Narrative:

We were en route between aruba and boston, ma, when the first officer left the flight deck to use the lavatory. While he was standing outside the forward lavatory, a passenger came out from the lavatory and said they could smell burning coffee odor in the lavatory. The first officer opened a small bulkhead door next to the forward lavatory door where one of the forward coffee makers was located at. He could see a little smoke and smell was coming from the coffee pot, which he knew was the smell of the coffee residue heating from all of the water boiling off. He turned off the power to the coffee maker and at that same time the smoke detector in the forward lavatory went off because of that smoke/smell coming out of that small bulkhead cubbyhole. He decided to disconnect the smoke detector at that time because he said he could see that there wasn't anything but the coffee pot causing the detector to go off and it was causing the passenger some discomfort with the noise. When he returned to the flight deck and the door was opened, the flight engineer and myself smelled the burnt coffee. We did not hear the smoke detector go off from the flight deck nor see any smoke. The first officer told us about the events relating to the coffee maker and smell and did not indicate to us that it wasn't any more than just a little smoke from the coffee pot having the water boil off occurred. A flight attendant called us and asked the flight engineer to turn off the galley power. I told the first officer to go back and reconnect the coffee pot and followed up with the flight engineer going back (he's an a&P) and checking to make sure that the smoke alarm was connected correctly. I found out later that a second bag of coffee was found in the coffee pot itself causing the smell and smoke from overheating. The flight attendants had forgotten to dump the coffee and turn off the coffee maker when they had finished their service. I did not make a logbook entry of this because I believed it was only the water boiling off that caused the smoke and smell from the bottom of the pot. Thinking back on it, I'm not sure if I should have made a logbook entry because the flight engineer asked me if I wanted to make an entry and the first officer disconnected the smoke detector and I had him reconnect it again. In the future, I will make entries of unusual sits so that I make sure I am in compliance with all the requirements of the far's and company. Some contributing factors to this situation are: 1) the location of the coffee maker in a small, enclosed sidewall cubbyhole where heat from this type of equipment can continue to build because it has no place to dissipate. 2) the flight attendants were on duty the day before for around 13 hours and had only minimum rest of about 8 1/2 hours between release from their trip jan/sat/03 and our report time of XA35 on jan/sun/03 to fly to aruba which was another 13+ hour duty day. I could tell that they were a little tired that morning reporting for duty but according to the far's they had received legal reduced rest. I believe this contributed to the flight attendants forgetting about the coffee maker being on. I do not believe you can release a flight crew at the airport, have them wait for transportation to the hotel, check in, sleep, shower, and transportation back to the airport to report for duty in 8 hours. This also does not allow any time for the flight crew's to eat and not allow airlines provide meals for their crews.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 CABIN CREW HAD SMOKE, FUMES FROM A COFFEE POT THAT WAS ALLOWED TO GO DRY.

Narrative: WE WERE ENRTE BTWN ARUBA AND BOSTON, MA, WHEN THE FO LEFT THE FLT DECK TO USE THE LAVATORY. WHILE HE WAS STANDING OUTSIDE THE FORWARD LAVATORY, A PAX CAME OUT FROM THE LAVATORY AND SAID THEY COULD SMELL BURNING COFFEE ODOR IN THE LAVATORY. THE FO OPENED A SMALL BULKHEAD DOOR NEXT TO THE FORWARD LAVATORY DOOR WHERE ONE OF THE FORWARD COFFEE MAKERS WAS LOCATED AT. HE COULD SEE A LITTLE SMOKE AND SMELL WAS COMING FROM THE COFFEE POT, WHICH HE KNEW WAS THE SMELL OF THE COFFEE RESIDUE HEATING FROM ALL OF THE WATER BOILING OFF. HE TURNED OFF THE PWR TO THE COFFEE MAKER AND AT THAT SAME TIME THE SMOKE DETECTOR IN THE FORWARD LAVATORY WENT OFF BECAUSE OF THAT SMOKE/SMELL COMING OUT OF THAT SMALL BULKHEAD CUBBYHOLE. HE DECIDED TO DISCONNECT THE SMOKE DETECTOR AT THAT TIME BECAUSE HE SAID HE COULD SEE THAT THERE WASN'T ANYTHING BUT THE COFFEE POT CAUSING THE DETECTOR TO GO OFF AND IT WAS CAUSING THE PAX SOME DISCOMFORT WITH THE NOISE. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE FLT DECK AND THE DOOR WAS OPENED, THE FE AND MYSELF SMELLED THE BURNT COFFEE. WE DID NOT HEAR THE SMOKE DETECTOR GO OFF FROM THE FLT DECK NOR SEE ANY SMOKE. THE FO TOLD US ABOUT THE EVENTS RELATING TO THE COFFEE MAKER AND SMELL AND DID NOT INDICATE TO US THAT IT WASN'T ANY MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE SMOKE FROM THE COFFEE POT HAVING THE WATER BOIL OFF OCCURRED. A FLT ATTENDANT CALLED US AND ASKED THE FE TO TURN OFF THE GALLEY PWR. I TOLD THE FO TO GO BACK AND RECONNECT THE COFFEE POT AND FOLLOWED UP WITH THE FE GOING BACK (HE'S AN A&P) AND CHKING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SMOKE ALARM WAS CONNECTED CORRECTLY. I FOUND OUT LATER THAT A SECOND BAG OF COFFEE WAS FOUND IN THE COFFEE POT ITSELF CAUSING THE SMELL AND SMOKE FROM OVERHEATING. THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD FORGOTTEN TO DUMP THE COFFEE AND TURN OFF THE COFFEE MAKER WHEN THEY HAD FINISHED THEIR SVC. I DID NOT MAKE A LOGBOOK ENTRY OF THIS BECAUSE I BELIEVED IT WAS ONLY THE WATER BOILING OFF THAT CAUSED THE SMOKE AND SMELL FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE POT. THINKING BACK ON IT, I'M NOT SURE IF I SHOULD HAVE MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY BECAUSE THE FE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO MAKE AN ENTRY AND THE FO DISCONNECTED THE SMOKE DETECTOR AND I HAD HIM RECONNECT IT AGAIN. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL MAKE ENTRIES OF UNUSUAL SITS SO THAT I MAKE SURE I AM IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE FAR'S AND COMPANY. SOME CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS SIT ARE: 1) THE LOCATION OF THE COFFEE MAKER IN A SMALL, ENCLOSED SIDEWALL CUBBYHOLE WHERE HEAT FROM THIS TYPE OF EQUIP CAN CONTINUE TO BUILD BECAUSE IT HAS NO PLACE TO DISSIPATE. 2) THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE ON DUTY THE DAY BEFORE FOR AROUND 13 HRS AND HAD ONLY MINIMUM REST OF ABOUT 8 1/2 HRS BTWN RELEASE FROM THEIR TRIP JAN/SAT/03 AND OUR RPT TIME OF XA35 ON JAN/SUN/03 TO FLY TO ARUBA WHICH WAS ANOTHER 13+ HR DUTY DAY. I COULD TELL THAT THEY WERE A LITTLE TIRED THAT MORNING RPTING FOR DUTY BUT ACCORDING TO THE FAR'S THEY HAD RECEIVED LEGAL REDUCED REST. I BELIEVE THIS CONTRIBUTED TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS FORGETTING ABOUT THE COFFEE MAKER BEING ON. I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU CAN RELEASE A FLC AT THE ARPT, HAVE THEM WAIT FOR TRANSPORTATION TO THE HOTEL, CHK IN, SLEEP, SHOWER, AND TRANSPORTATION BACK TO THE ARPT TO RPT FOR DUTY IN 8 HRS. THIS ALSO DOES NOT ALLOW ANY TIME FOR THE FLC'S TO EAT AND NOT ALLOW AIRLINES PROVIDE MEALS FOR THEIR CREWS.

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.