Narrative:

On approach into cincinnati, I called station operations to request assistance with a passenger who was caught smoking cigarettes in the lavatory. A passenger services representative met the flight and scolded the passenger. No law enforcement official was called, and to my knowledge no report was made to the FAA. Smoking in airplane lavatories is a serious violation of FARS and has potentially disastrous consequences. I strongly recommend that all acrs incorporate standard reporting procedures to discourage passenger from smoking in aircraft lavatories. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said he couldn't recall if the flight attendants said that the lavatory smoke alarm went off, or was tampered with, by the passenger. He did ask maintenance to check the alarm for tampering. He was later told by his airline's management, that he should have called for law enforcement to meet the flight, instead of passenger service, and that the airline wants to aggressively pursue these cases for a formal file for law enforcement. It was handled in cincinnati very poorly. He was in the middle of talking to the company when the flight attendants notified him of the incident, and assumed that the company would call law enforcement, and not just send passenger service.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, B757, PAX SMOKING IN LAVATORY, CALLED FOR AUTHS TO MEET FLT.

Narrative: ON APCH INTO CINCINNATI, I CALLED STATION OPS TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE WITH A PAX WHO WAS CAUGHT SMOKING CIGARETTES IN THE LAVATORY. A PAX SVCS REPRESENTATIVE MET THE FLT AND SCOLDED THE PAX. NO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL WAS CALLED, AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE NO RPT WAS MADE TO THE FAA. SMOKING IN AIRPLANE LAVATORIES IS A SERIOUS VIOLATION OF FARS AND HAS POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ALL ACRS INCORPORATE STANDARD RPTING PROCS TO DISCOURAGE PAX FROM SMOKING IN ACFT LAVATORIES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID HE COULDN'T RECALL IF THE FLT ATTENDANTS SAID THAT THE LAVATORY SMOKE ALARM WENT OFF, OR WAS TAMPERED WITH, BY THE PAX. HE DID ASK MAINT TO CHK THE ALARM FOR TAMPERING. HE WAS LATER TOLD BY HIS AIRLINE'S MGMNT, THAT HE SHOULD HAVE CALLED FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TO MEET THE FLT, INSTEAD OF PAX SVC, AND THAT THE AIRLINE WANTS TO AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE THESE CASES FOR A FORMAL FILE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. IT WAS HANDLED IN CINCINNATI VERY POORLY. HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TALKING TO THE COMPANY WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANTS NOTIFIED HIM OF THE INCIDENT, AND ASSUMED THAT THE COMPANY WOULD CALL LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND NOT JUST SEND PAX SVC.

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.