Narrative:

While aircraft was on ground waiting out a 2 hour WX delay, after the first hour, the rain repellant bottle discharged through a small crack in the sight gauge. It was atomized and covered 3/4 of cockpit. Left side, center, and 1/2 right side, including captain and observer oxygen masks, seats, side windows, windscreen and instrument panel left. Center instrument and radio panel and 1/2 right windscreen, instrument panel. Also covered floor under rudder pedals. Crew was in first class when so heard hissing sound and everyone smelled odd (citrus) odor. So went forward and told crew that rain repellent was spraying. Captain went forward and spray had stopped. Captain went into cockpit and was overcome by fumes. Ran outside to fresh air. Maintenance called and new bottle brought. Old bottle given to captain. He read first 2 warnings under word toxic about eye and skin contact. Antidote was to flush with clear water. Crew then tried to clean up suitcases and cockpit. Water and soap with cloth towels and rags were used. About 1 hour after spill, the crew again called maintenance for clean-up help and, at this time, maintenance realized spill was in cockpit. Maintenance supervisor checked hazardous material list and realized crew might be in jeopardy with continued exposure. Maintenance supervisor arrived at aircraft and removed crew and crew was sent to nearest hospital emergency room. If this had happened in flight, at altitude, the incident would have been much more serious. The captain and first officer probably would have been blinded. The fumes were overpwring and the captain would not have had oxygen available on his side. He also would have been sprayed with the majority of material, burning his skin. Captain erred in not reading all of the warning on bottle, ie, 'prolonged exposure to fumes can cause pulmonary, nervous or cardiac problems.' the warning was not visible until bottle removed. Warning inferred that eye and skin problems were most important. If priority of warning were reversed, the captain would not have allowed anyone back in the aircraft. Another problem: it took 2 hours to find out the exact chemical the crew had been exposed to. Does the positive benefit of better visibility in heavy rain outweigh the inherent danger of a toxic material in the cockpit that could have tragic consequences? Landing in heavy rain is a dubious judgement at best. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter flies the B-727-200 for a major domestic air carrier. Fortunately, this incident happened on the ground as the reporter believes that the entire cockpit crew would have been disable if this had happened in the air. No one in the crew suffered any permanent injury, the entire crew was sent to a local hospital for observation that lasted a few hours. As no one could tell the hospital what the chemical was, the crew was treated for a generic inhalation problem. The entire crew was kept in a hotel near the hospital overnight. A cabin attendant who has asthma, who did not go into the cockpit while it was contaminated, was most affect of all. The flight crew tried to clean up the mess using alcohol swabs and soap and water. It was nearly impossible to get off of matte painted surfaces. The reporter's air carrier and pilot union are in contact with manufacturer over this matter.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RAIN REPELLANT LEAK INTO THE COCKPIT.

Narrative: WHILE ACFT WAS ON GND WAITING OUT A 2 HR WX DELAY, AFTER THE FIRST HR, THE RAIN REPELLANT BOTTLE DISCHARGED THROUGH A SMALL CRACK IN THE SIGHT GAUGE. IT WAS ATOMIZED AND COVERED 3/4 OF COCKPIT. L SIDE, CTR, AND 1/2 R SIDE, INCLUDING CAPT AND OBSERVER OXYGEN MASKS, SEATS, SIDE WINDOWS, WINDSCREEN AND INSTRUMENT PANEL L. CTR INSTRUMENT AND RADIO PANEL AND 1/2 R WINDSCREEN, INSTRUMENT PANEL. ALSO COVERED FLOOR UNDER RUDDER PEDALS. CREW WAS IN FIRST CLASS WHEN SO HEARD HISSING SOUND AND EVERYONE SMELLED ODD (CITRUS) ODOR. SO WENT FORWARD AND TOLD CREW THAT RAIN REPELLENT WAS SPRAYING. CAPT WENT FORWARD AND SPRAY HAD STOPPED. CAPT WENT INTO COCKPIT AND WAS OVERCOME BY FUMES. RAN OUTSIDE TO FRESH AIR. MAINT CALLED AND NEW BOTTLE BROUGHT. OLD BOTTLE GIVEN TO CAPT. HE READ FIRST 2 WARNINGS UNDER WORD TOXIC ABOUT EYE AND SKIN CONTACT. ANTIDOTE WAS TO FLUSH WITH CLR WATER. CREW THEN TRIED TO CLEAN UP SUITCASES AND COCKPIT. WATER AND SOAP WITH CLOTH TOWELS AND RAGS WERE USED. ABOUT 1 HR AFTER SPILL, THE CREW AGAIN CALLED MAINT FOR CLEAN-UP HELP AND, AT THIS TIME, MAINT REALIZED SPILL WAS IN COCKPIT. MAINT SUPVR CHKED HAZARDOUS MATERIAL LIST AND REALIZED CREW MIGHT BE IN JEOPARDY WITH CONTINUED EXPOSURE. MAINT SUPVR ARRIVED AT ACFT AND REMOVED CREW AND CREW WAS SENT TO NEAREST HOSPITAL EMER ROOM. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED IN FLT, AT ALT, THE INCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE SERIOUS. THE CAPT AND FO PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN BLINDED. THE FUMES WERE OVERPWRING AND THE CAPT WOULD NOT HAVE HAD OXYGEN AVAILABLE ON HIS SIDE. HE ALSO WOULD HAVE BEEN SPRAYED WITH THE MAJORITY OF MATERIAL, BURNING HIS SKIN. CAPT ERRED IN NOT READING ALL OF THE WARNING ON BOTTLE, IE, 'PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO FUMES CAN CAUSE PULMONARY, NERVOUS OR CARDIAC PROBS.' THE WARNING WAS NOT VISIBLE UNTIL BOTTLE REMOVED. WARNING INFERRED THAT EYE AND SKIN PROBS WERE MOST IMPORTANT. IF PRIORITY OF WARNING WERE REVERSED, THE CAPT WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED ANYONE BACK IN THE ACFT. ANOTHER PROB: IT TOOK 2 HRS TO FIND OUT THE EXACT CHEMICAL THE CREW HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO. DOES THE POSITIVE BENEFIT OF BETTER VISIBILITY IN HVY RAIN OUTWEIGH THE INHERENT DANGER OF A TOXIC MATERIAL IN THE COCKPIT THAT COULD HAVE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES? LNDG IN HEAVY RAIN IS A DUBIOUS JUDGEMENT AT BEST. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE B-727-200 FOR A MAJOR DOMESTIC ACR. FORTUNATELY, THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED ON THE GND AS THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THE ENTIRE COCKPIT CREW WOULD HAVE BEEN DISABLE IF THIS HAD HAPPENED IN THE AIR. NO ONE IN THE CREW SUFFERED ANY PERMANENT INJURY, THE ENTIRE CREW WAS SENT TO A LCL HOSPITAL FOR OBSERVATION THAT LASTED A FEW HRS. AS NO ONE COULD TELL THE HOSPITAL WHAT THE CHEMICAL WAS, THE CREW WAS TREATED FOR A GENERIC INHALATION PROB. THE ENTIRE CREW WAS KEPT IN A HOTEL NEAR THE HOSPITAL OVERNIGHT. A CABIN ATTENDANT WHO HAS ASTHMA, WHO DID NOT GO INTO THE COCKPIT WHILE IT WAS CONTAMINATED, WAS MOST AFFECT OF ALL. THE FLC TRIED TO CLEAN UP THE MESS USING ALCOHOL SWABS AND SOAP AND WATER. IT WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OFF OF MATTE PAINTED SURFACES. THE RPTR'S ACR AND PLT UNION ARE IN CONTACT WITH MANUFACTURER OVER THIS MATTER.

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.