees, which made the bracket accessible. We left the seat rotated and flew the trip. At the next stop, I again entered the discrepancy in the log book. This time the maintenance department agreed and repositioned the bracket. This stop was a layover of 17 hours for the aircraft, so time was not a factor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW AND MANAGEMENT DISPUTE ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY OF COCKPIT FIRE BOTTLE.

Narrative: ON PREFLT, I NOTICED THE SECOND OBSERVER'S SEAT WAS SUCH THAT ITS BACK WAS JAMMED UP AGAINST THE COCKPIT FIRE BOTTLE. THIS MADE VIEWING THE PRESSURE GAUGE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. REMOVING THE BOTTLE FROM THE BRACKET WAS EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. AFTER NOTIFYING MAINT, A MGMNT SUPVR FROM MAINT CAME ON BOARD. HE SAID THERE WAS NO PROB--THAT THE ACFT WAS ACCEPTED THAT WAY AND THAT'S THE PLACE IT WOULD STAY. WE TOLD HIM THAT IN THE URGENCY OF A FIRE, WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE BOTTLE OUT IN TIME. THE CAPT ASKED THE MGMNT PERSON TO TRY AND REMOVE THE FIRE BOTTLE. IT TOOK HIM 19 SECS TO GET IT OUT OF THE BRACKET. HE STILL SAID IT WAS NO PROB AND SIGNED OFF THE DISCREPANCY IN THE LOG BOOK. HIS NEXT ACTION WAS TO STUFF THE EXTINGUISHER UNDER THE SEAT BELTS OF THE SECOND OBSERVER'S SEAT INSTEAD OF RETURNING IT TO THE BRACKET. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IF WE HAD LEFT IT THERE, IT COULD HAVE FALLEN TO THE FLOOR DURING FLT WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS. AFTER THE MGR LEFT, I REPLACED THE BOTTLE BY ROTATING THE UNOCCUPIED SEAT (SECOND OBSERVER'S) 90 DEGS, WHICH MADE THE BRACKET ACCESSIBLE. WE LEFT THE SEAT ROTATED AND FLEW THE TRIP. AT THE NEXT STOP, I AGAIN ENTERED THE DISCREPANCY IN THE LOG BOOK. THIS TIME THE MAINT DEPT AGREED AND REPOSITIONED THE BRACKET. THIS STOP WAS A LAYOVER OF 17 HRS FOR THE ACFT, SO TIME WAS NOT A FACTOR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.