Narrative:

10 mi out when just starting the base turn we got an ECAM, lavatory and cargo smoke detector failure. I told the first officer to continue flying while I talked to the flight attendants to check the lavatories and report back. There was no smoke. I had the 'a' flight attendant report to the passenger that the fire trucks would be meeting us and not to be alarmed, precaution only. In the meantime I had declared an emergency and passed on our wishes to be met by the fire department to check the cargo pits. We landed and were met by the fire department who reported no hot spots detected by their heat detector. I asked one to follow us to the ramp, not to open the pits until everyone was off the aircraft, and to let us know what they found. Everyone disembarked with no incident and the fire department reported no problems after the pits were opened. Maintenance arrived immediately in the cockpit to confirm the bottles weren't fired and to talk to us about the problem. Maintenance tested the system and found some sort of a hard failure of the detectors. I asked the first officer to be sure we wrote the problem up first officer assured me he would. We left the aircraft and as we were walking to operations I asked him if he had written the problem up -- he said no and offered to return to the jet. I said no but to call maintenance for them to write it up. He called dispatch who patched him into maintenance controller. I heard him describing the problem to maintenance controller and when he was through talking to them he relayed to me that maintenance controller was informed and told him that they would take care of the write-up and ensure the appropriate computer entries were made. The next day I received a call from chief pilot. I relayed all of this to him and he agreed that the maintenance controller call was sufficient. I am filing this report in response to a call from review committee. I fully realize now that I should have reviewed any write-up that I asked the first officer to complete before we ever left the aircraft and take full responsibility for this oversight. However, I did feel that we had covered all bases with follow-up with maintenance controller. Supplemental information from acn 584110: on final approach the ECAM warned us of smoke detection in the aft lavatory and cargo compartment. The captain had asked me to put an entry into the aircraft logbook. It was very late in the evening and both the captain and I had flown all day from phl to sfo then lax. With all the commotion and having discussed the problem with all the mechanics it slipped my mind and we left the aircraft. We proceeded to operations where the captain was going to fill out his report when we realized that no logbook entry had been made. I was going to head back to the gate but due to the time of day and no one to let me back on the jetway we decided to call maintenance controller. I spoke with maintenance and explained what had happened and the supervisor said that they would make the entry into the logbook.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 CREW HAD AN ECAM 'LAVATORY PLUS SMOKE DETECTOR' FAILURE ON APCH TO LAX. THEY DID NOT RECORD THE PROB IN THE ACFT MAINT LOG.

Narrative: 10 MI OUT WHEN JUST STARTING THE BASE TURN WE GOT AN ECAM, LAVATORY AND CARGO SMOKE DETECTOR FAILURE. I TOLD THE FO TO CONTINUE FLYING WHILE I TALKED TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO CHK THE LAVATORIES AND RPT BACK. THERE WAS NO SMOKE. I HAD THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT RPT TO THE PAX THAT THE FIRE TRUCKS WOULD BE MEETING US AND NOT TO BE ALARMED, PRECAUTION ONLY. IN THE MEANTIME I HAD DECLARED AN EMER AND PASSED ON OUR WISHES TO BE MET BY THE FIRE DEPT TO CHK THE CARGO PITS. WE LANDED AND WERE MET BY THE FIRE DEPT WHO RPTED NO HOT SPOTS DETECTED BY THEIR HEAT DETECTOR. I ASKED ONE TO FOLLOW US TO THE RAMP, NOT TO OPEN THE PITS UNTIL EVERYONE WAS OFF THE ACFT, AND TO LET US KNOW WHAT THEY FOUND. EVERYONE DISEMBARKED WITH NO INCIDENT AND THE FIRE DEPT RPTED NO PROBS AFTER THE PITS WERE OPENED. MAINT ARRIVED IMMEDIATELY IN THE COCKPIT TO CONFIRM THE BOTTLES WEREN'T FIRED AND TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE PROB. MAINT TESTED THE SYS AND FOUND SOME SORT OF A HARD FAILURE OF THE DETECTORS. I ASKED THE FO TO BE SURE WE WROTE THE PROB UP FO ASSURED ME HE WOULD. WE LEFT THE ACFT AND AS WE WERE WALKING TO OPS I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD WRITTEN THE PROB UP -- HE SAID NO AND OFFERED TO RETURN TO THE JET. I SAID NO BUT TO CALL MAINT FOR THEM TO WRITE IT UP. HE CALLED DISPATCH WHO PATCHED HIM INTO MAINT CTLR. I HEARD HIM DESCRIBING THE PROB TO MAINT CTLR AND WHEN HE WAS THROUGH TALKING TO THEM HE RELAYED TO ME THAT MAINT CTLR WAS INFORMED AND TOLD HIM THAT THEY WOULD TAKE CARE OF THE WRITE-UP AND ENSURE THE APPROPRIATE COMPUTER ENTRIES WERE MADE. THE NEXT DAY I RECEIVED A CALL FROM CHIEF PLT. I RELAYED ALL OF THIS TO HIM AND HE AGREED THAT THE MAINT CTLR CALL WAS SUFFICIENT. I AM FILING THIS RPT IN RESPONSE TO A CALL FROM REVIEW COMMITTEE. I FULLY REALIZE NOW THAT I SHOULD HAVE REVIEWED ANY WRITE-UP THAT I ASKED THE FO TO COMPLETE BEFORE WE EVER LEFT THE ACFT AND TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS OVERSIGHT. HOWEVER, I DID FEEL THAT WE HAD COVERED ALL BASES WITH FOLLOW-UP WITH MAINT CTLR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 584110: ON FINAL APCH THE ECAM WARNED US OF SMOKE DETECTION IN THE AFT LAVATORY AND CARGO COMPARTMENT. THE CAPT HAD ASKED ME TO PUT AN ENTRY INTO THE ACFT LOGBOOK. IT WAS VERY LATE IN THE EVENING AND BOTH THE CAPT AND I HAD FLOWN ALL DAY FROM PHL TO SFO THEN LAX. WITH ALL THE COMMOTION AND HAVING DISCUSSED THE PROB WITH ALL THE MECHS IT SLIPPED MY MIND AND WE LEFT THE ACFT. WE PROCEEDED TO OPS WHERE THE CAPT WAS GOING TO FILL OUT HIS RPT WHEN WE REALIZED THAT NO LOGBOOK ENTRY HAD BEEN MADE. I WAS GOING TO HEAD BACK TO THE GATE BUT DUE TO THE TIME OF DAY AND NO ONE TO LET ME BACK ON THE JETWAY WE DECIDED TO CALL MAINT CTLR. I SPOKE WITH MAINT AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THE SUPVR SAID THAT THEY WOULD MAKE THE ENTRY INTO THE LOGBOOK.

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.