Narrative:

On mar/thu/97, my family and I were passenger on an airline flight out of atlanta bound for columbus, oh. The flight was fully loaded. At about XA00 pm EST, the DC9 we were on left the ground. The plane was about a half hour behind schedule because of a delay for additional crew. Immediately after takeoff, the rear of the passenger cabin became filled with what smelled like exhaust gases. Very soon after that I began to hear a beeping sound coming from the rear of the plane. My wife and 13 yr old son also heard the beeping. We were seated on the right side of the aircraft a couple of seats behind the most-rearward window exit on that side. The beeping continued for about 20 seconds, stopped for a moment and began beeping again for about 10 seconds. It was about then that the captain spoke to the passenger via the PA system and, he said that the aircraft had been sitting for a couple of days getting an engine change and what we were smelling was probably fumes given off by the recently replaced engine. I heard a beeping sound coming from the rear of the plane. I stopped a flight attendant who was returning from the front of the plane and asked her what caused the beeping sound. She responded to my question by assuring me that everything was okay and that 'after what the airline had been through, they would never take any unnecessary risk with the safety of their passenger.' I told her that I was a commercial pilot and an a&P mechanic and that I was concerned about the captain's decision to continue the flight. She said that she would let the captain know about my concerns and that he would need to be the one to speak to me about them. Soon afterwards, she returned and told me that the captain was too busy to talk with me during the flight, but he would speak with me after we landed. Then, he began to reiterate where the smell had come from on takeoff. I told him that I was not trying to cause him or airline any trouble, but I didn't understand why he decided to continue the flight even though a beeping sound, some kind of warning signal, had gone off in the rear of the airplane. That's when he said, 'what beeping? I don't know anything about any beeping.' I was stunned by his statement. How could he not know?! How could a modern aircraft have a warning signal anywhere on the aircraft and not show up in the cockpit. I told him I thought the beeping sound that I had heard came from the rear smoke detectors. Then, he spoke to each of the 3 flight attendants and asked them one at a time if either had heard any beeping. They all said no. I couldn't believe this was happening! I told the captain that I had no reason to lie. And, I assured him that there were many others that had heard the beeping. I could not believe that he was questioning my honesty. However, as far as the flight attendants are concerned, I suppose it's possible when the one that was at the rear of the aircraft went forward to notify the captain of the strong smell that she could have missed hearing the beeping. But, despite that, I had stopped her as she returned to the rear, and I had asked her what had caused the beeping. That she didn't relay that fact to the captain is a mystery to me. I also pointed out to the captain that, I was very concerned about the safety of my family, myself, and the other passenger while we were being exposed to fumes that might contain carbon monoxide. After all, the flight from atlanta to columbus took over an hour. The reason I'm writing this report is because this is just the kind of aviation screw-up that leads to fatal results. An aircraft fills with unknown fumes and the pilot assumes it's just because of an engine change. A warning system goes off, but the pilot isn't made aware of it. Apparently, because there was no flight attendant in position to report it, and/or because there was no warning light in the cockpit to make the pilot aware of the problem. As a result, the captain made an important decision about the lives of more than 100 passenger and crew based on inadequate information. Finally, when I went to meet my family and pick up our baggage, I took the time to ask a few of the remaining passenger ifthey had heard the beeping in the rear of the aircraft. I took down the name and phone number of 2 of them just to verify what I heard. Both of them were reluctant to give me their name and phone number. They didn't want to get involved. I assured them that I was not trying to cause any trouble, but I was only interested in aviation safety. Although, there were only 2 names and numbers, besides my wife, son, and myself who heard the beeping, I'm confident that more than 20 others heard it as that's about how many were seated behind us. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was contacted and related the following details. The fumes and acrid smell was strong enough to set off one or both of the rear lavatory smoke detectors. The fumes and odor dissipated prior to landing, but could still be detected by a faint odor. What was upsetting was the flight attendant's failure to report the lavatory smoke detector warning which could have altered the captain's decision to continue the flight. At the termination of the flight no log entries were made regarding the fumes in the cabin. The reporter also states the FAA was contacted and were given this narrative.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC9 HAD ACRID SMOKE OR FUMES IN THE PAX CABIN ON TKOF AND INITIAL CLB ACCOMPANIED BY AFT LAVATORY SMOKE DETECTOR WARNING OR WARNINGS.

Narrative: ON MAR/THU/97, MY FAMILY AND I WERE PAX ON AN AIRLINE FLT OUT OF ATLANTA BOUND FOR COLUMBUS, OH. THE FLT WAS FULLY LOADED. AT ABOUT XA00 PM EST, THE DC9 WE WERE ON LEFT THE GND. THE PLANE WAS ABOUT A HALF HR BEHIND SCHEDULE BECAUSE OF A DELAY FOR ADDITIONAL CREW. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF, THE REAR OF THE PAX CABIN BECAME FILLED WITH WHAT SMELLED LIKE EXHAUST GASES. VERY SOON AFTER THAT I BEGAN TO HEAR A BEEPING SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE PLANE. MY WIFE AND 13 YR OLD SON ALSO HEARD THE BEEPING. WE WERE SEATED ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT A COUPLE OF SEATS BEHIND THE MOST-REARWARD WINDOW EXIT ON THAT SIDE. THE BEEPING CONTINUED FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS, STOPPED FOR A MOMENT AND BEGAN BEEPING AGAIN FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS. IT WAS ABOUT THEN THAT THE CAPT SPOKE TO THE PAX VIA THE PA SYS AND, HE SAID THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN SITTING FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS GETTING AN ENG CHANGE AND WHAT WE WERE SMELLING WAS PROBABLY FUMES GIVEN OFF BY THE RECENTLY REPLACED ENG. I HEARD A BEEPING SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE PLANE. I STOPPED A FLT ATTENDANT WHO WAS RETURNING FROM THE FRONT OF THE PLANE AND ASKED HER WHAT CAUSED THE BEEPING SOUND. SHE RESPONDED TO MY QUESTION BY ASSURING ME THAT EVERYTHING WAS OKAY AND THAT 'AFTER WHAT THE AIRLINE HAD BEEN THROUGH, THEY WOULD NEVER TAKE ANY UNNECESSARY RISK WITH THE SAFETY OF THEIR PAX.' I TOLD HER THAT I WAS A COMMERCIAL PLT AND AN A&P MECH AND THAT I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CAPT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE THE FLT. SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD LET THE CAPT KNOW ABOUT MY CONCERNS AND THAT HE WOULD NEED TO BE THE ONE TO SPEAK TO ME ABOUT THEM. SOON AFTERWARDS, SHE RETURNED AND TOLD ME THAT THE CAPT WAS TOO BUSY TO TALK WITH ME DURING THE FLT, BUT HE WOULD SPEAK WITH ME AFTER WE LANDED. THEN, HE BEGAN TO REITERATE WHERE THE SMELL HAD COME FROM ON TKOF. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS NOT TRYING TO CAUSE HIM OR AIRLINE ANY TROUBLE, BUT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY HE DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE FLT EVEN THOUGH A BEEPING SOUND, SOME KIND OF WARNING SIGNAL, HAD GONE OFF IN THE REAR OF THE AIRPLANE. THAT'S WHEN HE SAID, 'WHAT BEEPING? I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ANY BEEPING.' I WAS STUNNED BY HIS STATEMENT. HOW COULD HE NOT KNOW?! HOW COULD A MODERN ACFT HAVE A WARNING SIGNAL ANYWHERE ON THE ACFT AND NOT SHOW UP IN THE COCKPIT. I TOLD HIM I THOUGHT THE BEEPING SOUND THAT I HAD HEARD CAME FROM THE REAR SMOKE DETECTORS. THEN, HE SPOKE TO EACH OF THE 3 FLT ATTENDANTS AND ASKED THEM ONE AT A TIME IF EITHER HAD HEARD ANY BEEPING. THEY ALL SAID NO. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS WAS HAPPENING! I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I HAD NO REASON TO LIE. AND, I ASSURED HIM THAT THERE WERE MANY OTHERS THAT HAD HEARD THE BEEPING. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT HE WAS QUESTIONING MY HONESTY. HOWEVER, AS FAR AS THE FLT ATTENDANTS ARE CONCERNED, I SUPPOSE IT'S POSSIBLE WHEN THE ONE THAT WAS AT THE REAR OF THE ACFT WENT FORWARD TO NOTIFY THE CAPT OF THE STRONG SMELL THAT SHE COULD HAVE MISSED HEARING THE BEEPING. BUT, DESPITE THAT, I HAD STOPPED HER AS SHE RETURNED TO THE REAR, AND I HAD ASKED HER WHAT HAD CAUSED THE BEEPING. THAT SHE DIDN'T RELAY THAT FACT TO THE CAPT IS A MYSTERY TO ME. I ALSO POINTED OUT TO THE CAPT THAT, I WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY, MYSELF, AND THE OTHER PAX WHILE WE WERE BEING EXPOSED TO FUMES THAT MIGHT CONTAIN CARBON MONOXIDE. AFTER ALL, THE FLT FROM ATLANTA TO COLUMBUS TOOK OVER AN HR. THE REASON I'M WRITING THIS RPT IS BECAUSE THIS IS JUST THE KIND OF AVIATION SCREW-UP THAT LEADS TO FATAL RESULTS. AN ACFT FILLS WITH UNKNOWN FUMES AND THE PLT ASSUMES IT'S JUST BECAUSE OF AN ENG CHANGE. A WARNING SYS GOES OFF, BUT THE PLT ISN'T MADE AWARE OF IT. APPARENTLY, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FLT ATTENDANT IN POS TO RPT IT, AND/OR BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT IN THE COCKPIT TO MAKE THE PLT AWARE OF THE PROB. AS A RESULT, THE CAPT MADE AN IMPORTANT DECISION ABOUT THE LIVES OF MORE THAN 100 PAX AND CREW BASED ON INADEQUATE INFO. FINALLY, WHEN I WENT TO MEET MY FAMILY AND PICK UP OUR BAGGAGE, I TOOK THE TIME TO ASK A FEW OF THE REMAINING PAX IFTHEY HAD HEARD THE BEEPING IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT. I TOOK DOWN THE NAME AND PHONE NUMBER OF 2 OF THEM JUST TO VERIFY WHAT I HEARD. BOTH OF THEM WERE RELUCTANT TO GIVE ME THEIR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER. THEY DIDN'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED. I ASSURED THEM THAT I WAS NOT TRYING TO CAUSE ANY TROUBLE, BUT I WAS ONLY INTERESTED IN AVIATION SAFETY. ALTHOUGH, THERE WERE ONLY 2 NAMES AND NUMBERS, BESIDES MY WIFE, SON, AND MYSELF WHO HEARD THE BEEPING, I'M CONFIDENT THAT MORE THAN 20 OTHERS HEARD IT AS THAT'S ABOUT HOW MANY WERE SEATED BEHIND US. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS CONTACTED AND RELATED THE FOLLOWING DETAILS. THE FUMES AND ACRID SMELL WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO SET OFF ONE OR BOTH OF THE REAR LAVATORY SMOKE DETECTORS. THE FUMES AND ODOR DISSIPATED PRIOR TO LNDG, BUT COULD STILL BE DETECTED BY A FAINT ODOR. WHAT WAS UPSETTING WAS THE FLT ATTENDANT'S FAILURE TO RPT THE LAVATORY SMOKE DETECTOR WARNING WHICH COULD HAVE ALTERED THE CAPT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE THE FLT. AT THE TERMINATION OF THE FLT NO LOG ENTRIES WERE MADE REGARDING THE FUMES IN THE CABIN. THE RPTR ALSO STATES THE FAA WAS CONTACTED AND WERE GIVEN THIS NARRATIVE.

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.