2007-09 · NASA ASRS report 757182
MD80 CABIN ATTENDANT ADVISES FLT CREW OF GASOLINE/KEROSENE ODOR EMANATING FROM ACFT LAVATORIES.
I WAS FLYING FLT X AND APPROX 30 MINS AFTER TKOF THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT CALLED TO INFORM ME THAT HE SMELLED A STRONG ODOR IN THE FORWARD LAVATORY. HE DESCRIBED IT AS BEING GASOLINE. I ASKED HIM TO SEARCH THE LAVATORY FOR ANY UNUSUAL OR OUT OF PLACE ITEMS AND TO DO THE SAME IN THE AFT LAVATORIES. HE RPTED BACK THAT THERE WAS NOTHING OUT OF PLACE OR UNUSUAL IN ANY OF THE LAVATORIES OTHER THAN THE SMELL WHICH HE STATED ALSO WAS PRESENT IN THE AFT LAVATORIES. I ASKED HIM TO HAVE A DEADHEADING CAPT INSPECT THE LAVATORIES. THE DEADHEADING CAPT RPTED THAT HE THOUGHT THE SMELL WAS THAT OF KEROSENE; BUT ALSO FOUND NOTHING OUT OF PLACE OR UNUSUAL OTHER THAN THE SMELL. DURING THIS TIME I WAS COMMUNICATING WITH DISPATCH ABOUT WHAT WAS TRANSPIRING AND ASKED HIM TO CONTACT ZZZ1 OPS TO FIND OUT IF SOMETHING WAS MALFUNCTIONING ON THE LAVATORY TRUCK THAT SVCED US IN ZZZ1. ALSO DURING THIS PERIOD; DISCUSSION BTWN THE FO AND MYSELF ABOUT POSSIBLE SCENARIOS BROUGHT ABOUT MY DECISION TO DIVERT TO ZZZ2. WE LANDED AT ZZZ2; FLUSHED ALL THE LAVATORIES 6 TIMES; ACCORDING TO THE PROCS SET FORTH BY MAINT CTL SVCS AND THEN CONTINUED TO ZZZ3. BEFORE FLUSHING THE LAVATORIES I WENT INTO EACH OF THE LAVATORIES TO VERIFY THE SMELLS. I ALSO SMELLED THE ODOR OF WHAT SEEMED TO BE THAT OF GASOLINE/KEROSENE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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