Narrative:

A passenger was drinking heavily. She went into a lavatory and when she came out, cigarette smoke was detected. Other flight attendants relayed this information to all of the crew. I went back to situation in the aft of the airplane and same passenger entered the lavatory. When she exited, smoke was apparent and cigarette butt was visible in the toilet. She was confronted by the purser and denied the incident. She was confronted the first time also by other flight attendants. The second time, she was informed of passenger misconduct. Police were contacted and when they met flight, the passenger was escorted into the terminal by police, where she was questioned. The police returned to the aircraft and told us that she still denied smoking in the lavatory. He asked if anyone had 'actually' seen her smoking, because if not, 'there was not much he could do.' herein lies the problem: the only way to physically catch the smoker in the act is to unlock lavatory door and open it while passenger is inside. There's got to be more emphasis on circumstantial evidence (ie, smoke and cigarette smell in lavatory and 'butt' in commode) than having the flight attendant's have to see it with our own eyes in the actual act of smoking otherwise, this will always be a loophole (and potential fire hazard). Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that she was more of an observer of the incident than an active participant. She does not know if they sealed off the lavatory, with the incriminating evidence of the cigarette butt in the toilet, to show the police. The woman had been quite a problem and verbally assaulted the flight attendant's with vulgar language. When the crew left the airplane, the police were still talking with the woman, probably scolding her.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, DC10-30, HNL-DFW. INTOXICATED WOMAN SMOKED IN LAVATORY AND DENIED IT, EVEN AFTER BUTT FOUND IN TOILET. VERBALLY ABUSIVE. POLICE MET FLT, TALKED TO PAX.

Narrative: A PAX WAS DRINKING HEAVILY. SHE WENT INTO A LAVATORY AND WHEN SHE CAME OUT, CIGARETTE SMOKE WAS DETECTED. OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS RELAYED THIS INFO TO ALL OF THE CREW. I WENT BACK TO SIT IN THE AFT OF THE AIRPLANE AND SAME PAX ENTERED THE LAVATORY. WHEN SHE EXITED, SMOKE WAS APPARENT AND CIGARETTE BUTT WAS VISIBLE IN THE TOILET. SHE WAS CONFRONTED BY THE PURSER AND DENIED THE INCIDENT. SHE WAS CONFRONTED THE FIRST TIME ALSO BY OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS. THE SECOND TIME, SHE WAS INFORMED OF PAX MISCONDUCT. POLICE WERE CONTACTED AND WHEN THEY MET FLT, THE PAX WAS ESCORTED INTO THE TERMINAL BY POLICE, WHERE SHE WAS QUESTIONED. THE POLICE RETURNED TO THE ACFT AND TOLD US THAT SHE STILL DENIED SMOKING IN THE LAVATORY. HE ASKED IF ANYONE HAD 'ACTUALLY' SEEN HER SMOKING, BECAUSE IF NOT, 'THERE WAS NOT MUCH HE COULD DO.' HEREIN LIES THE PROB: THE ONLY WAY TO PHYSICALLY CATCH THE SMOKER IN THE ACT IS TO UNLOCK LAVATORY DOOR AND OPEN IT WHILE PAX IS INSIDE. THERE'S GOT TO BE MORE EMPHASIS ON CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE (IE, SMOKE AND CIGARETTE SMELL IN LAVATORY AND 'BUTT' IN COMMODE) THAN HAVING THE FA'S HAVE TO SEE IT WITH OUR OWN EYES IN THE ACTUAL ACT OF SMOKING OTHERWISE, THIS WILL ALWAYS BE A LOOPHOLE (AND POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD). CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT SHE WAS MORE OF AN OBSERVER OF THE INCIDENT THAN AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT. SHE DOES NOT KNOW IF THEY SEALED OFF THE LAVATORY, WITH THE INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE OF THE CIGARETTE BUTT IN THE TOILET, TO SHOW THE POLICE. THE WOMAN HAD BEEN QUITE A PROB AND VERBALLY ASSAULTED THE FA'S WITH VULGAR LANGUAGE. WHEN THE CREW LEFT THE AIRPLANE, THE POLICE WERE STILL TALKING WITH THE WOMAN, PROBABLY SCOLDING HER.

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.