Narrative:

On takeoff rotation the crew noted a strong odor entering the cockpit. The odor had an unusual, semi-electrical smell but seemed to be entering the cockpit through the air conditioning system. Flight crew searched cockpit for source of odor and presence of smoke. The source could not be ascertained and no smoke was found. Cabin crew was consulted who reported negative smoke but did acknowledge the odor and indicated that it was coming from behind her, meaning the cockpit. The crew decided to return to the departure airport to make a precautionary landing. Company flight control and ATC were notified of our intentions to return and land. ATC was told that we had 'fumes' in the cockpit and we were returning. ATC asked if we needed ground assistance. We responded that no assistance was required at the present time. We were vectored to downwind, at which time ATC requested the number of souls on board and the fuel remaining in pounds. The crew readied the oxygen masks but did not don the masks as no smoke was present and the odor wasn't irritating the crew. Normal checklists were completed and landing was uneventful. Crash fire rescue equipment vehicles met the aircraft as we exited the runway. The aircraft was stopped and the crew again searched the cockpit for the source of the odor. Once again we were unsuccessful. We returned to the gate and the passenger were disembarked. This was the first flight for the aircraft out of overnight maintenance. The aircraft maintenance log was consulted and it was discovered that maintenance had performed a compressor wash/bleed leak test the previous night. Maintenance performed a run-up subsequent to our return and found that the odor of residual compressor wash fluid was entering the cabin through the air conditioning packs. Maintenance performed ground runs till odor was purged and the aircraft was returned to service the next day. As far as the crew's handling of the situation is concerned the decision to use or not to use oxygen was a judgement call. In light of recent accidents, the crew responded seconds after takeoff with a quick decision to return to the departure airport. We were back on the ground in less than 5 mins and able to make an emergency evacuate/evacuation should the odor develop into smoke and a fire. On the other hand, however, upon further examination of our emergency checklists we discovered that our 'smoke -- air conditioning' procedure should be run for not only smoke but also odors in the cockpit. Another checklist we have is a 'smoke removal' procedure doesn't mention the presence of odors. Since we were unable to determine the source of the odor we would have opted for the more general smoke removal procedure. Either procedure would have had us first don and use our oxygen masks. At the time the odor seemed to be more of a nuisance that a threat. In hindsight, however, any odor should be taken seriously and odors/fumes can be toxic. There is a hesitancy to use the masks due to their clumsiness but their need/benefit should be weighed heavily against the need to land.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR RETURNS TO LAND WITH FUMES IN COCKPIT AND CABIN. PREVIOUS MAINT DISCOVERED TO BE THE PROB.

Narrative: ON TKOF ROTATION THE CREW NOTED A STRONG ODOR ENTERING THE COCKPIT. THE ODOR HAD AN UNUSUAL, SEMI-ELECTRICAL SMELL BUT SEEMED TO BE ENTERING THE COCKPIT THROUGH THE AIR CONDITIONING SYS. FLC SEARCHED COCKPIT FOR SOURCE OF ODOR AND PRESENCE OF SMOKE. THE SOURCE COULD NOT BE ASCERTAINED AND NO SMOKE WAS FOUND. CABIN CREW WAS CONSULTED WHO RPTED NEGATIVE SMOKE BUT DID ACKNOWLEDGE THE ODOR AND INDICATED THAT IT WAS COMING FROM BEHIND HER, MEANING THE COCKPIT. THE CREW DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE DEP ARPT TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. COMPANY FLT CTL AND ATC WERE NOTIFIED OF OUR INTENTIONS TO RETURN AND LAND. ATC WAS TOLD THAT WE HAD 'FUMES' IN THE COCKPIT AND WE WERE RETURNING. ATC ASKED IF WE NEEDED GND ASSISTANCE. WE RESPONDED THAT NO ASSISTANCE WAS REQUIRED AT THE PRESENT TIME. WE WERE VECTORED TO DOWNWIND, AT WHICH TIME ATC REQUESTED THE NUMBER OF SOULS ON BOARD AND THE FUEL REMAINING IN LBS. THE CREW READIED THE OXYGEN MASKS BUT DID NOT DON THE MASKS AS NO SMOKE WAS PRESENT AND THE ODOR WASN'T IRRITATING THE CREW. NORMAL CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED AND LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. CFR VEHICLES MET THE ACFT AS WE EXITED THE RWY. THE ACFT WAS STOPPED AND THE CREW AGAIN SEARCHED THE COCKPIT FOR THE SOURCE OF THE ODOR. ONCE AGAIN WE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. WE RETURNED TO THE GATE AND THE PAX WERE DISEMBARKED. THIS WAS THE FIRST FLT FOR THE ACFT OUT OF OVERNIGHT MAINT. THE ACFT MAINT LOG WAS CONSULTED AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT MAINT HAD PERFORMED A COMPRESSOR WASH/BLEED LEAK TEST THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. MAINT PERFORMED A RUN-UP SUBSEQUENT TO OUR RETURN AND FOUND THAT THE ODOR OF RESIDUAL COMPRESSOR WASH FLUID WAS ENTERING THE CABIN THROUGH THE AIR CONDITIONING PACKS. MAINT PERFORMED GND RUNS TILL ODOR WAS PURGED AND THE ACFT WAS RETURNED TO SVC THE NEXT DAY. AS FAR AS THE CREW'S HANDLING OF THE SIT IS CONCERNED THE DECISION TO USE OR NOT TO USE OXYGEN WAS A JUDGEMENT CALL. IN LIGHT OF RECENT ACCIDENTS, THE CREW RESPONDED SECONDS AFTER TKOF WITH A QUICK DECISION TO RETURN TO THE DEP ARPT. WE WERE BACK ON THE GND IN LESS THAN 5 MINS AND ABLE TO MAKE AN EMER EVAC SHOULD THE ODOR DEVELOP INTO SMOKE AND A FIRE. ON THE OTHER HAND, HOWEVER, UPON FURTHER EXAMINATION OF OUR EMER CHKLISTS WE DISCOVERED THAT OUR 'SMOKE -- AIR CONDITIONING' PROC SHOULD BE RUN FOR NOT ONLY SMOKE BUT ALSO ODORS IN THE COCKPIT. ANOTHER CHKLIST WE HAVE IS A 'SMOKE REMOVAL' PROC DOESN'T MENTION THE PRESENCE OF ODORS. SINCE WE WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF THE ODOR WE WOULD HAVE OPTED FOR THE MORE GENERAL SMOKE REMOVAL PROC. EITHER PROC WOULD HAVE HAD US FIRST DON AND USE OUR OXYGEN MASKS. AT THE TIME THE ODOR SEEMED TO BE MORE OF A NUISANCE THAT A THREAT. IN HINDSIGHT, HOWEVER, ANY ODOR SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND ODORS/FUMES CAN BE TOXIC. THERE IS A HESITANCY TO USE THE MASKS DUE TO THEIR CLUMSINESS BUT THEIR NEED/BENEFIT SHOULD BE WEIGHED HEAVILY AGAINST THE NEED TO LAND.

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.