Narrative:

Following the safety video, I was checking the cabin. Myself and the #4 flight attendant and passenger in the aft section of aircraft smelled a chemical smell in the cabin. We asked passenger to check bags for any items that might have been leaking. The #4 flight attendant called the cockpit and informed them of the situation. We could not find the source of the smell. The #4 flight attendant opened the cockpit door and told them we should go back to the gate and have the cabin checked out. The captain made a PA that we were going back to the gate. The passenger in row X had 2 baby bottles filled with ether/pcp. When the agents and myself asked what he had in the seat next to him, he denied anything was there. Then we persisted, because he had blankets in the seat next to him, and he was trying to cover something up. We discovered one baby bottle which turned out to be the source of the chemical smell. The #4 flight attendant took the passenger to the forward part of the aircraft. He put his hands in his pants, as if he had a weapon. A few minutes went by and there was no one to take this passenger off the aircraft, so he went back to his seat. The passenger in row Y saw him pour another baby bottle filled with the ether/pcp all over blankets, pillows and seat. He nudged my elbow to get my attention and the smell was getting stronger at this point. After the man in row Y got my attention I asked row X what he had (a deadheading captain was there with me at this point). His response was 'nothing.' we finally got him to hand over the second bottle that he just poured all over the area. The deadheading captain took him to forward part of the aircraft, and I stayed in the back of the aircraft and collected everything that had the liquid poured on it (2 blankets, 1 pillow, 1 purple velvet crown royal bag). I gave these items to agents at forward of aircraft. Callback conversation revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the passenger was not traveling with a baby. She believes that is why he kept trying to cover the baby bottles with a baby blanket. When confronted by the reporter about the contents of the bottle, he pretended he didn't speak english and refused to show her the bottles. They went back to the gate to wait for the police. The police took a long time getting to the plane, so the man went back to his seat. Meanwhile, because of the extensive wait for the police, passenger and the flight attendants became quite sick. One flight attendant and a 12 yr old boy had to be rushed to the emergency room. Finally, the police and the fire department came and took him off. They told the crew that the baby bottle contained the ether/pcp mixture. The police didn't think that the guy was a terrorist, but that he was taking the drugs to dallas to sell them. The flight, eventually, was cancelled, because the whole crew and some passenger had to go to the medical department. One flight attendant, who was not directly involved in the incident, tested positive for pcp, and the reporter, who handled the contaminated seats and blankets, did not. Supplemental information from acn 465492: there needs to be a better system of hiring and screening at security check points.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE CAB REPORT, B757, LAX-DFW. CHEMICAL FUMES FILLED CABIN ON TAXI OUT. PAX SNUCK ON BABY BOTTLES FILLED WITH ETHER/PCP. RETURN TO GATE. PAX REMOVED.

Narrative: FOLLOWING THE SAFETY VIDEO, I WAS CHECKING THE CABIN. MYSELF AND THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT AND PAX IN THE AFT SECTION OF ACFT SMELLED A CHEMICAL SMELL IN THE CABIN. WE ASKED PAX TO CHECK BAGS FOR ANY ITEMS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LEAKING. THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT AND INFORMED THEM OF THE SIT. WE COULD NOT FIND THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL. THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR AND TOLD THEM WE SHOULD GO BACK TO THE GATE AND HAVE THE CABIN CHECKED OUT. THE CAPT MADE A PA THAT WE WERE GOING BACK TO THE GATE. THE PAX IN ROW X HAD 2 BABY BOTTLES FILLED WITH ETHER/PCP. WHEN THE AGENTS AND MYSELF ASKED WHAT HE HAD IN THE SEAT NEXT TO HIM, HE DENIED ANYTHING WAS THERE. THEN WE PERSISTED, BECAUSE HE HAD BLANKETS IN THE SEAT NEXT TO HIM, AND HE WAS TRYING TO COVER SOMETHING UP. WE DISCOVERED ONE BABY BOTTLE WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE CHEMICAL SMELL. THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT TOOK THE PAX TO THE FORWARD PART OF THE ACFT. HE PUT HIS HANDS IN HIS PANTS, AS IF HE HAD A WEAPON. A FEW MINUTES WENT BY AND THERE WAS NO ONE TO TAKE THIS PAX OFF THE ACFT, SO HE WENT BACK TO HIS SEAT. THE PAX IN ROW Y SAW HIM POUR ANOTHER BABY BOTTLE FILLED WITH THE ETHER/PCP ALL OVER BLANKETS, PILLOWS AND SEAT. HE NUDGED MY ELBOW TO GET MY ATTENTION AND THE SMELL WAS GETTING STRONGER AT THIS POINT. AFTER THE MAN IN ROW Y GOT MY ATTENTION I ASKED ROW X WHAT HE HAD (A DEADHEADING CAPT WAS THERE WITH ME AT THIS POINT). HIS RESPONSE WAS 'NOTHING.' WE FINALLY GOT HIM TO HAND OVER THE SECOND BOTTLE THAT HE JUST POURED ALL OVER THE AREA. THE DEADHEADING CAPT TOOK HIM TO FORWARD PART OF THE ACFT, AND I STAYED IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT AND COLLECTED EVERYTHING THAT HAD THE LIQUID POURED ON IT (2 BLANKETS, 1 PILLOW, 1 PURPLE VELVET CROWN ROYAL BAG). I GAVE THESE ITEMS TO AGENTS AT FORWARD OF ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE PAX WAS NOT TRAVELING WITH A BABY. SHE BELIEVES THAT IS WHY HE KEPT TRYING TO COVER THE BABY BOTTLES WITH A BABY BLANKET. WHEN CONFRONTED BY THE RPTR ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE BOTTLE, HE PRETENDED HE DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH AND REFUSED TO SHOW HER THE BOTTLES. THEY WENT BACK TO THE GATE TO WAIT FOR THE POLICE. THE POLICE TOOK A LONG TIME GETTING TO THE PLANE, SO THE MAN WENT BACK TO HIS SEAT. MEANWHILE, BECAUSE OF THE EXTENSIVE WAIT FOR THE POLICE, PAX AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS BECAME QUITE SICK. ONE FLT ATTENDANT AND A 12 YR OLD BOY HAD TO BE RUSHED TO THE EMER ROOM. FINALLY, THE POLICE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND TOOK HIM OFF. THEY TOLD THE CREW THAT THE BABY BOTTLE CONTAINED THE ETHER/PCP MIXTURE. THE POLICE DIDN'T THINK THAT THE GUY WAS A TERRORIST, BUT THAT HE WAS TAKING THE DRUGS TO DALLAS TO SELL THEM. THE FLT, EVENTUALLY, WAS CANCELLED, BECAUSE THE WHOLE CREW AND SOME PAX HAD TO GO TO THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. ONE FLT ATTENDANT, WHO WAS NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT, TESTED POSITIVE FOR PCP, AND THE RPTR, WHO HANDLED THE CONTAMINATED SEATS AND BLANKETS, DID NOT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 465492: THERE NEEDS TO BE A BETTER SYS OF HIRING AND SCREENING AT SECURITY CHECK POINTS.

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.