Narrative:

While loading for flight, the ramp agent came into the cockpit and handed the captain a form for 1 container of oil with about 1 1/2 gallons. While the captain was looking at the paperwork, I asked the agent where they would be loading the oil. She told me she would put it in bin 4. The captain rejected the form because it listed only 1 container and we were asked to carry 2. The agent left and returned about 10 mins later with new copies of the paperwork. The captain took the new copies, looked them over, and accepted the shipment and paperwork. We were told the oil would go into bin 4 (class D). The agent then handed the captain a new form for a canister of oxygen. The agent told us the oxygen would go in bin 4 alongside the oil because they never loaded the forward bins unless the aft bins were full due to center of gravity problems. I asked the agent if it was a good idea to put oxygen containers and oil together in a class D cargo compartment since oil and oxygen can combine if we hit turbulence, spontaneously combust and start a fire that would not be extinguished or even noticed by the flight crew. She didn't know. Both the agent and the captain were satisfied with the oxygen and oil packed together in the same bin. We were going to go. When the agent left, I told the captain that I was not comfortable with this combination and did not want to fly with it unless they were at least separated into different bins. We discussed the class D cargo bins, fires, the B707(/) that never completed its divert into xyz after 2 hazmats combined and ignited. We also discussed air carrier flight out of zyy. The captain then went and talked to the loading agents and it was decided that the oxygen and oil would be separated into bin 1 and bin 4. There was nothing written in the fom in our form section that prohibits the carriage of oil and oxygen together. Captain did not want to reject shipment without citing a specific procedure from fom. After discussion he did find a way to remedy the situation and complete the flight and carry the shipment without having to replace the first officer. Ramp agent had no idea that oil and oxygen can combine and ignite, therefore she did not realize the hazard. When made aware of the hazard, neither the agent nor the captain initially wanted to research or resolve the problem. Captain was very knowledgeable of aircraft capabilities and company procedures. He was very cooperative and nonthreatened by first officer's questions and concerns and respected my uneasy feelings enough to bring about a satisfactory resolution of the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A COMMERCIAL FIXED WING ACFT WAS LOADED WITH OIL CANS AND OXYGEN IN THE SAME CARGO BIN AND ONLY REPOSITIONED AFTER THE FO EXPRESSED SERIOUS CONCERN ABOUT SAFETY.

Narrative: WHILE LOADING FOR FLT, THE RAMP AGENT CAME INTO THE COCKPIT AND HANDED THE CAPT A FORM FOR 1 CONTAINER OF OIL WITH ABOUT 1 1/2 GALLONS. WHILE THE CAPT WAS LOOKING AT THE PAPERWORK, I ASKED THE AGENT WHERE THEY WOULD BE LOADING THE OIL. SHE TOLD ME SHE WOULD PUT IT IN BIN 4. THE CAPT REJECTED THE FORM BECAUSE IT LISTED ONLY 1 CONTAINER AND WE WERE ASKED TO CARRY 2. THE AGENT LEFT AND RETURNED ABOUT 10 MINS LATER WITH NEW COPIES OF THE PAPERWORK. THE CAPT TOOK THE NEW COPIES, LOOKED THEM OVER, AND ACCEPTED THE SHIPMENT AND PAPERWORK. WE WERE TOLD THE OIL WOULD GO INTO BIN 4 (CLASS D). THE AGENT THEN HANDED THE CAPT A NEW FORM FOR A CANISTER OF OXYGEN. THE AGENT TOLD US THE OXYGEN WOULD GO IN BIN 4 ALONGSIDE THE OIL BECAUSE THEY NEVER LOADED THE FORWARD BINS UNLESS THE AFT BINS WERE FULL DUE TO CTR OF GRAVITY PROBS. I ASKED THE AGENT IF IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PUT OXYGEN CONTAINERS AND OIL TOGETHER IN A CLASS D CARGO COMPARTMENT SINCE OIL AND OXYGEN CAN COMBINE IF WE HIT TURB, SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST AND START A FIRE THAT WOULD NOT BE EXTINGUISHED OR EVEN NOTICED BY THE FLC. SHE DIDN'T KNOW. BOTH THE AGENT AND THE CAPT WERE SATISFIED WITH THE OXYGEN AND OIL PACKED TOGETHER IN THE SAME BIN. WE WERE GOING TO GO. WHEN THE AGENT LEFT, I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THIS COMBINATION AND DID NOT WANT TO FLY WITH IT UNLESS THEY WERE AT LEAST SEPARATED INTO DIFFERENT BINS. WE DISCUSSED THE CLASS D CARGO BINS, FIRES, THE B707(/) THAT NEVER COMPLETED ITS DIVERT INTO XYZ AFTER 2 HAZMATS COMBINED AND IGNITED. WE ALSO DISCUSSED ACR FLT OUT OF ZYY. THE CAPT THEN WENT AND TALKED TO THE LOADING AGENTS AND IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE OXYGEN AND OIL WOULD BE SEPARATED INTO BIN 1 AND BIN 4. THERE WAS NOTHING WRITTEN IN THE FOM IN OUR FORM SECTION THAT PROHIBITS THE CARRIAGE OF OIL AND OXYGEN TOGETHER. CAPT DID NOT WANT TO REJECT SHIPMENT WITHOUT CITING A SPECIFIC PROC FROM FOM. AFTER DISCUSSION HE DID FIND A WAY TO REMEDY THE SIT AND COMPLETE THE FLT AND CARRY THE SHIPMENT WITHOUT HAVING TO REPLACE THE FO. RAMP AGENT HAD NO IDEA THAT OIL AND OXYGEN CAN COMBINE AND IGNITE, THEREFORE SHE DID NOT REALIZE THE HAZARD. WHEN MADE AWARE OF THE HAZARD, NEITHER THE AGENT NOR THE CAPT INITIALLY WANTED TO RESEARCH OR RESOLVE THE PROB. CAPT WAS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE OF ACFT CAPABILITIES AND COMPANY PROCS. HE WAS VERY COOPERATIVE AND NONTHREATENED BY FO'S QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS AND RESPECTED MY UNEASY FEELINGS ENOUGH TO BRING ABOUT A SATISFACTORY RESOLUTION OF THE PROB.

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.