A320 First Officer reports inadvertent contact with the guarded cargo agent discharge switch while standing up to leave his seat at cruise altitude. Bottle one is discharged causing a momentary ECAM warning. Bottle two automatically activates during taxi in.
Synopsis
A320 First Officer reports inadvertent contact with the guarded cargo agent discharge switch while standing up to leave his seat at cruise altitude. Bottle one is discharged causing a momentary ECAM warning. Bottle two automatically activates during taxi in.
Narrative
Approaching destination the First Officer left his seat to stretch and await the Flight Attendant to enter the cockpit for a restroom break. As he stood up; his head struck one of the agent toggle switches on the cargo smoke overhead panel. Approximately 15-30 seconds later; the 'smoke fwd cargo smoke' ECAM appeared momentarily. After further observation we noticed that the 'DISCH1' light was illuminated on the cargo smoke panel; indicating that the 1st bottle of smoke retardant had been fired into the forward cargo pit. After reviewing the Flight Manual and discussing the situation; we determined that the ECAM was the result of retardant being inadvertently discharged into the forward cargo pit. Upon taxi-in the second bottle automatically discharged itself into the forward cargo pit. Once parked at the gate we were met by a Maintenance Supervisor. After our debriefing with the Maintenance Supervisor; I spoke to Flight Operations and was told sufficient action had been taken on our part; but we should still file a report.
Second reporter narrative
With approximately 45 minutes remaining I made arrangements for personal lavatory needs. Anticipating the Flight Attendant; I slid back my First Officer crew seat and stood up. As I did the top of my head made inadvertent/unintentional contact with the overhead panel. I briefly looked up to see if any switches or knobs were mispositioned. Not noticing anything out of the ordinary I continued to the back of the cockpit near the door. (It should be noted there was no injury to my head and no remaining pain because the bump was light and brief.) Just as I reached the back of the cockpit the ECAM warning sounded. When I turned to see what it was I saw a red ECAM message but it quickly extinguished. Recall attempts by the Captain at the controls were unsuccessful. He scanned various ECAM pages and all appeared normal while I let in the Flight Attendant then returned to my crew position to help assess the situation. As I returned I noticed an illuminated light on the overhead panel near where I bumped my head. It was DISCH1. We pulled out the Airbus Flight Manual and looked up the exact meaning of the light: Cargo 1 agent had been discharged. We then reviewed and discussed the situation: I must have inadvertently bumped the guarded agent discharge switch with my head; agent was discharged into the cargo compartment; as the agent discharged the cargo smoke detectors detected the agent and sounded the warning ECAM; when the agent stopped discharging the air cleared and the ECAM no longer reported an anomaly. The Captain and I were 100% certain there was nothing requiring an immediate landing and we elected to continue to our destination. While enroute we contacted Maintenance Control via ACARS and told them of the situation. We requested ramp be notified to NOT open the pits; a mechanic meet us at the gate and only with the mechanic's instruction should the pits be opened. Furthermore; the Captain and I discussed the likelihood the second bottle of agent would be released upon landing. During taxi in; I contacted Ramp AND Maintenance to once again ensure the pits would NOT be opened without specific instructions from a qualified mechanic. Both sections ensured me all parties were notified. Upon arrival at the gate we were met by a Maintenance Supervisor. We explained to him the above and asked what was needed from us as follow-up. He said as far as he was concerned we had complied with all requirements.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.