Odor in cabin caused flight crew to return and land. Same odor on second attempt at flight. Return l...

Attributes
ACN	139513
Time
Date	199003
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : atl
State Reference	GA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 4000 msl bound upper : 8000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : atl
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff landing other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 13000
ASRS Report	139513
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

On takeoff, thought I smelled strange odor passing 4000 MSL. (Odor can best be described as smelling similar to food being burned in the galley ovens.) almost at the same time the rear cabin F/a called on interphone that there was an unusual odor, no smoke, coming from aircraft air. I request all galleys be checked to insure all ovens off. The F/a's reported ovens off/cool. I requested from departure control, vectors back to atl. We leveled off at 8000' and returned. As soon as the power was reduced from takeoff, the F/a's reported odor was dissipating. We made uneventful landing. On taxi in, F/a's reported odor totally gone. When we turned APU air on, odor reappeared, turned off APU air, odor ceased. Maintenance met us at gate, ran eyes up, discerned APU bad, mco APU. Adhered to MEL and aircraft crosstie limits when APU inoperative. Dispatched a second time. Normal taxi/takeoff. As soon as we lifted off, the odor reappeared again. We returned to atl and the flight was cancelled. This seems to be a new problem area for the new medium large transport. We are now starting to have numerous reports of strange odors usually accompanied by smoke and the smoke detectors going off. This has been tracked on many occasions to oil residue 'caked' on the crossover ducting from various sources (APU/engines). I am familiar with this odor and I don't believe it was what I started smelling on either takeoff. This is probably the reason I did not think it was necessary to declare an emergency (no smoke, disappeared at level off). I know that this problem along with all the problems with the aircraft crosstie relay and wing ice has made the new medium large transport a challenging experience for me and the rest of the medium large transport pilots. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: company maintenance says they are going crazy trying to find what is causing the odors in this model aircraft. Not isolated to one aircraft. Along with electrical glitches and other equipment problems this has not been a good airplane for me. The autoplt seems improved over the earlier models but we are having far too many bugs in this new aircraft.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ODOR IN CABIN CAUSED FLT CREW TO RETURN AND LAND. SAME ODOR ON SECOND ATTEMPT AT FLT. RETURN LAND. CANCELLED THE FLT. ACFT TO MAINTENANCE.

Narrative: ON TKOF, THOUGHT I SMELLED STRANGE ODOR PASSING 4000 MSL. (ODOR CAN BEST BE DESCRIBED AS SMELLING SIMILAR TO FOOD BEING BURNED IN THE GALLEY OVENS.) ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME THE REAR CABIN F/A CALLED ON INTERPHONE THAT THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL ODOR, NO SMOKE, COMING FROM ACFT AIR. I REQUEST ALL GALLEYS BE CHECKED TO INSURE ALL OVENS OFF. THE F/A'S REPORTED OVENS OFF/COOL. I REQUESTED FROM DEP CTL, VECTORS BACK TO ATL. WE LEVELED OFF AT 8000' AND RETURNED. AS SOON AS THE POWER WAS REDUCED FROM TKOF, THE F/A'S REPORTED ODOR WAS DISSIPATING. WE MADE UNEVENTFUL LNDG. ON TAXI IN, F/A'S REPORTED ODOR TOTALLY GONE. WHEN WE TURNED APU AIR ON, ODOR REAPPEARED, TURNED OFF APU AIR, ODOR CEASED. MAINT MET US AT GATE, RAN EYES UP, DISCERNED APU BAD, MCO APU. ADHERED TO MEL AND ACFT CROSSTIE LIMITS WHEN APU INOP. DISPATCHED A SECOND TIME. NORMAL TAXI/TKOF. AS SOON AS WE LIFTED OFF, THE ODOR REAPPEARED AGAIN. WE RETURNED TO ATL AND THE FLT WAS CANCELLED. THIS SEEMS TO BE A NEW PROBLEM AREA FOR THE NEW MLG. WE ARE NOW STARTING TO HAVE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF STRANGE ODORS USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY SMOKE AND THE SMOKE DETECTORS GOING OFF. THIS HAS BEEN TRACKED ON MANY OCCASIONS TO OIL RESIDUE 'CAKED' ON THE CROSSOVER DUCTING FROM VARIOUS SOURCES (APU/ENGS). I AM FAMILIAR WITH THIS ODOR AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT WAS WHAT I STARTED SMELLING ON EITHER TKOF. THIS IS PROBABLY THE REASON I DID NOT THINK IT WAS NECESSARY TO DECLARE AN EMER (NO SMOKE, DISAPPEARED AT LEVEL OFF). I KNOW THAT THIS PROBLEM ALONG WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ACFT CROSSTIE RELAY AND WING ICE HAS MADE THE NEW MLG A CHALLENGING EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND THE REST OF THE MLG PLTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: COMPANY MAINT SAYS THEY ARE GOING CRAZY TRYING TO FIND WHAT IS CAUSING THE ODORS IN THIS MODEL ACFT. NOT ISOLATED TO ONE ACFT. ALONG WITH ELECTRICAL GLITCHES AND OTHER EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS THIS HAS NOT BEEN A GOOD AIRPLANE FOR ME. THE AUTOPLT SEEMS IMPROVED OVER THE EARLIER MODELS BUT WE ARE HAVING FAR TOO MANY BUGS IN THIS NEW ACFT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.

Odor in cabin caused flight crew to return and land. Same odor on second attempt at flight. Return land. Cancelled the flight. Aircraft to maintenance.