Narrative:

Immediately after takeoff from swf and while the aircraft was climbing to cruise altitude; an unknown smell traveled throughout the entire cabin. I had an unobstructed view of the economy cabin; aircraft right. I could see the #3 flight attendant in her jumpseat at the 3R door. I called her via the interphone. She had also experienced the same odor which I can only describe as sulfur similar to that of an entire book of matches being lit all at once. I called the cockpit and spoke with the captain via the interphone and advised him of what we had experienced in the cabin. When I felt it was safe to get out of my jumpseat I began a visual scan of the cabin searching for the cause of the odor. All of the flight attendants within my sight range began looking for the source of the odor. The bathrooms; galleys; under seats and the aisles were checked. I looked out of passenger windows in business class; the forward; mid and aft parts of the economy cabin to get as clear and wide view as possible of the area in front of the wing including the #2 engine; over the wing area and in back of the wing searching for the cause of the problem. As quickly as the smell had traveled through first class; business class; and economy class; the odor disappeared. It was gone. Meanwhile; as soon as the odor disappeared; a passenger called me and another flight attendant to her seat. She alerted us to a noise that seemed to originate on the floor next to the vents in the area where she was located. The unfamiliar noise sounded similar to a fan scraping metal and still spinning. The flight attendants monitored the cabin for the duration of the short flight from swf to jfk. After landing at jfk the passenger began deplaning. One of the passenger approached me and introduced herself as a retired flight attendant. She noted that the unfamiliar noise originating in the area of seat 24J only began when the wing flaps were raised after takeoff and the noise then disappeared on approach to jfk when the wing flaps were lowered for landing. The captain was advised and kept us to date throughout the entire incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 CABIN CREW DETECTS FUMES AFTER TKOF.

Narrative: IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF FROM SWF AND WHILE THE ACFT WAS CLBING TO CRUISE ALT; AN UNKNOWN SMELL TRAVELED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CABIN. I HAD AN UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW OF THE ECONOMY CABIN; ACFT R. I COULD SEE THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT IN HER JUMPSEAT AT THE 3R DOOR. I CALLED HER VIA THE INTERPHONE. SHE HAD ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME ODOR WHICH I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS SULFUR SIMILAR TO THAT OF AN ENTIRE BOOK OF MATCHES BEING LIT ALL AT ONCE. I CALLED THE COCKPIT AND SPOKE WITH THE CAPT VIA THE INTERPHONE AND ADVISED HIM OF WHAT WE HAD EXPERIENCED IN THE CABIN. WHEN I FELT IT WAS SAFE TO GET OUT OF MY JUMPSEAT I BEGAN A VISUAL SCAN OF THE CABIN SEARCHING FOR THE CAUSE OF THE ODOR. ALL OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS WITHIN MY SIGHT RANGE BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE SOURCE OF THE ODOR. THE BATHROOMS; GALLEYS; UNDER SEATS AND THE AISLES WERE CHKED. I LOOKED OUT OF PAX WINDOWS IN BUSINESS CLASS; THE FORWARD; MID AND AFT PARTS OF THE ECONOMY CABIN TO GET AS CLEAR AND WIDE VIEW AS POSSIBLE OF THE AREA IN FRONT OF THE WING INCLUDING THE #2 ENG; OVER THE WING AREA AND IN BACK OF THE WING SEARCHING FOR THE CAUSE OF THE PROB. AS QUICKLY AS THE SMELL HAD TRAVELED THROUGH FIRST CLASS; BUSINESS CLASS; AND ECONOMY CLASS; THE ODOR DISAPPEARED. IT WAS GONE. MEANWHILE; AS SOON AS THE ODOR DISAPPEARED; A PAX CALLED ME AND ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT TO HER SEAT. SHE ALERTED US TO A NOISE THAT SEEMED TO ORIGINATE ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO THE VENTS IN THE AREA WHERE SHE WAS LOCATED. THE UNFAMILIAR NOISE SOUNDED SIMILAR TO A FAN SCRAPING METAL AND STILL SPINNING. THE FLT ATTENDANTS MONITORED THE CABIN FOR THE DURATION OF THE SHORT FLT FROM SWF TO JFK. AFTER LNDG AT JFK THE PAX BEGAN DEPLANING. ONE OF THE PAX APCHED ME AND INTRODUCED HERSELF AS A RETIRED FLT ATTENDANT. SHE NOTED THAT THE UNFAMILIAR NOISE ORIGINATING IN THE AREA OF SEAT 24J ONLY BEGAN WHEN THE WING FLAPS WERE RAISED AFTER TKOF AND THE NOISE THEN DISAPPEARED ON APCH TO JFK WHEN THE WING FLAPS WERE LOWERED FOR LNDG. THE CAPT WAS ADVISED AND KEPT US TO DATE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.