An A320 developed a strong odor after takeoff; so the captain asked the flight attendants to confirm...

Narrative:

Just after setting climb thrust on takeoff I noticed that the cockpit smelled like dirty socks. The first officer confirmed the smell as well. I then transferred control of the airplane to the first officer and contacted the flight attendants. They also confirmed the smell as well. We told them we would be retuning to departure airport and to prepare the cabin for landing. We then notified ATC that we would be returning. I contacted maintenance and they notified company that we would be returning. The smell started getting worse. Since we were above landing weight we completed the overweight landing checklist. We landed and then returned to the gate a half hour after takeoff. All the crew was experiencing effects of chemical inhalation so we had paramedics come to the gate. Many passengers were also experiencing symptoms as well according to the flight attendants. A few of the passengers approached me and were very thankful we landed and confirmed that they were also worried about the 'smell' as it was very strong. The paramedics recommended that we (the crew) all be transported to the hospital for further treatment and observation.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An A320 developed a strong odor after takeoff; so the Captain asked the flight attendants to confirm cabin odor then returned immediately to the departure airport where paramedics suggested medical treatment for the crew.

Narrative: Just after setting climb thrust on takeoff I noticed that the cockpit smelled like dirty socks. The First Officer confirmed the smell as well. I then transferred control of the airplane to the First Officer and contacted the flight attendants. They also confirmed the smell as well. We told them we would be retuning to departure airport and to prepare the cabin for landing. We then notified ATC that we would be returning. I contacted Maintenance and they notified Company that we would be returning. The smell started getting worse. Since we were above landing weight we completed the Overweight Landing Checklist. We landed and then returned to the gate a half hour after takeoff. All the crew was experiencing effects of chemical inhalation so we had paramedics come to the gate. Many passengers were also experiencing symptoms as well according to the flight attendants. A few of the passengers approached me and were very thankful we landed and confirmed that they were also worried about the 'smell' as it was very strong. The paramedics recommended that we (the crew) all be transported to the hospital for further treatment and observation.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1131394
Time
Date	201311
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Climb Initial Climb
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Person 2
Function	Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Qualification	Flight Attendant Current
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

An A320 developed a strong odor after takeoff; so the captain asked the flight attendants to confirm cabin odor then returned immediately to the departure airport where paramedics suggested medical treatment for the crew.