Narrative:

Aug/sat/2005; ZZZ-egll. We had just finished our meal service and first set of flight attendants went down for their breaks. 20 minutes into the break; a flight attendant came in to get the purser stating there was an odor in the cabin and the captain wants to talk to him. The purser told us to stay and he would contact us if it was important. Shortly after; another flight attendant retrieved us and told us we were going to divert. I was back flight attendant and in charge of door 2L. We got out our manuals and prepared for a planned emergency evacuation. The captain started to dump fuel to descend more rapidly to get the fumes out of the cabin. We were told to prepare for a ditching because he didn't know if we would make it to ZZZZ; he had dumped too much fuel. Seconds later; he said forget the ditching. We went through our checklists and I got and briefed my assistants. The captain told us we had 20 minutes. We wouldn't evacuate; the signaling system and it was a hazardous fumes from a car in cargo. We landed in ZZZZ; deplaned with a ramp stand at door 1L. All passenger and flight attendants got off without luggage. Hazmat in ZZZZ said they put an instrument in the cargo hold and it was too volatile to open. They opened it at 2L to ventilate. They told us the car was spilling methanol gas due to the pressurization and turbulence. Besides the spill; it had also vaporized. They cleaned up the spill after removing the car; and 3 hours later we reboarded and continued on to egll. Some of the flight attendants had burning eyes; throats and dizziness. Supplemental information: the hazmat inspector had remarked at the time of his inspection that the car and its tank contents (an almost full tank of gas) were the problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the cabin attendants had participated in a conference call with company management including representatives from the cargo department. They stated the cargo met all required regulations for transport and the odor which caused the divert was the result of a 'few drops' of fuel that had dripped from the automatic's exhaust and mixed with some 'dirt' immediately below. The reporter indicated that none of the cabin attendants felt the explanation to be credible in that the level of fumes associated with the incident was inconsistent with the tiny amount claimed by the company. The report from the hazmat specialist at the diversion airport regarding a 'nearly full tank of gas' was also inconsistent with reporter's understanding that autos may be shipped only with a half tank of gas or less. Reporter felt it was likely the fuel in the tank expanded sufficiently in the reduced pressure of the cabin to have escaped the tank and the resulting fuel evaporated to a gaseous state and was circulated throughout the pressurized area. Reporter also stated the captain denied having dumped fuel to a state of concern regarding reaching the diversion airport. There appeared to have been a misunderstanding about why he suggested the possibility of a ditching.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT ABOARD AN EGLL BOUND B777 RPT NOXIOUS VAPORS; WHICH CAUSE A DIVERSION TO AN ENRTE ARPT WITH A PLANNED EMER EVACUATION. EVACUATION CANCELLED AFTER LNDG. CAR WITH A FULL TANK OF ALCOHOL BASED FUEL IS REMOVED BY HAZMAT SPECIALISTS.

Narrative: AUG/SAT/2005; ZZZ-EGLL. WE HAD JUST FINISHED OUR MEAL SVC AND FIRST SET OF FLT ATTENDANTS WENT DOWN FOR THEIR BREAKS. 20 MINUTES INTO THE BREAK; A FLT ATTENDANT CAME IN TO GET THE PURSER STATING THERE WAS AN ODOR IN THE CABIN AND THE CAPT WANTS TO TALK TO HIM. THE PURSER TOLD US TO STAY AND HE WOULD CONTACT US IF IT WAS IMPORTANT. SHORTLY AFTER; ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT RETRIEVED US AND TOLD US WE WERE GOING TO DIVERT. I WAS BACK FLT ATTENDANT AND IN CHARGE OF DOOR 2L. WE GOT OUT OUR MANUALS AND PREPARED FOR A PLANNED EMER EVACUATION. THE CAPT STARTED TO DUMP FUEL TO DSND MORE RAPIDLY TO GET THE FUMES OUT OF THE CABIN. WE WERE TOLD TO PREPARE FOR A DITCHING BECAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WOULD MAKE IT TO ZZZZ; HE HAD DUMPED TOO MUCH FUEL. SECONDS LATER; HE SAID FORGET THE DITCHING. WE WENT THROUGH OUR CHKLISTS AND I GOT AND BRIEFED MY ASSISTANTS. THE CAPT TOLD US WE HAD 20 MINUTES. WE WOULDN'T EVACUATE; THE SIGNALING SYSTEM AND IT WAS A HAZARDOUS FUMES FROM A CAR IN CARGO. WE LANDED IN ZZZZ; DEPLANED WITH A RAMP STAND AT DOOR 1L. ALL PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS GOT OFF WITHOUT LUGGAGE. HAZMAT IN ZZZZ SAID THEY PUT AN INSTRUMENT IN THE CARGO HOLD AND IT WAS TOO VOLATILE TO OPEN. THEY OPENED IT AT 2L TO VENTILATE. THEY TOLD US THE CAR WAS SPILLING METHANOL GAS DUE TO THE PRESSURIZATION AND TURB. BESIDES THE SPILL; IT HAD ALSO VAPORIZED. THEY CLEANED UP THE SPILL AFTER REMOVING THE CAR; AND 3 HRS LATER WE REBOARDED AND CONTINUED ON TO EGLL. SOME OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD BURNING EYES; THROATS AND DIZZINESS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO: THE HAZMAT INSPECTOR HAD REMARKED AT THE TIME OF HIS INSPECTION THAT THE CAR AND ITS TANK CONTENTS (AN ALMOST FULL TANK OF GAS) WERE THE PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE CABIN ATTENDANTS HAD PARTICIPATED IN A CONFERENCE CALL WITH COMPANY MGMNT INCLUDING REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE CARGO DEPT. THEY STATED THE CARGO MET ALL REQUIRED REGULATIONS FOR TRANSPORT AND THE ODOR WHICH CAUSED THE DIVERT WAS THE RESULT OF A 'FEW DROPS' OF FUEL THAT HAD DRIPPED FROM THE AUTO'S EXHAUST AND MIXED WITH SOME 'DIRT' IMMEDIATELY BELOW. THE RPTR INDICATED THAT NONE OF THE CABIN ATTENDANTS FELT THE EXPLANATION TO BE CREDIBLE IN THAT THE LEVEL OF FUMES ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCIDENT WAS INCONSISTENT WITH THE TINY AMOUNT CLAIMED BY THE COMPANY. THE RPT FROM THE HAZMAT SPECIALIST AT THE DIVERSION ARPT REGARDING A 'NEARLY FULL TANK OF GAS' WAS ALSO INCONSISTENT WITH RPTR'S UNDERSTANDING THAT AUTOS MAY BE SHIPPED ONLY WITH A HALF TANK OF GAS OR LESS. RPTR FELT IT WAS LIKELY THE FUEL IN THE TANK EXPANDED SUFFICIENTLY IN THE REDUCED PRESSURE OF THE CABIN TO HAVE ESCAPED THE TANK AND THE RESULTING FUEL EVAPORATED TO A GASEOUS STATE AND WAS CIRCULATED THROUGHOUT THE PRESSURIZED AREA. RPTR ALSO STATED THE CAPT DENIED HAVING DUMPED FUEL TO A STATE OF CONCERN REGARDING REACHING THE DIVERSION ARPT. THERE APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN A MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHY HE SUGGESTED THE POSSIBILITY OF A DITCHING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.