Narrative:

In sum: an air carrier MD11 crew about to enter the oceanic tracks west of ireland was confronted with a situation that caused cabin flight crew members and passenger to have difficulty in breathing for no apparent reason since there was no evidence of smoke or fumes and no unusual odors in the cabin. Coordination with the air carrier's dispatch and maintenance resulted in an original plan to divert the aircraft to gatwick for maintenance. Deterioration of the condition of the cabin crew resulted in the captain's decision to declare an emergency and divert to dublin (or ZZZ). The cockpit crew used oxygen masks as a precaution since the source of the problem was unknown. They found the condition of the masks and viewing lenses to be in bad condition so the plan was to use autoflt for the approach and landing. The autoflt system did not function properly. There was a deferred maintenance item that may have effected these system. The PF planned to remove his mask during the final phase of the flight to facilitate flying. The PNF was briefed to monitor for unusual deterioration of performance level of the PF. The completion of the divert and the landing was well coordinated by the entire crew. Following landing passenger were deplaned with personal item left on board for investigation of a possible source of the problem. Problems that were noted by the reporter: 1) inadequate maintenance and checking of flight crew oxygen masks. 2) there is a need for communication with company, crash fire rescue equipment, and others during a situation such as this that may best be done with satcom or ACARS. These system are on the cabin electrical bus that is deactivated during completion of handbook procedures. Follow-up information: several adult passenger reported difficulty breathing and chest pains. Several children were reported to have become ill after the fact with vomiting. There has been investigation that concludes that the possible cause may be the out-gassing from gray trash bags that were on top of the galley ovens which may have released a cyanide gas when they were heated even though they did not burn. The symptoms reported were consistent with cyanide poisoning suggested by center for disease control. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the company has test run the ovens and found that they were putting off an unidented gas. There has been coordination with the manufacturer of the bags in question and further testing has been done on them. Out-gassing from the bags does not seem to be the cause. The ovens were run in the tests and the temperatures reached in the area where the bags were kept was a nominal 80 degrees. The ovens have a self-testing system and no faults were found stored in its memory. Investigation of the ovens discovered evidence of spray residue on the oven interior that was assumed to be from the cleaning materials used by contractors at international stations. The company cleaning is only done with water and sponge. The company is investigating procedures used by its contract cleaners. The oxygen smoke mask was found to be unusable for the approach and landing. The reporter recommends better inspection procedures during maintenance checks or pilot cockpit checks to insure usability.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE IN THE CABIN AIR OF AN MD11 REQUIRES THE USE OF OXYGEN BY THE COCKPIT CREW AND DIVERSION TO OBTAIN MEDICAL AID FOR AFFECTED PAX AND CABIN CREW.

Narrative: IN SUM: AN ACR MD11 CREW ABOUT TO ENTER THE OCEANIC TRACKS W OF IRELAND WAS CONFRONTED WITH A SIT THAT CAUSED CABIN FLC MEMBERS AND PAX TO HAVE DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING FOR NO APPARENT REASON SINCE THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF SMOKE OR FUMES AND NO UNUSUAL ODORS IN THE CABIN. COORD WITH THE ACR'S DISPATCH AND MAINT RESULTED IN AN ORIGINAL PLAN TO DIVERT THE ACFT TO GATWICK FOR MAINT. DETERIORATION OF THE CONDITION OF THE CABIN CREW RESULTED IN THE CAPT'S DECISION TO DECLARE AN EMER AND DIVERT TO DUBLIN (OR ZZZ). THE COCKPIT CREW USED OXYGEN MASKS AS A PRECAUTION SINCE THE SOURCE OF THE PROB WAS UNKNOWN. THEY FOUND THE CONDITION OF THE MASKS AND VIEWING LENSES TO BE IN BAD CONDITION SO THE PLAN WAS TO USE AUTOFLT FOR THE APCH AND LNDG. THE AUTOFLT SYS DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. THERE WAS A DEFERRED MAINT ITEM THAT MAY HAVE EFFECTED THESE SYS. THE PF PLANNED TO REMOVE HIS MASK DURING THE FINAL PHASE OF THE FLT TO FACILITATE FLYING. THE PNF WAS BRIEFED TO MONITOR FOR UNUSUAL DETERIORATION OF PERFORMANCE LEVEL OF THE PF. THE COMPLETION OF THE DIVERT AND THE LNDG WAS WELL COORDINATED BY THE ENTIRE CREW. FOLLOWING LNDG PAX WERE DEPLANED WITH PERSONAL ITEM LEFT ON BOARD FOR INVESTIGATION OF A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF THE PROB. PROBS THAT WERE NOTED BY THE RPTR: 1) INADEQUATE MAINT AND CHKING OF FLC OXYGEN MASKS. 2) THERE IS A NEED FOR COM WITH COMPANY, CFR, AND OTHERS DURING A SIT SUCH AS THIS THAT MAY BEST BE DONE WITH SATCOM OR ACARS. THESE SYS ARE ON THE CABIN ELECTRICAL BUS THAT IS DEACTIVATED DURING COMPLETION OF HANDBOOK PROCS. FOLLOW-UP INFO: SEVERAL ADULT PAX RPTED DIFFICULTY BREATHING AND CHEST PAINS. SEVERAL CHILDREN WERE RPTED TO HAVE BECOME ILL AFTER THE FACT WITH VOMITING. THERE HAS BEEN INVESTIGATION THAT CONCLUDES THAT THE POSSIBLE CAUSE MAY BE THE OUT-GASSING FROM GRAY TRASH BAGS THAT WERE ON TOP OF THE GALLEY OVENS WHICH MAY HAVE RELEASED A CYANIDE GAS WHEN THEY WERE HEATED EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOT BURN. THE SYMPTOMS RPTED WERE CONSISTENT WITH CYANIDE POISONING SUGGESTED BY CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE COMPANY HAS TEST RUN THE OVENS AND FOUND THAT THEY WERE PUTTING OFF AN UNIDENTED GAS. THERE HAS BEEN COORD WITH THE MANUFACTURER OF THE BAGS IN QUESTION AND FURTHER TESTING HAS BEEN DONE ON THEM. OUT-GASSING FROM THE BAGS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE THE CAUSE. THE OVENS WERE RUN IN THE TESTS AND THE TEMPS REACHED IN THE AREA WHERE THE BAGS WERE KEPT WAS A NOMINAL 80 DEGS. THE OVENS HAVE A SELF-TESTING SYS AND NO FAULTS WERE FOUND STORED IN ITS MEMORY. INVESTIGATION OF THE OVENS DISCOVERED EVIDENCE OF SPRAY RESIDUE ON THE OVEN INTERIOR THAT WAS ASSUMED TO BE FROM THE CLEANING MATERIALS USED BY CONTRACTORS AT INTL STATIONS. THE COMPANY CLEANING IS ONLY DONE WITH WATER AND SPONGE. THE COMPANY IS INVESTIGATING PROCS USED BY ITS CONTRACT CLEANERS. THE OXYGEN SMOKE MASK WAS FOUND TO BE UNUSABLE FOR THE APCH AND LNDG. THE RPTR RECOMMENDS BETTER INSPECTION PROCS DURING MAINT CHKS OR PLT COCKPIT CHKS TO INSURE USABILITY.

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.