Narrative:

Ineffective security at fra. Shortly after door 1L had been closed and the jetbridge withdrawn, one of our flight attendants called to report fumes in the cabin. She said the fumes smelled like cleaning fluid or paint thinner. The I/O can confirm this. We then had fra ground personnel reboard the aircraft to locate the problem. After 10-15 mins they told us they had checked the cargo bays, the area around seats 38A and B, where the odor was the strongest, and questioned the passenger in seat 38A, plus had searched this passenger carry on bags. They said they could find no spilled or leaking liquid. They further said the smell was similar to that of the glue used to hold down the carpet and also similar to the smell of the cleaning fluid used to spot clean the carpet. Due to all this information plus the fact that the smell was dissipating we decided to press on. About 1 1/2 hours after takeoff, the passenger in seat 38A, from greece, informed one of the flight attendants that she had just discovered a small container of liquid had spilled in her carry on bag. To the flight attendant this liquid smelled like brush cleaner or some type of paint thinner, the passenger said she was an artist. The flight attendant, god bless her, immediately diluted the spillage with club soda and water, soaked the liquids up with paper towels, put the whole mess in several plastic and paper bags, and then put them in a lav that was then blocked off. She then informed me what had occurred and we determined there was no further danger of fumes or fire from this situation. We elected to continue the flight. The flight attendant told me she had confiscated 5 or 6 bottles of suspicious smelling liquids from the woman's art supplies. My feeling is that the woman knew the original fumes at the gate were coming from her bag but that she was afraid to admit it for fear of being removed from the flight. 2 things trouble me: 1) how this flammable liquid ever got through security in the first place. She was carrying several containers of various fluids. 2) the fra ground personnel specifically told me they had searched her bags and found nothing, which obviously wasn't done or this already spilled liquid would have been discovered. I would very much like a response from the fra station manager concerning this very serious event.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PIC'S RPT ON LOADING PROC PAXS CREATING HAZARDOUS CARGO PROB. FOREIGN AIRSPACE. ARPT TERMINAL SECURITY CHKS CHALLENGED. TOXIC FUMES DETECTED ONBOARD B767, FRA.

Narrative: INEFFECTIVE SECURITY AT FRA. SHORTLY AFTER DOOR 1L HAD BEEN CLOSED AND THE JETBRIDGE WITHDRAWN, ONE OF OUR FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED TO RPT FUMES IN THE CABIN. SHE SAID THE FUMES SMELLED LIKE CLEANING FLUID OR PAINT THINNER. THE I/O CAN CONFIRM THIS. WE THEN HAD FRA GND PERSONNEL REBOARD THE ACFT TO LOCATE THE PROB. AFTER 10-15 MINS THEY TOLD US THEY HAD CHKED THE CARGO BAYS, THE AREA AROUND SEATS 38A AND B, WHERE THE ODOR WAS THE STRONGEST, AND QUESTIONED THE PAX IN SEAT 38A, PLUS HAD SEARCHED THIS PAX CARRY ON BAGS. THEY SAID THEY COULD FIND NO SPILLED OR LEAKING LIQUID. THEY FURTHER SAID THE SMELL WAS SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE GLUE USED TO HOLD DOWN THE CARPET AND ALSO SIMILAR TO THE SMELL OF THE CLEANING FLUID USED TO SPOT CLEAN THE CARPET. DUE TO ALL THIS INFO PLUS THE FACT THAT THE SMELL WAS DISSIPATING WE DECIDED TO PRESS ON. ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS AFTER TKOF, THE PAX IN SEAT 38A, FROM GREECE, INFORMED ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT SHE HAD JUST DISCOVERED A SMALL CONTAINER OF LIQUID HAD SPILLED IN HER CARRY ON BAG. TO THE FLT ATTENDANT THIS LIQUID SMELLED LIKE BRUSH CLEANER OR SOME TYPE OF PAINT THINNER, THE PAX SAID SHE WAS AN ARTIST. THE FLT ATTENDANT, GOD BLESS HER, IMMEDIATELY DILUTED THE SPILLAGE WITH CLUB SODA AND WATER, SOAKED THE LIQUIDS UP WITH PAPER TOWELS, PUT THE WHOLE MESS IN SEVERAL PLASTIC AND PAPER BAGS, AND THEN PUT THEM IN A LAV THAT WAS THEN BLOCKED OFF. SHE THEN INFORMED ME WHAT HAD OCCURRED AND WE DETERMINED THERE WAS NO FURTHER DANGER OF FUMES OR FIRE FROM THIS SIT. WE ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE FLT. THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME SHE HAD CONFISCATED 5 OR 6 BOTTLES OF SUSPICIOUS SMELLING LIQUIDS FROM THE WOMAN'S ART SUPPLIES. MY FEELING IS THAT THE WOMAN KNEW THE ORIGINAL FUMES AT THE GATE WERE COMING FROM HER BAG BUT THAT SHE WAS AFRAID TO ADMIT IT FOR FEAR OF BEING REMOVED FROM THE FLT. 2 THINGS TROUBLE ME: 1) HOW THIS FLAMMABLE LIQUID EVER GOT THROUGH SECURITY IN THE FIRST PLACE. SHE WAS CARRYING SEVERAL CONTAINERS OF VARIOUS FLUIDS. 2) THE FRA GND PERSONNEL SPECIFICALLY TOLD ME THEY HAD SEARCHED HER BAGS AND FOUND NOTHING, WHICH OBVIOUSLY WASN'T DONE OR THIS ALREADY SPILLED LIQUID WOULD HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED. I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE A RESPONSE FROM THE FRA STATION MGR CONCERNING THIS VERY SERIOUS EVENT.

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.