A captain's responsibility for dangerous goods.

[Loose rivets]

As someone that tried hard but failed to get a passenger's private lifejacket allowed on a flight, I'm bewildered by the label on today's post.

The box - just big enough for the plastic 1ltr bottle - arrived today by 48 hour post. The bottle contains Isopropanol alcohol - marked as highly inflammable. It was checked/ticked as Medicines. A square rotated at 45degrees with a white band displayed a big Y.

At the top ID8000 Consumer commodity Permitted in the UK Domestic Mail Only. Though I was offered a faster delivery.

The statement beside a similar square with vertical stripes in the top half says:

"Exempt from requirements for dangerous goods transport document (shipper's declaration or dangerous goods note), air transport acceptance check and notification to pilot in command (NOTOC). Overpacking by the sender not permitted."

On the bottle. Danger H224 Extremely flammable liquid and vapour. Followed by eye, breathing and dizziness warnings.


A lifejacket certified for helicopter use refused because of the minute speck of chemistry in the battery, while up to 1ltr of this stuff can be posted in frail plastic. The wording as far as I can tell says they are exempt from advising the pilot.

Is it me, or are we really losing the plot?

[Denti]

Looks like a mislabeling by the shipper. Isopropanol is correctly identified by the UN 1219, you can of course google that. It may be carried on aircraft, up to 1l max net per package as limited quantity, up to 5l per package on passenger aircraft and up to 60l per package in cargo aircraft only. Provided the correct packaging material and labels are used.

[anchorhold]

I have to say a while back I had to fly from BHX to JER, to ferry an aircraft. Security refused to allow me to take my lifejacke, the military waistcoat type with ELB.

I pointed out that they were lifejackets under every seat, I assumed the compressed gas was the issuse. I nsisted they contacted the handling agent to explain the situation to the Captain, who agreed that i could board with the lifejacket. But the whole thing was a pain and I do not know what I would have done if I had been prevented taking the lifejaxket. So all credit to the Captain on Flybe.

[wiggy]

Not sure how long "a while back" is but for reference the latest IATA rules state that with the approval of the operator small non-flammable gas cylinders fitted to the likes of life vests may be carried ( in either carry on or checked) and the PIC doesn't need to be informed..

"Gas cartridges, small, non-flammable containing carbon dioxide or other suitable gas in Division2.2. Up to two (2) small cartridges fitted into a self-inflating safety device such as a life jacket or vest. Not more than one (1) device per passenger and up to two (2) spare small cartridges per person, not more than four (4) cartridges up to 50 mL water capacity for other devices. (see 2.3.4.2)

Given the time of year I'll point out there's a similar rule for avalance vests, obviously you should still "tick the boxes", so to speak, by contacting the specfic operator for the OK before pitching up at the airport with the device...

https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dgr/Documents/passenger-provisions-table-23A-en.pdf

[deltahotel]

The Y label is a comment on the box. As limited quantity (see Denti above) max 1L for this product, a shipper can provide own commercially bought boxes providing they have done a bunch of tests (drop, corner, stack etc). Above that you need a proper UN box. I think denti is right and this has been mislabelled.