Narrative:

We got on and did our safety checks. The crew set up the galley and came forward to talk while we waited until boarding time. Approximately 2 mins prior to boarding we went to get into position and this is the first time we noticed water on the floor in the rear of the aircraft. We immediately informed the captain that about 1 inch of water was pooled in the galley and creeping into the cabin. By the time the problem was figured out the water was up to row 20. This airport apparently doesn't own a shop vac to remove the water and the company that our company contracts with was unavailable. The water remained in the cabin for 2 hours before a shop vac was located and it was vacuumed out. The floors were still sopping wet and the galley was slippery. We used most of the blankets to help soak up the water but to no avail. The mechanic assured us (flight attendants) that there wasn't any electrical wires that would be affected by the water. A man came up from the baggage loading section and complained about all the water pouring from the pit. The flight attendants were distinctly upset and uncomfortable about taking this airplane; but were assured by all that it was perfectly safe. The first passenger on board promptly slipped in the galley trying to use the bathroom. All the passenger sitting in rows 20 thru 26 had wet bags and feet. They asked for some type of compensation and ZZZ1 told them that ZZZ2 would take care of them. When we arrived ZZZ2 said that these people's next destination would take care of it; passing the buck it would seem! The water continued to drip throughout the flight. The next day we got on board and did our safety checks. The cabin crew set up the galley and had come forward to chat. I was testing the safety video and noticed that we still had july's movies. That's when it occurred to me that this might be the same plane as before. I checked the records and sure enough; it was the same plane number. I informed that captain of our previous problem and he seemed incredulous about the whole thing. Then right before boarding; the water started to pour in again. We informed the captain immediately and he got to see with his own eyes what had happened to us the previous day. He made the decision to refuse the plane based on the fact that the plane had never been fully inspected after the first incident. He wanted the panels pulled out to make sure there wasn't any damage from all the standing water. I'm sure he had other reasons only pilots know about.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that clear water; not blue water; was leaking from the lh aft-fwd lav; which is just fwd of the lh aft entry door. The water was also pooling and saturating the cabin floor. It was noted by the flight attendant that whenever the APU was started and running; the water started flowing out from under the toilet. After the second incident of water leaking and no fix for the cause the captain refused the aircraft. Subsequently; the aircraft was supposed to be ferried to a larger maintenance station; but ended up diverting to another airport; due to loud thumping and bumping noises in the fwd pit. The alternate enroute station found that the container holding the toilet; from the leaking lav; was not secured in the fwd pit and was bouncing around. The reporter stated the issue of contract maintenance not even investigating the possible location(south) of the water leak prior to further revenue flights was upsetting to the cabin and cockpit crew.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS A320 HAD AN AFT GALLEY WATER LEAK. ABOUT 1 INCH OF WATER POOLED IN THE AFT GALLEY; FLOWED INTO THE CABIN; AND LEAKED INTO THE AFT CARGO PIT.

Narrative: WE GOT ON AND DID OUR SAFETY CHKS. THE CREW SET UP THE GALLEY AND CAME FORWARD TO TALK WHILE WE WAITED UNTIL BOARDING TIME. APPROX 2 MINS PRIOR TO BOARDING WE WENT TO GET INTO POSITION AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE NOTICED WATER ON THE FLOOR IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT. WE IMMEDIATELY INFORMED THE CAPT THAT ABOUT 1 INCH OF WATER WAS POOLED IN THE GALLEY AND CREEPING INTO THE CABIN. BY THE TIME THE PROB WAS FIGURED OUT THE WATER WAS UP TO ROW 20. THIS ARPT APPARENTLY DOESN'T OWN A SHOP VAC TO REMOVE THE WATER AND THE COMPANY THAT OUR COMPANY CONTRACTS WITH WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE WATER REMAINED IN THE CABIN FOR 2 HOURS BEFORE A SHOP VAC WAS LOCATED AND IT WAS VACUUMED OUT. THE FLOORS WERE STILL SOPPING WET AND THE GALLEY WAS SLIPPERY. WE USED MOST OF THE BLANKETS TO HELP SOAK UP THE WATER BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE MECHANIC ASSURED US (FLT ATTENDANTS) THAT THERE WASN'T ANY ELECTRICAL WIRES THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE WATER. A MAN CAME UP FROM THE BAGGAGE LOADING SECTION AND COMPLAINED ABOUT ALL THE WATER POURING FROM THE PIT. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE DISTINCTLY UPSET AND UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT TAKING THIS AIRPLANE; BUT WERE ASSURED BY ALL THAT IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE. THE FIRST PAX ON BOARD PROMPTLY SLIPPED IN THE GALLEY TRYING TO USE THE BATHROOM. ALL THE PAX SITTING IN ROWS 20 THRU 26 HAD WET BAGS AND FEET. THEY ASKED FOR SOME TYPE OF COMPENSATION AND ZZZ1 TOLD THEM THAT ZZZ2 WOULD TAKE CARE OF THEM. WHEN WE ARRIVED ZZZ2 SAID THAT THESE PEOPLE'S NEXT DEST WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT; PASSING THE BUCK IT WOULD SEEM! THE WATER CONTINUED TO DRIP THROUGHOUT THE FLT. THE NEXT DAY WE GOT ON BOARD AND DID OUR SAFETY CHKS. THE CABIN CREW SET UP THE GALLEY AND HAD COME FORWARD TO CHAT. I WAS TESTING THE SAFETY VIDEO AND NOTICED THAT WE STILL HAD JULY'S MOVIES. THAT'S WHEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THIS MIGHT BE THE SAME PLANE AS BEFORE. I CHKED THE RECORDS AND SURE ENOUGH; IT WAS THE SAME PLANE NUMBER. I INFORMED THAT CAPT OF OUR PREVIOUS PROBLEM AND HE SEEMED INCREDULOUS ABOUT THE WHOLE THING. THEN RIGHT BEFORE BOARDING; THE WATER STARTED TO POUR IN AGAIN. WE INFORMED THE CAPT IMMEDIATELY AND HE GOT TO SEE WITH HIS OWN EYES WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO US THE PREVIOUS DAY. HE MADE THE DECISION TO REFUSE THE PLANE BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE PLANE HAD NEVER BEEN FULLY INSPECTED AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT. HE WANTED THE PANELS PULLED OUT TO MAKE SURE THERE WASN'T ANY DAMAGE FROM ALL THE STANDING WATER. I'M SURE HE HAD OTHER REASONS ONLY PLTS KNOW ABOUT.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT CLEAR WATER; NOT BLUE WATER; WAS LEAKING FROM THE LH AFT-FWD LAV; WHICH IS JUST FWD OF THE LH AFT ENTRY DOOR. THE WATER WAS ALSO POOLING AND SATURATING THE CABIN FLOOR. IT WAS NOTED BY THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT WHENEVER THE APU WAS STARTED AND RUNNING; THE WATER STARTED FLOWING OUT FROM UNDER THE TOILET. AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT OF WATER LEAKING AND NO FIX FOR THE CAUSE THE CAPTAIN REFUSED THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY; THE ACFT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FERRIED TO A LARGER MAINT STATION; BUT ENDED UP DIVERTING TO ANOTHER ARPT; DUE TO LOUD THUMPING AND BUMPING NOISES IN THE FWD PIT. THE ALTERNATE ENROUTE STATION FOUND THAT THE CONTAINER HOLDING THE TOILET; FROM THE LEAKING LAV; WAS NOT SECURED IN THE FWD PIT AND WAS BOUNCING AROUND. THE RPTR STATED THE ISSUE OF CONTRACT MAINT NOT EVEN INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBLE LOCATION(S) OF THE WATER LEAK PRIOR TO FURTHER REVENUE FLIGHTS WAS UPSETTING TO THE CABIN AND COCKPIT CREW.

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.