Narrative:

I am not exactly sure of the conditions or situation which actually caused the aircraft to be brought to the hangar with a chemical spill in the aft cargo pit. I do know that by the time I tied into the job, it was after XA00 and another crew had already worked it during a previous shift. My understanding was that a body bag or body container containing a body or parts of a body had leaked fluid into the cargo pit. When I tied into the job as the graveyard lead, the aircraft had already been cleaned by a hazmat team. The chemical was determined to be embalming fluid and was cleaned by the hazmat team. During my tie-in, it was determined that my crew would also give the aircraft another wipe-down with disinfectant and then ventilated for the entire shift. Towards the end of the shift, several mechanics entered the cargo pit and determined that any remaining odors which were present at the end of the previous shift were no longer present. Using the paperwork that was in the job packet, I signed off the existing log page with the understanding that the work had been accomplished according to X airline's maintenance procedures. X airlines wanted the aircraft returned to service in a safe and timely manner and I felt we had done exactly that. I had no knowledge at that time and actually only was informed quite recently that the procedures which were performed while the aircraft was still located at the gate were not performed to company standards.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD83 WAS RETURNED TO SVC IN NON COMPLIANCE AFTER AN AFT CARGO PIT CHEMICAL SPILL. THE FIRST CLEANING WAS DONE BY A HAZMAT CREW. THE SECOND CLEANING WAS DONE IMPROPERLY.

Narrative: I AM NOT EXACTLY SURE OF THE CONDITIONS OR SIT WHICH ACTUALLY CAUSED THE ACFT TO BE BROUGHT TO THE HANGAR WITH A CHEMICAL SPILL IN THE AFT CARGO PIT. I DO KNOW THAT BY THE TIME I TIED INTO THE JOB, IT WAS AFTER XA00 AND ANOTHER CREW HAD ALREADY WORKED IT DURING A PREVIOUS SHIFT. MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT A BODY BAG OR BODY CONTAINER CONTAINING A BODY OR PARTS OF A BODY HAD LEAKED FLUID INTO THE CARGO PIT. WHEN I TIED INTO THE JOB AS THE GRAVEYARD LEAD, THE ACFT HAD ALREADY BEEN CLEANED BY A HAZMAT TEAM. THE CHEMICAL WAS DETERMINED TO BE EMBALMING FLUID AND WAS CLEANED BY THE HAZMAT TEAM. DURING MY TIE-IN, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MY CREW WOULD ALSO GIVE THE ACFT ANOTHER WIPE-DOWN WITH DISINFECTANT AND THEN VENTILATED FOR THE ENTIRE SHIFT. TOWARDS THE END OF THE SHIFT, SEVERAL MECHS ENTERED THE CARGO PIT AND DETERMINED THAT ANY REMAINING ODORS WHICH WERE PRESENT AT THE END OF THE PREVIOUS SHIFT WERE NO LONGER PRESENT. USING THE PAPERWORK THAT WAS IN THE JOB PACKET, I SIGNED OFF THE EXISTING LOG PAGE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE WORK HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED ACCORDING TO X AIRLINE'S MAINT PROCS. X AIRLINES WANTED THE ACFT RETURNED TO SVC IN A SAFE AND TIMELY MANNER AND I FELT WE HAD DONE EXACTLY THAT. I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE AT THAT TIME AND ACTUALLY ONLY WAS INFORMED QUITE RECENTLY THAT THE PROCS WHICH WERE PERFORMED WHILE THE ACFT WAS STILL LOCATED AT THE GATE WERE NOT PERFORMED TO COMPANY STANDARDS.

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.