Narrative:

A potentially serious event occurred on a commercial airline. This event was the ignition of a box of wooden kitchen matches contained in my duffel bag. Also contained in my bag was a box of fire starter which did not ignite. Fire starter is a product containing sawdust and paraffin shaped like a candle. The matchbox went out on its own and was discovered by smell by someone loading the baggage. I was informed that both of these products are illegal to pack in baggage. I would never knowingly commit a safety infraction, and place myself and others in danger. I was traveling with a group to alaska for fishing and packed a duffel bag containing community food and camping gear. I made advance arrangements with a charter service to have the necessary coleman fuel and stove oil waiting for the group at our destination. It is common knowledge that coleman fuel and stove oil are hazmats and cannot be transported safely on a commercial airline. I have spoken with at least 20 people, including many private pilots and several flight instructors, and not one was aware that matches were a prohibited material. There is no question in my mind that fire starter is less hazardous than matches. I returned to my home airport to review more carefully the written, posted material describing prohibited materials. The airline which checked my baggage has posted the following warning. 'Hazardous materials include explosives, compressed gases, flammable liquids and solids, oxidizers, poisons, corrosives, loaded firearms, and radioactive materials.' examples of hazmats are cited, however matches are not included. After giving the warning further thought, I realized that matches and fire starter probably fall under the category of flammable solids. However, I am writing to express that people, including myself, had not been making this connection. In addition, at another airline ticket counter, I requested and received literature concerning hazmats. They took out from behind the counter a little flier, stating matches are prohibited. However, it was not posted where the public could read it and I would not have thought to ask for the flier if this event had not occurred. I feel very strongly that a major effort should be undertaken immediately to educate the general public on the dangers of matches packed in baggage. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter confirmed that the matches were packed in a flexible duffel bag. It is surmised that the matches were ignited during aircraft baggage xfer. The passenger suggests that airport and ticket signage be amended to specifically state matches are a combustible, flammable solid, and as such, as hazmat, not authority/authorized in baggage. The reporter also states that as common as matches are, they are overlooked as a hazard.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ARPT BAGGAGE HANDLER IDENTS SMOLDERING MATERIAL FROM PAX BAGGAGE. PAX, UNKNOWINGLY WAS TRANSPORTING HAZMAT THAT IGNITED AND SMOTHERED ON ITS OWN. HAZMAT MATCHES, WERE NOT AMONG POSTED AIRLINE HAZMAT. PAX CONCERNED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE HAZMAT LIST PROVIDED TO ALL PAX.

Narrative: A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS EVENT OCCURRED ON A COMMERCIAL AIRLINE. THIS EVENT WAS THE IGNITION OF A BOX OF WOODEN KITCHEN MATCHES CONTAINED IN MY DUFFEL BAG. ALSO CONTAINED IN MY BAG WAS A BOX OF FIRE STARTER WHICH DID NOT IGNITE. FIRE STARTER IS A PRODUCT CONTAINING SAWDUST AND PARAFFIN SHAPED LIKE A CANDLE. THE MATCHBOX WENT OUT ON ITS OWN AND WAS DISCOVERED BY SMELL BY SOMEONE LOADING THE BAGGAGE. I WAS INFORMED THAT BOTH OF THESE PRODUCTS ARE ILLEGAL TO PACK IN BAGGAGE. I WOULD NEVER KNOWINGLY COMMIT A SAFETY INFRACTION, AND PLACE MYSELF AND OTHERS IN DANGER. I WAS TRAVELING WITH A GROUP TO ALASKA FOR FISHING AND PACKED A DUFFEL BAG CONTAINING COMMUNITY FOOD AND CAMPING GEAR. I MADE ADVANCE ARRANGEMENTS WITH A CHARTER SVC TO HAVE THE NECESSARY COLEMAN FUEL AND STOVE OIL WAITING FOR THE GROUP AT OUR DEST. IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT COLEMAN FUEL AND STOVE OIL ARE HAZMATS AND CANNOT BE TRANSPORTED SAFELY ON A COMMERCIAL AIRLINE. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE, INCLUDING MANY PVT PLTS AND SEVERAL FLT INSTRUCTORS, AND NOT ONE WAS AWARE THAT MATCHES WERE A PROHIBITED MATERIAL. THERE IS NO QUESTION IN MY MIND THAT FIRE STARTER IS LESS HAZARDOUS THAN MATCHES. I RETURNED TO MY HOME ARPT TO REVIEW MORE CAREFULLY THE WRITTEN, POSTED MATERIAL DESCRIBING PROHIBITED MATERIALS. THE AIRLINE WHICH CHKED MY BAGGAGE HAS POSTED THE FOLLOWING WARNING. 'HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCLUDE EXPLOSIVES, COMPRESSED GASES, FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS AND SOLIDS, OXIDIZERS, POISONS, CORROSIVES, LOADED FIREARMS, AND RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS.' EXAMPLES OF HAZMATS ARE CITED, HOWEVER MATCHES ARE NOT INCLUDED. AFTER GIVING THE WARNING FURTHER THOUGHT, I REALIZED THAT MATCHES AND FIRE STARTER PROBABLY FALL UNDER THE CATEGORY OF FLAMMABLE SOLIDS. HOWEVER, I AM WRITING TO EXPRESS THAT PEOPLE, INCLUDING MYSELF, HAD NOT BEEN MAKING THIS CONNECTION. IN ADDITION, AT ANOTHER AIRLINE TICKET COUNTER, I REQUESTED AND RECEIVED LITERATURE CONCERNING HAZMATS. THEY TOOK OUT FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER A LITTLE FLIER, STATING MATCHES ARE PROHIBITED. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT POSTED WHERE THE PUBLIC COULD READ IT AND I WOULD NOT HAVE THOUGHT TO ASK FOR THE FLIER IF THIS EVENT HAD NOT OCCURRED. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT A MAJOR EFFORT SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN IMMEDIATELY TO EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE DANGERS OF MATCHES PACKED IN BAGGAGE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR CONFIRMED THAT THE MATCHES WERE PACKED IN A FLEXIBLE DUFFEL BAG. IT IS SURMISED THAT THE MATCHES WERE IGNITED DURING ACFT BAGGAGE XFER. THE PAX SUGGESTS THAT ARPT AND TICKET SIGNAGE BE AMENDED TO SPECIFICALLY STATE MATCHES ARE A COMBUSTIBLE, FLAMMABLE SOLID, AND AS SUCH, AS HAZMAT, NOT AUTH IN BAGGAGE. THE RPTR ALSO STATES THAT AS COMMON AS MATCHES ARE, THEY ARE OVERLOOKED AS A HAZARD.

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.