Narrative:

On apr/xa/98 I was PIC of flight from stl to dca. The aircraft was a DC9-30 with 36 passenger onboard. The flight was routine in all respects until arrival at the gate in dca. After the engines were shut down the aircraft was filled with a very pungent odor, later determined to be from 1 of 2 cartons containing human remains. Because of the odor, I asked that the forward cargo compartment be cleaned and deodorized prior to boarding passenger for the return flight to stl. Ramp service personnel informed me that the bottom of one of the cartons was wet and that the compartment had been cleaned with approved cleaning agents. The plane was then released for the return flight. After departure from dca, the first officer called dca ramp personnel to thank them for the expeditious handling of the flight. Flight information control then informed us that the liquid on the bottom of the carton had been formaldehyde. She also assured us that the liquid had been cleaned and removed with approved cleaning agents and no longer constituted a hazard of any kind. With this information and the fact that dispatch had released the aircraft (again indicating no problem with the formaldehyde) we proceeded to stl. Upon arrival in stl we were directed by ground control to proceed to a holding area rather than to our assigned gate. Upon arrival at the holding area we were met by numerous fire department vehicles, including hazmat personnel. After several mins of confusion, we were informed that the aircraft and baggage were being quarantined because of a formaldehyde spill in the forward cargo compartment. The passenger and crew deplaned and were transported to the terminal by bus. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain stated that the flight crew knew nothing about the human remains being shipped since that class of cargo is not and has not been classified as hazmat so the crew is not required to sign for it. The 2 boxes were human remains that had been exhumed and shipped to a forensic laboratory. For what purpose it isn't known. It wasn't known that the human remains were packed in formaldehyde. The packaging requires a double plastic bag or container within the box. The 1 box had bags that were obviously not sealed correctly. The flight crew has access to a 'little red book' in the cockpit that contains a list of hazmats. That wasn't referenced since it wasn't known that any hazmat was on the aircraft (human remains not on the list nor the packaging fluid associated with it). The book does reference formaldehyde, however. The captain was told that the fluid was formaldehyde by company personnel although someone had said that the remains are packed in a saline solution. The captain didn't know if any labels were on the boxes. When the flight left dca the captain had asked station personnel to call ahead to stl, to see if anything further was needed in the way of aircraft services related to the odors. When the station manager in stl heard that formaldehyde was mentioned as the fluid he got the emergency ground equipment involved. The primary problem, aside from any hazmat considerations, was the odor. When the aircraft arrived in stl, ramp personnel were standing by, holding their noses and waving the air in front of them. The aircraft was parked out on the ramp for 3 days. It was completely stripped internally, curtains, floor matting, seats, aircraft insulation in the forward baggage compartment, all removed and replaced. Supplemental information from acn 399090: upon arrival in dca after an uneventful flight we shut the engines down and we immediately smelled a very pungent smell. As we left the aircraft the smell became more and more intense. In the fwd cargo compartment were 2 boxes of human remains. The cargo personnel informed us that 1 of the cartons was 'leaking' and was wet underneath the carton. We directed the station personnel to clean up the liquid to remove the smell. After that was accomplished and the smell was abated, we began our return flight to stl. Callback conversation with reporter acn 399090 revealed the following information: even after the cargo compartment had been cleaned the odor was too strong to board the next group of passenger so the first officer said that they turned the temperature down and ventilated the aircraft for a while to reduce the odor's strength a bit. The flight crew had several conversations with company personnel en route to stl and they were told the aircraft's fwd cargo compartment would be cleaned again upon arrival. After landing they were directed to a remote parking area where the passenger were removed and driven to the terminal and their bags were removed and wiped off and then the aircraft was taken to a hangar and thoroughly cleaned for 4 days.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC9-30 FLC TAKES A FLT FROM DCA TO STL AFTER IT WAS DETERMINED THAT SOME FORMALDEHYDE HAD LEAKED FROM ONE OF THE CARTONS (POSSIBLY A CASKET) CONTAINING HUMAN REMAINS IN THE FORWARD CARGO COMPARTMENT. THE LEAK OCCURRED ON THE INBOUND FLT AND THE COMPARTMENT HAD BEEN CLEANED WITH 'AN APPROVED CLEANING AGENT.' ACFT IS ISOLATED UPON ARR AT STL AND PAX DEPLANED.

Narrative: ON APR/XA/98 I WAS PIC OF FLT FROM STL TO DCA. THE ACFT WAS A DC9-30 WITH 36 PAX ONBOARD. THE FLT WAS ROUTINE IN ALL RESPECTS UNTIL ARR AT THE GATE IN DCA. AFTER THE ENGS WERE SHUT DOWN THE ACFT WAS FILLED WITH A VERY PUNGENT ODOR, LATER DETERMINED TO BE FROM 1 OF 2 CARTONS CONTAINING HUMAN REMAINS. BECAUSE OF THE ODOR, I ASKED THAT THE FORWARD CARGO COMPARTMENT BE CLEANED AND DEODORIZED PRIOR TO BOARDING PAX FOR THE RETURN FLT TO STL. RAMP SVC PERSONNEL INFORMED ME THAT THE BOTTOM OF ONE OF THE CARTONS WAS WET AND THAT THE COMPARTMENT HAD BEEN CLEANED WITH APPROVED CLEANING AGENTS. THE PLANE WAS THEN RELEASED FOR THE RETURN FLT. AFTER DEP FROM DCA, THE FO CALLED DCA RAMP PERSONNEL TO THANK THEM FOR THE EXPEDITIOUS HANDLING OF THE FLT. FLT INFO CTL THEN INFORMED US THAT THE LIQUID ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CARTON HAD BEEN FORMALDEHYDE. SHE ALSO ASSURED US THAT THE LIQUID HAD BEEN CLEANED AND REMOVED WITH APPROVED CLEANING AGENTS AND NO LONGER CONSTITUTED A HAZARD OF ANY KIND. WITH THIS INFO AND THE FACT THAT DISPATCH HAD RELEASED THE ACFT (AGAIN INDICATING NO PROB WITH THE FORMALDEHYDE) WE PROCEEDED TO STL. UPON ARR IN STL WE WERE DIRECTED BY GND CTL TO PROCEED TO A HOLDING AREA RATHER THAN TO OUR ASSIGNED GATE. UPON ARR AT THE HOLDING AREA WE WERE MET BY NUMEROUS FIRE DEPT VEHICLES, INCLUDING HAZMAT PERSONNEL. AFTER SEVERAL MINS OF CONFUSION, WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE ACFT AND BAGGAGE WERE BEING QUARANTINED BECAUSE OF A FORMALDEHYDE SPILL IN THE FORWARD CARGO COMPARTMENT. THE PAX AND CREW DEPLANED AND WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE TERMINAL BY BUS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT STATED THAT THE FLC KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE HUMAN REMAINS BEING SHIPPED SINCE THAT CLASS OF CARGO IS NOT AND HAS NOT BEEN CLASSIFIED AS HAZMAT SO THE CREW IS NOT REQUIRED TO SIGN FOR IT. THE 2 BOXES WERE HUMAN REMAINS THAT HAD BEEN EXHUMED AND SHIPPED TO A FORENSIC LABORATORY. FOR WHAT PURPOSE IT ISN'T KNOWN. IT WASN'T KNOWN THAT THE HUMAN REMAINS WERE PACKED IN FORMALDEHYDE. THE PACKAGING REQUIRES A DOUBLE PLASTIC BAG OR CONTAINER WITHIN THE BOX. THE 1 BOX HAD BAGS THAT WERE OBVIOUSLY NOT SEALED CORRECTLY. THE FLC HAS ACCESS TO A 'LITTLE RED BOOK' IN THE COCKPIT THAT CONTAINS A LIST OF HAZMATS. THAT WASN'T REFED SINCE IT WASN'T KNOWN THAT ANY HAZMAT WAS ON THE ACFT (HUMAN REMAINS NOT ON THE LIST NOR THE PACKAGING FLUID ASSOCIATED WITH IT). THE BOOK DOES REF FORMALDEHYDE, HOWEVER. THE CAPT WAS TOLD THAT THE FLUID WAS FORMALDEHYDE BY COMPANY PERSONNEL ALTHOUGH SOMEONE HAD SAID THAT THE REMAINS ARE PACKED IN A SALINE SOLUTION. THE CAPT DIDN'T KNOW IF ANY LABELS WERE ON THE BOXES. WHEN THE FLT LEFT DCA THE CAPT HAD ASKED STATION PERSONNEL TO CALL AHEAD TO STL, TO SEE IF ANYTHING FURTHER WAS NEEDED IN THE WAY OF ACFT SVCS RELATED TO THE ODORS. WHEN THE STATION MGR IN STL HEARD THAT FORMALDEHYDE WAS MENTIONED AS THE FLUID HE GOT THE EMER GND EQUIP INVOLVED. THE PRIMARY PROB, ASIDE FROM ANY HAZMAT CONSIDERATIONS, WAS THE ODOR. WHEN THE ACFT ARRIVED IN STL, RAMP PERSONNEL WERE STANDING BY, HOLDING THEIR NOSES AND WAVING THE AIR IN FRONT OF THEM. THE ACFT WAS PARKED OUT ON THE RAMP FOR 3 DAYS. IT WAS COMPLETELY STRIPPED INTERNALLY, CURTAINS, FLOOR MATTING, SEATS, ACFT INSULATION IN THE FORWARD BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT, ALL REMOVED AND REPLACED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 399090: UPON ARR IN DCA AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL FLT WE SHUT THE ENGS DOWN AND WE IMMEDIATELY SMELLED A VERY PUNGENT SMELL. AS WE LEFT THE ACFT THE SMELL BECAME MORE AND MORE INTENSE. IN THE FWD CARGO COMPARTMENT WERE 2 BOXES OF HUMAN REMAINS. THE CARGO PERSONNEL INFORMED US THAT 1 OF THE CARTONS WAS 'LEAKING' AND WAS WET UNDERNEATH THE CARTON. WE DIRECTED THE STATION PERSONNEL TO CLEAN UP THE LIQUID TO REMOVE THE SMELL. AFTER THAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND THE SMELL WAS ABATED, WE BEGAN OUR RETURN FLT TO STL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 399090 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: EVEN AFTER THE CARGO COMPARTMENT HAD BEEN CLEANED THE ODOR WAS TOO STRONG TO BOARD THE NEXT GROUP OF PAX SO THE FO SAID THAT THEY TURNED THE TEMPERATURE DOWN AND VENTILATED THE ACFT FOR A WHILE TO REDUCE THE ODOR'S STRENGTH A BIT. THE FLT CREW HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH COMPANY PERSONNEL ENRTE TO STL AND THEY WERE TOLD THE ACFT'S FWD CARGO COMPARTMENT WOULD BE CLEANED AGAIN UPON ARR. AFTER LNDG THEY WERE DIRECTED TO A REMOTE PARKING AREA WHERE THE PAX WERE REMOVED AND DRIVEN TO THE TERMINAL AND THEIR BAGS WERE REMOVED AND WIPED OFF AND THEN THE ACFT WAS TAKEN TO A HANGAR AND THOROUGHLY CLEANED FOR 4 DAYS.

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.