NTSB · Safety Recommendation
Safety Recommendation A-00-055
Recommendation
THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: INFORM YOUR MEMBERS ABOUT THE MEMPHIS INCIDENT AND MAKE THEM AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING: THE DIFFICULTY OF IDENTIFYING A HYDROGEN PEROXIDE SPILL; THE DANGER OF ALLOWING HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TO DRY ON ORGANIC MATERIALS; THE NEED TO ISOLATE BAGGAGE AND CARGO THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH A HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL UNTIL IT CAN BE DETERMINED WHICH ITEMS HAVE BEEN CONTAMINATED AND WHAT MEASURES ARE NECESSARY TO PREVENT FURTHER CONTAMINATION OF BAGGAGE AND AIRCRAFT OR OTHER HAZARDS (SUCH AS FIRE OR POISONING); AND THE NEED TO NOTIFY PILOTS IN FLIGHT WHEN BAGGAGE AND CARGO THAT ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THEIR AIRCRAFT (SUCH NOTIFICATION INCLUDES INFORMING THE PILOTS CLEARLY ABOUT THE HAZARDS PRESENTED BY THE MATERIAL INVOLVED IN THE SPILL AND THE PROCEDURES THAT THE PILOTS SHOULD TAKE).
Safety Issue and Context
ON THE MORNING OF 10/28/98, 2 GALLONS OF A 35-PERCENT HYDROGEN PEROXIDE SOLUTION IN WATER, AN OXIDIZER WITH CORROSIVE PROPERTIES, SPILLED IN A CARGO COMPARTMENT OF NORTHWEST AIRLINES (NORTHWEST) FLIGHT 957, A PASSENGER-CARRYING AIRPLANE EN ROUTE FROM ORLANDO, FLORIDA, TO MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. THE SOLUTION LEAKED FROM TWO UNDECLARED 1-GALLON PLASTIC BOTTLES THAT HAD SPLIT. THE BOTTLES WERE IN AN ICE CHEST THAT BELONGED TO A PASSENGER ON THE FLIGHT. THE LEAKING HYDROGEN PEROXIDE CONTAMINATED THREE MAIL SACKS AND AN UNDETERMINED NUMBER OF BAGS.
Response History
May 6, 2003 · NTSB Correspondence · Airlines for America (formerly Air Transport Association of America, Inc.)
The Safety Board notes that the ATA provided the information on this accident to all of its members in conjunction with an industry Dangerous Goods Memorandum dated May 16, 2000, which received wide dissemination within each member airline. We also note that Northwest Airlines personnel provided a briefing on the accident to the Dangerous Goods Board and a synopsis of this briefing to the ATA Safety Committee in September 2001. The Board appreciates the ATA's dissemination of the information on this incident to its members in a timely manner. In view of this effort, Safety Recommendation A-00-55 is classified "Closed--Acceptable Action."
February 21, 2003 · Recipient Response · Airlines for America (formerly Air Transport Association of America, Inc.)
Letter Mail Controlled 3/6/2003 3:10:48 PM MC# 2030138 An advance version of the complete NTSB report on the October 28, 1998 hydrogen peroxide spill aboard Northwest 957, including all of its recommendations, was provided to all members of the Air Transport Association in conjunction with an industry Dangerous Goods Memorandum dated May 16, 2000. This information in turn received wide dissemination within each member airline. Further, the Northwest Airlines head of Dangerous Goods Safety provided a comprehensive review of that spill incident to a meeting of the ATA Dangerous Goods Board on September 12 and 13,200O.
His presentation included both a detailed explanation of the sequence of events leading up to the spill and the subsequent preventive actions taken by Northwest to prevent recurrence, and encouraged the other members of the Dangerous Goods Board to take similar steps within their own organizations. To ensure effective crossflow of this information into the flight operations departments of each airline, ATA's Flight Safety Committee received a synopsis of the Dangerous Goods Board briefing in September 2001. The Air Transport Association considers these actions sufficient to represent satisfactory closing action on the recommendation.
March 23, 2001 · NTSB Correspondence · Airlines for America (formerly Air Transport Association of America, Inc.)
The Safety Board would appreciate learning of the status of any current, completed, or planned activities taken in response to these recommendations. If there are no such activities, please inform the Board so that we may close the recommendations. Copies of the recommendation letters are enclosed for your reference. Please address your reply to Ms. Carol Carmody, Acting Chairman, and refer to Safety Recommendations A-87-69, A-97-82, and A-00-55 in your response.