Narrative:

I was the captain on flight to ZZZ1. We were delayed leaving the gate in ZZZ due to flow control times to ZZZ1. Scheduled was XA00 local time and we left the gate approximately XB00 for a XB56 wheels up time. Taxi out was normal and ATC parked us facing south on taxiway. We shut down the engines and the APU was powering the aircraft and one pack was providing air conditioning. I turned off the seatbelt sign and made a PA announcement advising our passenger of the wheels up time to ZZZ1. Approximately 10 minutes into the wait the first officer and I both suddenly smelled a very strong odor of raw fuel. This was followed within seconds of a flight attendant calling and advising us of the same smell and that it was extremely strong in the cabin. Due to the high level of the smell it was immediately obvious that we needed to resolve this situation very soon. I called ground and reported the strong smell of fuel in the aircraft and requested that emergency equipment be sent to the aircraft. There were continuous reports from all three flight attendants of extreme levels of odor and many passenger were complaining of feeling ill and several flight attendant call buttons being pressed by the passenger. The first officer and I talked briefly about the probable cause and turned off the packs and all fuel pumps. The APU was left running at this time. I contacted ground and declared an emergency and asked if they would call and have a truck with stairs brought to the aircraft. I also contacted dispatch with an ACARS message indicating we were an emergency aircraft and a brief description of the problem also asking them to have stairs sent to the aircraft. I also had the first officer call operations to request stairs. I was hoping that calling 3 agencies that would produce quick results. I strongly considered an evacuation of the aircraft but noticed stairs on the way along with several emergency vehicles but of most of the concern in my mind at the time was our close proximity to the runway; which was currently departing aircraft. I was worried that passenger would quickly wander onto the runway. The first officer and I opened our cockpit windows and received fresh air. The emergency equipment was now arriving quickly. There was also coordination between the first officer and flight attendants to open some of the doors for fresh air. The decision was made and coordinated to open two doors and leave two doors armed for an evacuation should the problem escalate. We needed fresh air quickly and with seeing the stairs approaching within minutes of our request and no reports of smoke I felt that allowed me a few more seconds before ordering the evacuation. The first officer and I discussed the irregular procedure for the removal of smoke or fumes and as the first officer quickly discovered; the checklist did not give us any ideas for our situation on the ground. I also considered the emergency evacuation qrc but again that had items on it that could possibly make our situation difficult. The stairs were brought quickly to the aircraft and the door was promptly opened and the evacuation using the stairs was begun quickly as the flight attendant and I had the understanding that the passenger were to be deplaned as soon as the stairs were available and the door opened. There was no panic among the passenger and an orderly evacuation was completed using the stairs at door 1L. I could see out the cockpit window that many emergency personnel had control over the passenger and had them all together and were already in the process of boarding them on busses. I asked that someone would place chocks on the tires to help ensure that the aircraft would not roll after we turned off the APU as there were many vehicles and emergency personnel near the aircraft. The first officer and I stayed on the aircraft and turned off the APU when all the passenger had been deplaned and discussed the situation with maintenance personnel; police and fire department officials. All three flight attendants and the first officer and I felt nauseated and some of us had headaches after this. The flight attendants were the worse as they did not have the benefit of open windows as we did on the flight deck. After some time outside and returning to the terminal and operations; the gate agent even commented how we all smelled of fuel. I heard later that only one passenger was given oxygen by medical personnel with no other injuries reported. Looking back on this event; I feel that all of the crewmembers worked together seamlessly with excellent communication despite all of us being extremely busy with our own tasks.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that maintenance discovered a fuel supply connection to the APU that had failed; and raw fuel was being sprayed into the APU shroud. This made its way into the air conditioning supply ducting and was then distributed into the cabin.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL VAPORS ENTERED CABIN OF B737-300 WHILE ON TXWY AWAITING 'WHEELS-UP' TIME; DUE TO A FAILED APU FUEL SUPPLY CONNECTION. ACFT WAS EVACUATED.

Narrative: I WAS THE CAPTAIN ON FLIGHT TO ZZZ1. WE WERE DELAYED LEAVING THE GATE IN ZZZ DUE TO FLOW CONTROL TIMES TO ZZZ1. SCHEDULED WAS XA00 LOCAL TIME AND WE LEFT THE GATE APPROXIMATELY XB00 FOR A XB56 WHEELS UP TIME. TAXI OUT WAS NORMAL AND ATC PARKED US FACING SOUTH ON TAXIWAY. WE SHUT DOWN THE ENGINES AND THE APU WAS POWERING THE AIRCRAFT AND ONE PACK WAS PROVIDING AIR CONDITIONING. I TURNED OFF THE SEATBELT SIGN AND MADE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT ADVISING OUR PAX OF THE WHEELS UP TIME TO ZZZ1. APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES INTO THE WAIT THE FO AND I BOTH SUDDENLY SMELLED A VERY STRONG ODOR OF RAW FUEL. THIS WAS FOLLOWED WITHIN SECONDS OF A FLT ATTENDANT CALLING AND ADVISING US OF THE SAME SMELL AND THAT IT WAS EXTREMELY STRONG IN THE CABIN. DUE TO THE HIGH LEVEL OF THE SMELL IT WAS IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS THAT WE NEEDED TO RESOLVE THIS SITUATION VERY SOON. I CALLED GROUND AND REPORTED THE STRONG SMELL OF FUEL IN THE AIRCRAFT AND REQUESTED THAT EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT BE SENT TO THE AIRCRAFT. THERE WERE CONTINUOUS REPORTS FROM ALL THREE FLT ATTENDANTS OF EXTREME LEVELS OF ODOR AND MANY PAX WERE COMPLAINING OF FEELING ILL AND SEVERAL FLT ATTENDANT CALL BUTTONS BEING PRESSED BY THE PAX. THE FO AND I TALKED BRIEFLY ABOUT THE PROBABLE CAUSE AND TURNED OFF THE PACKS AND ALL FUEL PUMPS. THE APU WAS LEFT RUNNING AT THIS TIME. I CONTACTED GROUND AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD CALL AND HAVE A TRUCK WITH STAIRS BROUGHT TO THE AIRCRAFT. I ALSO CONTACTED DISPATCH WITH AN ACARS MESSAGE INDICATING WE WERE AN EMERGENCY AIRCRAFT AND A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM ALSO ASKING THEM TO HAVE STAIRS SENT TO THE AIRCRAFT. I ALSO HAD THE FO CALL OPERATIONS TO REQUEST STAIRS. I WAS HOPING THAT CALLING 3 AGENCIES THAT WOULD PRODUCE QUICK RESULTS. I STRONGLY CONSIDERED AN EVACUATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BUT NOTICED STAIRS ON THE WAY ALONG WITH SEVERAL EMERGENCY VEHICLES BUT OF MOST OF THE CONCERN IN MY MIND AT THE TIME WAS OUR CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE RUNWAY; WHICH WAS CURRENTLY DEPARTING AIRCRAFT. I WAS WORRIED THAT PAX WOULD QUICKLY WANDER ONTO THE RUNWAY. THE FO AND I OPENED OUR COCKPIT WINDOWS AND RECEIVED FRESH AIR. THE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT WAS NOW ARRIVING QUICKLY. THERE WAS ALSO COORDINATION BETWEEN THE FO AND FLT ATTENDANTS TO OPEN SOME OF THE DOORS FOR FRESH AIR. THE DECISION WAS MADE AND COORDINATED TO OPEN TWO DOORS AND LEAVE TWO DOORS ARMED FOR AN EVACUATION SHOULD THE PROBLEM ESCALATE. WE NEEDED FRESH AIR QUICKLY AND WITH SEEING THE STAIRS APPROACHING WITHIN MINUTES OF OUR REQUEST AND NO REPORTS OF SMOKE I FELT THAT ALLOWED ME A FEW MORE SECONDS BEFORE ORDERING THE EVACUATION. THE FO AND I DISCUSSED THE IRREGULAR PROCEDURE FOR THE REMOVAL OF SMOKE OR FUMES AND AS THE FO QUICKLY DISCOVERED; THE CHECKLIST DID NOT GIVE US ANY IDEAS FOR OUR SITUATION ON THE GROUND. I ALSO CONSIDERED THE EMERGENCY EVACUATION QRC BUT AGAIN THAT HAD ITEMS ON IT THAT COULD POSSIBLY MAKE OUR SITUATION DIFFICULT. THE STAIRS WERE BROUGHT QUICKLY TO THE AIRCRAFT AND THE DOOR WAS PROMPTLY OPENED AND THE EVACUATION USING THE STAIRS WAS BEGUN QUICKLY AS THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND I HAD THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PAX WERE TO BE DEPLANED AS SOON AS THE STAIRS WERE AVAILABLE AND THE DOOR OPENED. THERE WAS NO PANIC AMONG THE PAX AND AN ORDERLY EVACUATION WAS COMPLETED USING THE STAIRS AT DOOR 1L. I COULD SEE OUT THE COCKPIT WINDOW THAT MANY EMERGENCY PERSONNEL HAD CONTROL OVER THE PAX AND HAD THEM ALL TOGETHER AND WERE ALREADY IN THE PROCESS OF BOARDING THEM ON BUSSES. I ASKED THAT SOMEONE WOULD PLACE CHOCKS ON THE TIRES TO HELP ENSURE THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT ROLL AFTER WE TURNED OFF THE APU AS THERE WERE MANY VEHICLES AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL NEAR THE AIRCRAFT. THE FO AND I STAYED ON THE AIRCRAFT AND TURNED OFF THE APU WHEN ALL THE PAX HAD BEEN DEPLANED AND DISCUSSED THE SITUATION WITH MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL; POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS. ALL THREE FLT ATTENDANTS AND THE FO AND I FELT NAUSEATED AND SOME OF US HAD HEADACHES AFTER THIS. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE THE WORSE AS THEY DID NOT HAVE THE BENEFIT OF OPEN WINDOWS AS WE DID ON THE FLIGHT DECK. AFTER SOME TIME OUTSIDE AND RETURNING TO THE TERMINAL AND OPERATIONS; THE GATE AGENT EVEN COMMENTED HOW WE ALL SMELLED OF FUEL. I HEARD LATER THAT ONLY ONE PAX WAS GIVEN OXYGEN BY MEDICAL PERSONNEL WITH NO OTHER INJURIES REPORTED. LOOKING BACK ON THIS EVENT; I FEEL THAT ALL OF THE CREWMEMBERS WORKED TOGETHER SEAMLESSLY WITH EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION DESPITE ALL OF US BEING EXTREMELY BUSY WITH OUR OWN TASKS.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REPORTER STATED THAT MAINT DISCOVERED A FUEL SUPPLY CONNECTION TO THE APU THAT HAD FAILED; AND RAW FUEL WAS BEING SPRAYED INTO THE APU SHROUD. THIS MADE ITS WAY INTO THE AIR CONDITIONING SUPPLY DUCTING AND WAS THEN DISTRIBUTED INTO THE CABIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.