Narrative:

In sum: flight operations during winter with multiple legs and an unexpected unscheduled aircraft change, the cargo compartment found by FAA to be defective. Subsequently the cargo compartment fire extinguisher was deactivated and deemed unusable. The reporter states that there were no company policies or sops to cover the situation and attempts to resolve baggage problems led to disputes and disagreements with company personnel. In an attempt to help out the company, checked baggage was allowed to travel inside the cabin area and thus created some safety and security issues. The reporter notes the lack of dispatch policies, the inability of ground and station personnel to resolve obvious safety and security gaps with further difficulties arising from the holiday and winter operation and the obvious added stress of continuing the operation with a defective and unusable cargo compartment. The reporter appears to be mostly concerned with the created security gaps created by the above situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC MEMBER OF CL600 EXPRESSES SECURITY CONCERNS OVER BAGGAGE HANDLING DURING IRREGULAR OPS DURING BUSY SEASON.

Narrative: IN SUM: FLT OPS DURING WINTER WITH MULTIPLE LEGS AND AN UNEXPECTED UNSCHEDULED ACFT CHANGE, THE CARGO COMPARTMENT FOUND BY FAA TO BE DEFECTIVE. SUBSEQUENTLY THE CARGO COMPARTMENT FIRE EXTINGUISHER WAS DEACTIVATED AND DEEMED UNUSABLE. THE RPTR STATES THAT THERE WERE NO COMPANY POLICIES OR SOPS TO COVER THE SIT AND ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE BAGGAGE PROBS LED TO DISPUTES AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH COMPANY PERSONNEL. IN AN ATTEMPT TO HELP OUT THE COMPANY, CHKED BAGGAGE WAS ALLOWED TO TRAVEL INSIDE THE CABIN AREA AND THUS CREATED SOME SAFETY AND SECURITY ISSUES. THE RPTR NOTES THE LACK OF DISPATCH POLICIES, THE INABILITY OF GND AND STATION PERSONNEL TO RESOLVE OBVIOUS SAFETY AND SECURITY GAPS WITH FURTHER DIFFICULTIES ARISING FROM THE HOLIDAY AND WINTER OP AND THE OBVIOUS ADDED STRESS OF CONTINUING THE OP WITH A DEFECTIVE AND UNUSABLE CARGO COMPARTMENT. THE RPTR APPEARS TO BE MOSTLY CONCERNED WITH THE CREATED SECURITY GAPS CREATED BY THE ABOVE SIT.

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.