Narrative:

All flight planning; preflight; taxi out and takeoff procedures were normal. After takeoff; at approximately 5000-10000 ft; I smelled a burning electric smell. I asked the first officer if he smelled it; and he said he did; just barely it was faint at first; so I monitored it. But as we kept climbing; the smell became stronger. I checked all the ECAM synoptic pages and found nothing indicating abnormally. I attempted to isolate the location of the smell and found that if I moved my face up above the glareshield in front of me; it was very strong. We quickly discussed this and decided to level off; hold our position; and declare an emergency for a return to ZZZ. The smell wasn't getting worse or better; but it was much stronger on my side than the first officer's. We ran the fumes removal checklist for the pertinent parts; went on oxygen and returned to ZZZ. The smell seemed to come from the area of the vents at the forward-most part of the glareshield in front of the captain. During the few times when I've checked it before; the air seems to move down there; on its way to the avionics compartment. But I could tell by putting my hand up there that there was a definite draft up along the windscreen. I figured I was smelling a burning electric smell coming from the avionics compartment or the back of the cockpit instrument panel on my side. We did a 'cabin advisory' and landed uneventfully back in ZZZ. The fire department did a cursory check of the aircraft and noted no smoke exiting from any of our vents (which was my only request of them; thinking that if something were really smoking down in the avionics bay and the smoke detection system didn't catch it that maybe the fire department guys would see something) and they reported nothing visible; so we taxied to the gate. I don't know when the smell went away as we were wearing our oxygen masks; but after the fire department cleared us; we removed our masks and the smell was gone. It was getting uncomfortably warm though; due to only having ram air as ventilation. The smell wasn't fuel; oil; hydraulics; deicing fluid or anything else other than electrical. There were no cockpit indications at all. Nothing on the ECAM screens; no visible smoke; no grinding fan sounds; nothing except the smell. The flight attendants did say that at some point they could smell something burning slightly in the back of the aircraft. I supposed it's theoretically possible that some smell was mixed into the recirculation system allowing the burning smell to get into the cabin; but it would have been pretty faint. I debriefed maintenance in ZZZ with all the details I could give.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 CREW DETECTED A STRONG ELECTRICAL SMELL COMING FROM AROUND THE CAPTAIN'S GLARE SHIELD. AN EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED WITH A RETURN TO LAND.

Narrative: ALL FLT PLANNING; PREFLT; TAXI OUT AND TKOF PROCS WERE NORMAL. AFTER TKOF; AT APPROX 5000-10000 FT; I SMELLED A BURNING ELECTRIC SMELL. I ASKED THE FO IF HE SMELLED IT; AND HE SAID HE DID; JUST BARELY IT WAS FAINT AT FIRST; SO I MONITORED IT. BUT AS WE KEPT CLBING; THE SMELL BECAME STRONGER. I CHKED ALL THE ECAM SYNOPTIC PAGES AND FOUND NOTHING INDICATING ABNORMALLY. I ATTEMPTED TO ISOLATE THE LOCATION OF THE SMELL AND FOUND THAT IF I MOVED MY FACE UP ABOVE THE GLARESHIELD IN FRONT OF ME; IT WAS VERY STRONG. WE QUICKLY DISCUSSED THIS AND DECIDED TO LEVEL OFF; HOLD OUR POSITION; AND DECLARE AN EMER FOR A RETURN TO ZZZ. THE SMELL WASN'T GETTING WORSE OR BETTER; BUT IT WAS MUCH STRONGER ON MY SIDE THAN THE FO'S. WE RAN THE FUMES REMOVAL CHKLIST FOR THE PERTINENT PARTS; WENT ON OXYGEN AND RETURNED TO ZZZ. THE SMELL SEEMED TO COME FROM THE AREA OF THE VENTS AT THE FORWARD-MOST PART OF THE GLARESHIELD IN FRONT OF THE CAPT. DURING THE FEW TIMES WHEN I'VE CHKED IT BEFORE; THE AIR SEEMS TO MOVE DOWN THERE; ON ITS WAY TO THE AVIONICS COMPARTMENT. BUT I COULD TELL BY PUTTING MY HAND UP THERE THAT THERE WAS A DEFINITE DRAFT UP ALONG THE WINDSCREEN. I FIGURED I WAS SMELLING A BURNING ELECTRIC SMELL COMING FROM THE AVIONICS COMPARTMENT OR THE BACK OF THE COCKPIT INST PANEL ON MY SIDE. WE DID A 'CABIN ADVISORY' AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY BACK IN ZZZ. THE FIRE DEPT DID A CURSORY CHK OF THE ACFT AND NOTED NO SMOKE EXITING FROM ANY OF OUR VENTS (WHICH WAS MY ONLY REQUEST OF THEM; THINKING THAT IF SOMETHING WERE REALLY SMOKING DOWN IN THE AVIONICS BAY AND THE SMOKE DETECTION SYSTEM DIDN'T CATCH IT THAT MAYBE THE FIRE DEPT GUYS WOULD SEE SOMETHING) AND THEY RPTED NOTHING VISIBLE; SO WE TAXIED TO THE GATE. I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE SMELL WENT AWAY AS WE WERE WEARING OUR OXYGEN MASKS; BUT AFTER THE FIRE DEPT CLRED US; WE REMOVED OUR MASKS AND THE SMELL WAS GONE. IT WAS GETTING UNCOMFORTABLY WARM THOUGH; DUE TO ONLY HAVING RAM AIR AS VENTILATION. THE SMELL WASN'T FUEL; OIL; HYDS; DEICING FLUID OR ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ELECTRICAL. THERE WERE NO COCKPIT INDICATIONS AT ALL. NOTHING ON THE ECAM SCREENS; NO VISIBLE SMOKE; NO GRINDING FAN SOUNDS; NOTHING EXCEPT THE SMELL. THE FLT ATTENDANTS DID SAY THAT AT SOME POINT THEY COULD SMELL SOMETHING BURNING SLIGHTLY IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT. I SUPPOSED IT'S THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE THAT SOME SMELL WAS MIXED INTO THE RECIRCULATION SYSTEM ALLOWING THE BURNING SMELL TO GET INTO THE CABIN; BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PRETTY FAINT. I DEBRIEFED MAINT IN ZZZ WITH ALL THE DETAILS I COULD GIVE.

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.