AN EMBRAER 145 ON FIRST FLT CHK OF FIRE WARNING DETECTION SYSTEM TEST IMMEDIATELY AFTER TEST; BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT EXTINGUISHER LIGHT COMES ON. WHEN BUTTON TOUCHED; BOTTLE DISCHARGES INTO COMPARTMENT.

Narrative

ON FIRST FLT OF THE DAY CHECK; IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRE DETECTION TEST; THE BAGG EXTG BUTTON LIGHT ILLUMINATED. DURING RESEARCH OF THE PROB; THE BUTTON WAS INADVERTENTLY TAPPED; AND THE BAGG EXT BTL WAS DISCHARGED INTO AN EMPTY AND UNOCCUPIED CARGO COMPARTMENT. PREVENTION OF THIS PROB SHOULD PERHAPS INCLUDE AN INVESTIGATION BY EMBRAER TO KEEP FAULTY FIRE INDICATIONS FROM OCCURRING AFTER THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN TESTED. SIT ENDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THIS BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT FIRE BOTTLE DISCHARGE PROB IS CHRONIC AND IS COMMON TO THE EMBRAER 145 AND 135 ACFT. THE RPTR SAID THE PROB MAINLY OCCURS ON THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY WHEN THE FIRE WARNING DETECTION SYSTEM IS TESTED AND MAY BE RELATED TO OR CAUSED BY A COLD SOAKED AIRPLANE. THE RPTR STATED WHEN THE FIRE WARNING SYSTEM IS TESTED AND THE TEST IS GOOD AND THE WARNING LIGHTS GO OUT; THE BAGGAGE FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUTTON LIGHT COMES ON AND IF TOUCHED THE FIRE BOTTLE DISCHARGES. THE RPTR SAID THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT CANNOT BE LOADED AND MUST REMAIN EMPTY IF THE AIRPLANE IS TO BE OPERATED WITH A DISCHARGED FIRE BOTTLE. THE RPTR STATED THIS IS THE SEVENTH INCIDENT OF INADVERTENT BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT FIRE BOTTLE DISCHARGE AFTER A FIRE WARNING DETECTION SYSTEM TEST. THE RPTR SAID THE CARRIER IS GOING TO PUBLISH A METHOD OF AVOIDING THIS PROB FOR THE FLT MANUAL; BUT PAPER WILL NOT SOLVE THE HARDWARE PROB. THE RPTR STATED TO CLARIFY THE SIT AND BAGGAGE FIRE WARNING LIGHT AND THE FIRE BOTTLE EXTINGUISHER LIGHT ARE ONE AND THE SAME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR FROM ACN 599209 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE PROB IS THAT AFTER A FIRE WARNING TEST AND THE LIGHTS GO OUT AND THE AURAL WARNING IS SILENT THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES. THE RPTR SAID THIS IS A MEMORY ITEM AND ACTION IS REQUIRED. THE RPTR STATED THIS IS A RECURRING ITEM AND IS AWARE OF EIGHT EVENTS OF THIS NATURE.