Narrative:

First officer found a large red stain on bottom of fuselage stretching from 2 drain holes back to wheel well area. A logbook entry from aug/xx/96 said there had been a hazmat spill of schiffs reagent. Write-off said that hazmat fluid had not leaked below cargo floor but red stain on hull indicated that a substantial quantity of the fluid had indeed leaked below the cargo floor. In trying to find out the significance of schiffs reagent I was told by the crew chief who was present at the time of the spill that the clean-up was done by a special crew wearing space suits. They told him that the fluid was highly toxic and cancer causing. I talked to the ramp manager, whose attitude was the plane's been flying for 3 days -- so what's the problem? I called the hazmat hotline, which worked only to the extent that somebody answered the phone. He could not tell me anything about schiffs reagent. He needed a number of some sort to get the information. After consulting with the maintenance supervisor, I made a logbook entry that the write-off of aug/xx/96 was incorrect in that the large stain on the bottom of the fuselage indicated that a substantial quantity of the hazardous fluid had indeed leaked beneath the forward cargo floor. At that point maintenance took the plane OTS. We got a replacement aircraft later. Callback conversation with fluid manufacturer revealed the following information: analyst initially checked with a laboratory who manufacturers the schiffs reagent fluid. This is a dye solution, a chemical used to stain carbohydrates for lab testing and to detect glyco proteins. It is not cancer causing, but like any chemical, it should be handled carefully, not ingested and people should wear lab coats, etc, when handling. A spill would not ordinarily cause toxic fumes unless this was a formulation that had toxic agents, hydrochloric acid for instance. Of itself, it is not considered a hazardous material.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FLC DETECTS RED STREAK ON BOTTOM FUSELAGE DURING PREFLT INSPECTION. LOGBOOK INDICATED A SPILL OF SCHIFFS REAGENT HAD OCCURRED AND CLEANUP WRITTEN OFF AS NOT LEAKING BELOW CARGO FLOOR. THIS WAS COUNTERED BY THE PREFLT INSPECTION.

Narrative: FO FOUND A LARGE RED STAIN ON BOTTOM OF FUSELAGE STRETCHING FROM 2 DRAIN HOLES BACK TO WHEEL WELL AREA. A LOGBOOK ENTRY FROM AUG/XX/96 SAID THERE HAD BEEN A HAZMAT SPILL OF SCHIFFS REAGENT. WRITE-OFF SAID THAT HAZMAT FLUID HAD NOT LEAKED BELOW CARGO FLOOR BUT RED STAIN ON HULL INDICATED THAT A SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITY OF THE FLUID HAD INDEED LEAKED BELOW THE CARGO FLOOR. IN TRYING TO FIND OUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SCHIFFS REAGENT I WAS TOLD BY THE CREW CHIEF WHO WAS PRESENT AT THE TIME OF THE SPILL THAT THE CLEAN-UP WAS DONE BY A SPECIAL CREW WEARING SPACE SUITS. THEY TOLD HIM THAT THE FLUID WAS HIGHLY TOXIC AND CANCER CAUSING. I TALKED TO THE RAMP MGR, WHOSE ATTITUDE WAS THE PLANE'S BEEN FLYING FOR 3 DAYS -- SO WHAT'S THE PROB? I CALLED THE HAZMAT HOTLINE, WHICH WORKED ONLY TO THE EXTENT THAT SOMEBODY ANSWERED THE PHONE. HE COULD NOT TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT SCHIFFS REAGENT. HE NEEDED A NUMBER OF SOME SORT TO GET THE INFO. AFTER CONSULTING WITH THE MAINT SUPVR, I MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY THAT THE WRITE-OFF OF AUG/XX/96 WAS INCORRECT IN THAT THE LARGE STAIN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE INDICATED THAT A SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITY OF THE HAZARDOUS FLUID HAD INDEED LEAKED BENEATH THE FORWARD CARGO FLOOR. AT THAT POINT MAINT TOOK THE PLANE OTS. WE GOT A REPLACEMENT ACFT LATER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH FLUID MANUFACTURER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ANALYST INITIALLY CHKED WITH A LABORATORY WHO MANUFACTURERS THE SCHIFFS REAGENT FLUID. THIS IS A DYE SOLUTION, A CHEMICAL USED TO STAIN CARBOHYDRATES FOR LAB TESTING AND TO DETECT GLYCO PROTEINS. IT IS NOT CANCER CAUSING, BUT LIKE ANY CHEMICAL, IT SHOULD BE HANDLED CAREFULLY, NOT INGESTED AND PEOPLE SHOULD WEAR LAB COATS, ETC, WHEN HANDLING. A SPILL WOULD NOT ORDINARILY CAUSE TOXIC FUMES UNLESS THIS WAS A FORMULATION THAT HAD TOXIC AGENTS, HYDROCHLORIC ACID FOR INSTANCE. OF ITSELF, IT IS NOT CONSIDERED A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL.

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.