Delta Flight Diverts Over Suspected Lavatory Smoking, but Faulty Water Heater Found to Be the Cause

A Delta Air Lines flight from Seattle to Anchorage on July 11 diverted to Vancouver after flight attendants suspected someone was smoking a cigarette in one of the aircraft’s lavatories.

Upon landing, the maintenance crew discovered that the odor was caused not by someone smoking a cigarette but by a faulty water heater in one of the lavatories.

Diverted to Vancouver

Delta flight DL928, bound for Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), departed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 2:30 p.m. The flight was carrying 136 passengers and crew aboard a four-year-old Airbus A220. The aircraft was equipped with three lavatories: one at the front and two at the rear.

Although the incident occurred on July 11, it did not become public until several weeks later. The Aviation Herald obtained a report about the incident from Canadian accident investigators. 

Smoking in the Lavatory?

While the aircraft was cruising at 32,000 feet en route to Anchorage, flight attendants reported the smell of cigarette smoke coming from a rear lavatory. The smell became so strong that it began bothering crew members and passengers in the rear cabin. Cabin crew inspected the lavatories and found no evidence of anyone smoking. 

Because the source of the odor remained unidentified and the smell continued to worsen, the pilots declared an emergency and diverted to Vancouver International Airport. The crew performed a mid-air U-turn to get the aircraft on the ground as quickly as possible. 

Water Heater Problem

Upon landing, the maintenance team carried out a thorough inspection and discovered the source of the odor. This finding ruled out smoking on board the aircraft during the flight. 

The Canadian TSB reported: “Maintenance conducted an inspection and found an odour emitting from the water mixer/heater in the left aft lavatory. The repair was deferred as per the minimum equipment list. Maintenance subsequently replaced the affected water mixer/heater.”