ODOR OF NAIL POLISH IN ACFT MADE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX FEEL ILL. ACFT DIVERTED TO BOI; ID. THERE; THE HAZMAT TEAM CREATES SOME CONFUSION; NOT FINDING THE SOURCE OF ODOR. AIRLINE GND CREW DOES -- NAIL POLISH REMOVER IN PAX BAG; LEAKING IN THE OVERHEAD BIN.

Date: 1998-04 · Aircraft: MD-82

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|other-unspecified

Synopsis

ODOR OF NAIL POLISH IN ACFT MADE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX FEEL ILL. ACFT DIVERTED TO BOI; ID. THERE; THE HAZMAT TEAM CREATES SOME CONFUSION; NOT FINDING THE SOURCE OF ODOR. AIRLINE GND CREW DOES -- NAIL POLISH REMOVER IN PAX BAG; LEAKING IN THE OVERHEAD BIN.

Narrative

FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX COMPLAINED OF NAIL POLISH REMOVER/ACETONE TYPE ODOR AND FUMES IN CABIN. I WENT BACK AND VERIFIED A VERY STRONG ACETONE TYPE ODOR. IT WAS VERY STRONG FROM THE GASPER VENTS ALONG ROW 8. DIVERSION WAS MADE TO BOI (APPROX 80 NM AWAY). EMER DECLARED AS FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX RPTED NOT FEELING WELL. ODOR WAS NOW PRESENT IN COCKPIT. OXYGEN WAS UTILIZED BY US -- APPROPRIATE NORMAL/ABNORMAL CHKLISTS ACCOMPLISHED. VISUAL APCH TO OVERWT LNDG MADE AT BOI. ON THE GND IN BOI; FLT ATTENDANTS SOUGHT MEDICAL ATTN. ALL 137 PAX DID NOT SEEK MEDICAL ATTN AFTER DEPLANING. FLT ATTENDANTS LATER RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL OK. BOI FIRE DEPT HAZMAT PERSONNEL 'IMPOUNDED' OUR ACFT. AFTER A VERY LENGTHY SEARCH BY THEIR 'HI-TECH' TEAM; THEY DID NOT FIND THE SOURCE OF THE PROB. THE ACFT WAS RELEASED BACK TO US. WITHIN MINS OUR RAMP PERSONNEL LOCATED A LARGE JAR OF NAIL POLISH REMOVER IN A PAX BAG IN AN OVERHEAD COMPARTMENT. ITS ENTIRE CONTENTS HAD LEAKED. WHILE EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SIT WAS ACCOMPLISHED SAFELY; CONSERVATIVELY; AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR PROCS; THE HAZMAT RESPONSE -- WHICH WE HAD NOT REQUESTED -- WAS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE. THEIR 'IMPOUNDING' OF THE ACFT WAS A MAJOR OBSTACLE IN RESOLVING THIS SIT. THEIR RESPONSE NEEDED TO BE TEMPERED WITH COMMON SENSE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.