Narrative:

Flight attendants notified me of fumes in cabin. Emergency declared with uneventful landing in ind runway 23L. Deplaned passenger at gate without belongings. No injuries. 4 flight attendants and 2 non revenue passenger taken to hospital for observation. 2 flight attendants returned to work. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: during the callback, the captain reported that a recirculation fan was destroying the plastic shroud around it causing fumes. This particular recirculation fan is in the cabin system, not the flight deck. Therefore, the flight crew did not notice any fumes and had just completed their 'before landing checklist' when flight attendant #1 notified them of the fumes. The captain elected to continue the approach as they were 5-6 mins from their destination. The passenger deplaned at the gate without their belongings in order to expedite the clearing of the aircraft. The reporter considered an emergency evacuate/evacuation, but felt that people inevitably get injured during such evacuate/evacuations and that the cabin air was breathable for the taxi into the gate. Hazmat met the aircraft and quarantined it until the source of the fumes could be determined. The FAA sent the captain a 'red tag' note, indicating they wanted all the information he had about the problem as they wanted to rule out that this was a burning insulation related event. The captain has not been contacted further by his company or the FAA.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 CAPT, ON APCH AT IND, WAS NOTIFIED BY THE FLT ATTENDANTS OF FUMES IN THE CABIN. THE RPTR DECLARED AN EMER AND EXPEDITED HIS LNDG AT IND.

Narrative: FLT ATTENDANTS NOTIFIED ME OF FUMES IN CABIN. EMER DECLARED WITH UNEVENTFUL LNDG IN IND RWY 23L. DEPLANED PAX AT GATE WITHOUT BELONGINGS. NO INJURIES. 4 FLT ATTENDANTS AND 2 NON REVENUE PAX TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOR OBSERVATION. 2 FLT ATTENDANTS RETURNED TO WORK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: DURING THE CALLBACK, THE CAPT RPTED THAT A RECIRCULATION FAN WAS DESTROYING THE PLASTIC SHROUD AROUND IT CAUSING FUMES. THIS PARTICULAR RECIRCULATION FAN IS IN THE CABIN SYS, NOT THE FLT DECK. THEREFORE, THE FLC DID NOT NOTICE ANY FUMES AND HAD JUST COMPLETED THEIR 'BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST' WHEN FLT ATTENDANT #1 NOTIFIED THEM OF THE FUMES. THE CAPT ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE APCH AS THEY WERE 5-6 MINS FROM THEIR DEST. THE PAX DEPLANED AT THE GATE WITHOUT THEIR BELONGINGS IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE THE CLRING OF THE ACFT. THE RPTR CONSIDERED AN EMER EVAC, BUT FELT THAT PEOPLE INEVITABLY GET INJURED DURING SUCH EVACS AND THAT THE CABIN AIR WAS BREATHABLE FOR THE TAXI INTO THE GATE. HAZMAT MET THE ACFT AND QUARANTINED IT UNTIL THE SOURCE OF THE FUMES COULD BE DETERMINED. THE FAA SENT THE CAPT A 'RED TAG' NOTE, INDICATING THEY WANTED ALL THE INFO HE HAD ABOUT THE PROB AS THEY WANTED TO RULE OUT THAT THIS WAS A BURNING INSULATION RELATED EVENT. THE CAPT HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED FURTHER BY HIS COMPANY OR THE FAA.

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.