B757 flight attendants report electrical fumes during preflight which the flight crew believes to be...

Narrative:

One hour prior to departure flight attendants smelled an electrical odor in the aft cabin between rows 28-34. One flight attendant stated that the odor caused him a headache and his eyes to water. I went aft and smelled an electrical odor. Five minutes later again went aft and noticed the odor had dissipated noticeably. I then started the APU; disconnected ground power and the air-conditioning. The odor subsided to the point that the first officer; flight attendants; and myself could no longer smell any odor. We boarded; pushed; and started the engines. The aft flight attendant said the odor had returned and was experiencing a headache. We returned to the gate and maintenance summoned. A chiller blower in the aft galley had shorted. We ventilated the cabin with the APU and doors. We departed a second time. Upon engine start the same flight attendant complained of odor and a headache along with two passengers. Note: upon announcing a return to the gate they felt better. I consulted with my first officer; dispatch; dispatch manager; flight operations manager; and maintenance. All agreed the aircraft was safe to fly. The flight attendant who had been ill stated he felt better; but in the interest of safety while airborne and trying expeditiously to operate the flight; a jump seating flight attendant replaced the flight attendant who on three occasions complained of headaches. Any passengers wanting to exit were also disembarked. We flew to destination. There; I asked the passengers and flight attendants if they smelled anything. No one had. I subsequently flew the aircraft on another leg and again asked the flight attendants if they had smelled anything. No one had. The primary purpose of this report is to document the extraordinary measures taken to ensure safety for the crew and passengers prior to flight.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 Flight Attendants report electrical fumes during preflight which the Flight Crew believes to be exhaust fumes from ground equipment. During taxi the odor becomes stronger alarming some passengers. The flight returns to the gate where Maintenance discovers a faulty chiller fan.

Narrative: One hour prior to departure flight attendants smelled an electrical odor in the aft cabin between rows 28-34. One flight attendant stated that the odor caused him a headache and his eyes to water. I went aft and smelled an electrical odor. Five minutes later again went aft and noticed the odor had dissipated noticeably. I then started the APU; disconnected ground power and the air-conditioning. The odor subsided to the point that the First Officer; flight attendants; and myself could no longer smell any odor. We boarded; pushed; and started the engines. The aft flight attendant said the odor had returned and was experiencing a headache. We returned to the gate and maintenance summoned. A chiller blower in the aft galley had shorted. We ventilated the cabin with the APU and doors. We departed a second time. Upon engine start the same flight attendant complained of odor and a headache along with two passengers. Note: Upon announcing a return to the gate they felt better. I consulted with my First Officer; Dispatch; Dispatch Manager; Flight Operations Manager; and maintenance. All agreed the aircraft was safe to fly. The flight attendant who had been ill stated he felt better; but in the interest of safety while airborne and trying expeditiously to operate the flight; a jump seating flight attendant replaced the flight attendant who on three occasions complained of headaches. Any passengers wanting to exit were also disembarked. We flew to destination. There; I asked the passengers and flight attendants if they smelled anything. No one had. I subsequently flew the aircraft on another leg and again asked the flight attendants if they had smelled anything. No one had. The primary purpose of this report is to document the extraordinary measures taken to ensure safety for the crew and passengers prior to flight.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

Attributes
ACN	885621
Time
Date	201004
Local Time Of Day	0001-0600
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B757-200
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Galley Furnishing
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 250 Flight Crew Total 20000 Flight Crew Type 3000
Person 2
Function	Flight Attendant In Charge Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

B757 flight attendants report electrical fumes during preflight which the flight crew believes to be exhaust fumes from ground equipment. During taxi the odor becomes stronger alarming some passengers. The flight returns to the gate where maintenance discovers a faulty chiller fan.