Narrative:

Right after takeoff, I smelled a smoky odor (like a wood or paper type of burning smell). My first thought was perhaps the warm mixed nuts in the oven were overheating. I got up from my jump seat to turn the oven off. Upon opening the oven door, I realized immediately that the burning smell was not coming from inside the oven. The scent inside the oven was not at all the same as the smokey odor in the cabin air. Simultaneously, call lights began going off all over the airplane with passenger saying they smelled smoke, and the #2 flight attendant called me to say passenger were reporting a strange smell in the back of the airplane (variously described as burning diesel or plastic). I immediately chimed the cockpit and informed the captain of smoke smell throughout the aircraft. We flight attendants continued to search for source of smell. Within seconds, the captain called and said we would land back again at iad. I made a passenger announcement preparing the cabin for landing, saying we were going back to land at iad so the odor in the cabin could be investigated. Passenger remained quietly in their seats, but were very eager to deplane after a normal landing. I was told later that we were airborne for 7 mins.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON TKOF ON BOARD MD80, SMOKE ODOR WAS DETECTED IN CABIN. FLC DECLARED EMER AND RETURNED TO FIELD OF DEP TO INVESTIGATE AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT.

Narrative: RIGHT AFTER TKOF, I SMELLED A SMOKY ODOR (LIKE A WOOD OR PAPER TYPE OF BURNING SMELL). MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS PERHAPS THE WARM MIXED NUTS IN THE OVEN WERE OVERHEATING. I GOT UP FROM MY JUMP SEAT TO TURN THE OVEN OFF. UPON OPENING THE OVEN DOOR, I REALIZED IMMEDIATELY THAT THE BURNING SMELL WAS NOT COMING FROM INSIDE THE OVEN. THE SCENT INSIDE THE OVEN WAS NOT AT ALL THE SAME AS THE SMOKEY ODOR IN THE CABIN AIR. SIMULTANEOUSLY, CALL LIGHTS BEGAN GOING OFF ALL OVER THE AIRPLANE WITH PAX SAYING THEY SMELLED SMOKE, AND THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT CALLED ME TO SAY PAX WERE RPTING A STRANGE SMELL IN THE BACK OF THE AIRPLANE (VARIOUSLY DESCRIBED AS BURNING DIESEL OR PLASTIC). I IMMEDIATELY CHIMED THE COCKPIT AND INFORMED THE CAPT OF SMOKE SMELL THROUGHOUT THE ACFT. WE FLT ATTENDANTS CONTINUED TO SEARCH FOR SOURCE OF SMELL. WITHIN SECONDS, THE CAPT CALLED AND SAID WE WOULD LAND BACK AGAIN AT IAD. I MADE A PAX ANNOUNCEMENT PREPARING THE CABIN FOR LNDG, SAYING WE WERE GOING BACK TO LAND AT IAD SO THE ODOR IN THE CABIN COULD BE INVESTIGATED. PAX REMAINED QUIETLY IN THEIR SEATS, BUT WERE VERY EAGER TO DEPLANE AFTER A NORMAL LNDG. I WAS TOLD LATER THAT WE WERE AIRBORNE FOR 7 MINS.

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.