Narrative:

Passenger went into first class lavatory (across from first class galley, where I was working). As I turned to go back out into the first class cabin, passenger came out of lavatory smelling of cigarette smoke and lavatory was 'cloudy' and smelling very strong of cigarette smoke. There was another passenger, the witness, standing in the aisle waiting for this lavatory and he said, 'oh -- not again.' the witness told me that this same passenger on the flight from lga to dfw had been smoking on that plane as well and that the witness had found his wallet in the lavatory and when returning it, he smelled the 'smoke odor' on him. I followed the passenger to main cabin to see where he was sitting and the other 2 flight attendants were at his seat doing another beverage service. I informed them that the passenger had just come from the lavatory and smoke followed him. The passenger heard me and giggled and told flight attendant #4 that it had been 6 hours since his last cigarette and his head was beginning to feel funny, and he just had to take one big puff -- that was all -- just one big puff. We all 3 commented to him from the smell it was more than one puff. I then informed the captain (who was doing a check ride for the first officer). I told him what I observed and what the witness had said. I filled out the paperwork and the captain came out into the first class galley and flight attendant #2 told the passenger the captain wanted to speak with him. The passenger began acting like he didn't understand english, and when the captain asked for his identify, he walked off. The captain stopped and threatened to have him arrested if he didn't cooperate. He finally got out his travel visa, and the captain told him I had to file an incident report on him and the situation. The captain went back into the cockpit and the passenger asked me to tear the paperwork up and not to turn him in. I asked him or reminded him he didn't understand english before, but now was begging for redemption and to go back to his seat and situation down. He argued for a while and finally sat down. Upon landing in phx, the captain had maintenance check smoke detectors -- they had not been tampered with. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that after the confrontation between the captain and the smoker, the man, literally cornered her against the fuselage and said, 'you have to swear that you saw me smoking. Can you swear to that?' she replied, that she didn't have to swear to anything and called the captain to report the confrontation. This is when the captain called for security to meet the flight, but she doesn't know what happened to him after they led him off. After the lavatory check, the mechanics told her that the man had probably covered up the smoke alarm with a wet paper towel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, MD80, DFW-PHX, PAX SMOKING IN LAVATORY, SMOKE ALARM DIDN'T GO OFF. SECURITY MET FLT. NO EVIDENCE OF TAMPERING WITH SMOKE ALARM.

Narrative: PAX WENT INTO FIRST CLASS LAVATORY (ACROSS FROM FIRST CLASS GALLEY, WHERE I WAS WORKING). AS I TURNED TO GO BACK OUT INTO THE FIRST CLASS CABIN, PAX CAME OUT OF LAVATORY SMELLING OF CIGARETTE SMOKE AND LAVATORY WAS 'CLOUDY' AND SMELLING VERY STRONG OF CIGARETTE SMOKE. THERE WAS ANOTHER PAX, THE WITNESS, STANDING IN THE AISLE WAITING FOR THIS LAVATORY AND HE SAID, 'OH -- NOT AGAIN.' THE WITNESS TOLD ME THAT THIS SAME PAX ON THE FLT FROM LGA TO DFW HAD BEEN SMOKING ON THAT PLANE AS WELL AND THAT THE WITNESS HAD FOUND HIS WALLET IN THE LAVATORY AND WHEN RETURNING IT, HE SMELLED THE 'SMOKE ODOR' ON HIM. I FOLLOWED THE PAX TO MAIN CABIN TO SEE WHERE HE WAS SITTING AND THE OTHER 2 FLT ATTENDANTS WERE AT HIS SEAT DOING ANOTHER BEVERAGE SVC. I INFORMED THEM THAT THE PAX HAD JUST COME FROM THE LAVATORY AND SMOKE FOLLOWED HIM. THE PAX HEARD ME AND GIGGLED AND TOLD FLT ATTENDANT #4 THAT IT HAD BEEN 6 HRS SINCE HIS LAST CIGARETTE AND HIS HEAD WAS BEGINNING TO FEEL FUNNY, AND HE JUST HAD TO TAKE ONE BIG PUFF -- THAT WAS ALL -- JUST ONE BIG PUFF. WE ALL 3 COMMENTED TO HIM FROM THE SMELL IT WAS MORE THAN ONE PUFF. I THEN INFORMED THE CAPT (WHO WAS DOING A CHK RIDE FOR THE FO). I TOLD HIM WHAT I OBSERVED AND WHAT THE WITNESS HAD SAID. I FILLED OUT THE PAPERWORK AND THE CAPT CAME OUT INTO THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY AND FLT ATTENDANT #2 TOLD THE PAX THE CAPT WANTED TO SPEAK WITH HIM. THE PAX BEGAN ACTING LIKE HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH, AND WHEN THE CAPT ASKED FOR HIS IDENT, HE WALKED OFF. THE CAPT STOPPED AND THREATENED TO HAVE HIM ARRESTED IF HE DIDN'T COOPERATE. HE FINALLY GOT OUT HIS TRAVEL VISA, AND THE CAPT TOLD HIM I HAD TO FILE AN INCIDENT RPT ON HIM AND THE SIT. THE CAPT WENT BACK INTO THE COCKPIT AND THE PAX ASKED ME TO TEAR THE PAPERWORK UP AND NOT TO TURN HIM IN. I ASKED HIM OR REMINDED HIM HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH BEFORE, BUT NOW WAS BEGGING FOR REDEMPTION AND TO GO BACK TO HIS SEAT AND SIT DOWN. HE ARGUED FOR A WHILE AND FINALLY SAT DOWN. UPON LNDG IN PHX, THE CAPT HAD MAINT CHK SMOKE DETECTORS -- THEY HAD NOT BEEN TAMPERED WITH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT AFTER THE CONFRONTATION BTWN THE CAPT AND THE SMOKER, THE MAN, LITERALLY CORNERED HER AGAINST THE FUSELAGE AND SAID, 'YOU HAVE TO SWEAR THAT YOU SAW ME SMOKING. CAN YOU SWEAR TO THAT?' SHE REPLIED, THAT SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO SWEAR TO ANYTHING AND CALLED THE CAPT TO RPT THE CONFRONTATION. THIS IS WHEN THE CAPT CALLED FOR SECURITY TO MEET THE FLT, BUT SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AFTER THEY LED HIM OFF. AFTER THE LAVATORY CHK, THE MECHS TOLD HER THAT THE MAN HAD PROBABLY COVERED UP THE SMOKE ALARM WITH A WET PAPER TOWEL.

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.