Incident Summary
A flight cruising at Flight Level 350 experienced a cabin fire after the cabin crew reported flames in the vicinity of seat 28A. Shortly thereafter, a lower aft body overheat warning was received. The flight crew promptly diverted to Richmond, Virginia. During the descent, the crew performed the appropriate emergency checklist, and the lower aft body overheat light extinguished approximately three to four minutes after it had illuminated.
Investigation Findings
Subsequent examination revealed that a passenger handbag, positioned on the floor against a cabin exhaust outlet adjacent to seat 28A, had been extensively damaged by fire. The carpet underneath the handbag remained unburned except for a small area leading directly to the cabin air exhaust outlet. Localized fire damage was also present behind and below the outlet.
Among the contents of the handbag, investigators found a bottle of hairspray with its cap loose. The label on the bottle explicitly warned that the contents were flammable. Row 28 was designated as part of the smoking section for that flight.