Narrative:

Taxiing out was informed by flight attendant of suspicious toxic odor in cabin. Identified odor as emanating from jar of liquid in passenger carry on bag. Returned to gate whereupon met by ground security coordinator. Soon thereafter fire department came and quarantined aircraft, passenger, and crew. A hazmat team arrived and removed suspicious liquid from aircraft jetway. I thereafter made an aircraft logbook entry and turned aircraft over to maintenance. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the passenger had managed to get through airport security with a jar of liquid within their possession. The jar, upon investigation, was found to contain bug spray. The seal around the lid of the jar obviously leaked. The team investigating the fluid thought the fluid similar to 'raid' in appearance and odor. The passenger was initially removed from the flight but then allowed back on, sans jar of course, and permitted to continue to his her destination. The passenger agents did not want to create any problems for the passenger by refusing boarding although there might have been grounds for doing so. The air carrier's legal department hasn't 'closed the door' on this issue as the flight was delayed about 4 hours and many other passenger were affected by the delay with missed connections and possibly some other unstated 'claims.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GOOD CABIN ATTENDANT RESPONSE DUTY PRIORITY INFORMS CAPT OF TOXIC FUMES IN CABIN. ACFT RETURNED TO RAMP.

Narrative: TAXIING OUT WAS INFORMED BY FLT ATTENDANT OF SUSPICIOUS TOXIC ODOR IN CABIN. IDENTIFIED ODOR AS EMANATING FROM JAR OF LIQUID IN PAX CARRY ON BAG. RETURNED TO GATE WHEREUPON MET BY GND SECURITY COORDINATOR. SOON THEREAFTER FIRE DEPT CAME AND QUARANTINED ACFT, PAX, AND CREW. A HAZMAT TEAM ARRIVED AND REMOVED SUSPICIOUS LIQUID FROM ACFT JETWAY. I THEREAFTER MADE AN ACFT LOGBOOK ENTRY AND TURNED ACFT OVER TO MAINT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE PAX HAD MANAGED TO GET THROUGH ARPT SECURITY WITH A JAR OF LIQUID WITHIN THEIR POSSESSION. THE JAR, UPON INVESTIGATION, WAS FOUND TO CONTAIN BUG SPRAY. THE SEAL AROUND THE LID OF THE JAR OBVIOUSLY LEAKED. THE TEAM INVESTIGATING THE FLUID THOUGHT THE FLUID SIMILAR TO 'RAID' IN APPEARANCE AND ODOR. THE PAX WAS INITIALLY REMOVED FROM THE FLT BUT THEN ALLOWED BACK ON, SANS JAR OF COURSE, AND PERMITTED TO CONTINUE TO HIS HER DEST. THE PAX AGENTS DID NOT WANT TO CREATE ANY PROBS FOR THE PAX BY REFUSING BOARDING ALTHOUGH THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN GNDS FOR DOING SO. THE ACR'S LEGAL DEPARTMENT HASN'T 'CLOSED THE DOOR' ON THIS ISSUE AS THE FLT WAS DELAYED ABOUT 4 HRS AND MANY OTHER PAX WERE AFFECTED BY THE DELAY WITH MISSED CONNECTIONS AND POSSIBLY SOME OTHER UNSTATED 'CLAIMS.'

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.