Narrative:

We started and taxied out normally to [the runway]. At the time [the runway] was being used for both takeoffs and landings. We were cleared to line up and wait just after another A320 had landed. I (the first officer) was the pilot flying. We were cleared for takeoff. The takeoff roll was normal but as soon as we broke ground we had a very strong rubber burning smell in the cockpit. The initial reaction was that the smell was from the tires of the preceding dispatch via ACARS to have him send us the landing data for [another runway]. However; the smell continued to get stronger and it was obviously not what we had originally thought. I immediately donned my O2 mask and turned the a/P (autopilot) on. Shortly thereafter we got an ECAM saying that a circuit breaker had popped on the overhead panel. The captain contacted dispatch and [maintenance control] while I coordinated with departure for a return to the field. While coordinating with dispatch the captain also ran the fumes elimination checklist while I set up for the downwind and approach. We also contacted dispatch via ACARS to have them send us the landing data for landing. We never got an answer from him nor did we receive the landing weights data. Even though the circuit breaker (circuit breaker) had popped the odor continued to be very strong throughout the whole aircraft. We felt it was more important to get the aircraft on the ground as we had a potential electrical fire than it was to wait for landing weights to be sent to us. We were under maximum landing weight. We were given traffic priority and made a short approach to with the fire rescue crews standing by. After landing we cleared the runway and switched over to the fire rescue frequency where we talked to the chief. He reported no visible smoke from the aircraft so we elected to return to the gate and have the fire crews follow us. When we approached the gate a guide man and gate agent were already standing by. The gate agent reported that when she opened door 1L she could smell a very strong odor. We deplaned the passengers without delay. We ran the parking checklist then went outside to talk to the fire crew. Maintenance was already at the plane and had opened the ee bay doors for them. The odor was also very noticeable from outside the aircraft. We debriefed maintenance and left the plane.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 flight crew reported they returned to departure airport after smelling fumes and receiving a warning message advising of a popped circuit breaker.

Narrative: We started and taxied out normally to [the runway]. At the time [the runway] was being used for both takeoffs and landings. We were cleared to line up and wait just after another A320 had landed. I (the First Officer) was the pilot flying. We were cleared for takeoff. The takeoff roll was normal but as soon as we broke ground we had a very strong rubber burning smell in the cockpit. The initial reaction was that the smell was from the tires of the preceding dispatch via ACARS to have him send us the landing data for [another runway]. However; the smell continued to get stronger and it was obviously not what we had originally thought. I immediately donned my O2 mask and turned the A/P (Autopilot) on. Shortly thereafter we got an ECAM saying that a CB had popped on the overhead panel. The captain contacted dispatch and [maintenance control] while I coordinated with departure for a return to the field. While coordinating with dispatch the captain also ran the fumes elimination checklist while I set up for the downwind and approach. We also contacted Dispatch via ACARS to have them send us the landing data for landing. We never got an answer from him nor did we receive the landing weights data. Even though the CB (Circuit Breaker) had popped the odor continued to be very strong throughout the whole aircraft. We felt it was more important to get the aircraft on the ground as we had a potential electrical fire than it was to wait for landing weights to be sent to us. We were under maximum landing weight. We were given traffic priority and made a short approach to with the fire rescue crews standing by. After landing we cleared the runway and switched over to the fire rescue frequency where we talked to the chief. He reported no visible smoke from the aircraft so we elected to return to the gate and have the fire crews follow us. When we approached the gate a guide man and gate agent were already standing by. The gate agent reported that when she opened door 1L she could smell a very strong odor. We deplaned the passengers without delay. We ran the parking checklist then went outside to talk to the fire crew. Maintenance was already at the plane and had opened the EE bay doors for them. The odor was also very noticeable from outside the aircraft. We debriefed maintenance and left the plane.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.