Narrative:

After paperwork preparation for my flight; met captain from inbound flight in the jetway who informed me in passing of a write up in the maintenance log regarding an odor that was smelled by the cabin crew on descent. I asked him to call maintenance control to coordinate contract maintenance. I asked the departure coordinator to hold off boarding just as line maintenance arrived at the aircraft. I spoke to maintenance control and discussed the write up. The odor had been reported as smelling like toast or popcorn. Maintenance control asked us to do an engine run to check the different bleed sources through the left and right air-conditioning packs to determine if this was the source. The test did not produce any fumes; i.e. Skydrol; exhaust; or smoke. Maintenance control could not duplicate the odor; cleared the log book; and released the aircraft for flight. Concurrent with this our a flight attendant told me that her eyes were burning; and one of the other flight attendants mentioned that he had a slight headache. I discussed with the crew that if any symptoms were attributed to being on the aircraft we needed to have the crew members checked by medical personnel. They all decided they were fit to fly and that we should continue. I called the duty officer to get an objective opinion. I was guided through an air quality survey. After discussing this with the duty officer; both the first officer and I felt it was safe to continue the flight. I proceeded to the boarding area and spoke with the passengers from the podium; explaining that an odor had been reported on the aircraft inbound and that during the two hour delay we had run tests and determined that the plane was in good flying order. The flight was boarded and we had an uneventful taxi; take off; and departure. After 30 minutes of cruise flight we got a call from a flight attendant in the cabin who reported a strong odor and soreness in her throat. We spoke again several minutes later and she reported the conditions persisting and that other flight crew members were being affected. At that point no passengers were indicating any conditions. We contacted dispatch; and medlink. The medlink doctor after speaking to the flight attendants concurred with us that a division was appropriate. We decided to turn around and proceed to an airport about 200 miles away. Dispatch re-released us to the airport; I declared an emergency with ATC; and had dispatch check landing data for an overweight landing. The first officer and I worked through all the decisions and communications together; in order to expedite our arrival to the airport. I made two announcements to the passengers; explaining the reason for our diversion; assuring them of a safe landing and assistance at the gate. The landing and taxi in were uneventful. We asked all the passengers to remain seated at the gate to assist the medical personal with their duties. The medical personnel came right on and assisted our cabin crew off the aircraft. Under emergency authority; I directed the passengers over the PA from the L1 door. We asked any passengers with symptoms to ring their call buttons and they were immediately assisted by the efficient medics. Passengers were calm and helpful. Once the plane was empty I spoke with the duty officer and he facilitated an air quality checklist with me. In review of this event I am grateful that our diversion went smoothly. I have considered whether the QRH should have been used during this diversion. It is important to see this in context with the situation as it was unfolding. The write up on the inbound flight in the logbook spoke of a smell or odor. The maintenance tests we ran did not produce smoke or fumes. If they had we would not have departed. Symptoms the flight attendants spoke of prior to the flight; did not necessarily correlate to the tests we ran; or being on the aircraft. The decision to continue was based on approval of all the crew after hearing that maintenance had tested the systems; could not duplicate the reported condition; and cleared the discrepancy. The briefing with the duty office representatives served to further reinforce this decision. When we received the news of the smells returning during cruise flight; we did not consider it in the context of smoke or vapor filled cabin. In addition; the first officer and I never smelled the odor or felt any abnormal symptoms to prompt us to use oxygen and follow the qrc procedures. There were no reports of passengers complaining of symptoms during the flight. The medlink contact served to reinforce that the symptoms the flight attendants were experiencing might lead to an inability to perform their duties and thus a diversion was initiated. As of this writing we do not know if the smell was an odor or a vapor; or if the symptoms the crew experienced are related to this smell.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 Captain and four flight attendants describe the circumstances surrounding a diversion for an odor in the cabin which adversely affects the flight attendants.

Narrative: After paperwork preparation for my flight; met Captain from inbound flight in the jetway who informed me in passing of a write up in the maintenance log regarding an odor that was smelled by the cabin crew on descent. I asked him to call Maintenance Control to coordinate Contract Maintenance. I asked the Departure Coordinator to hold off boarding just as Line Maintenance arrived at the aircraft. I spoke to Maintenance Control and discussed the write up. The odor had been reported as smelling like toast or popcorn. Maintenance Control asked us to do an engine run to check the different bleed sources through the left and right air-conditioning packs to determine if this was the source. The test did not produce any fumes; i.e. skydrol; exhaust; or smoke. Maintenance Control could not duplicate the odor; cleared the log book; and released the aircraft for flight. Concurrent with this our A Flight Attendant told me that her eyes were burning; and one of the other flight attendants mentioned that he had a slight headache. I discussed with the crew that if any symptoms were attributed to being on the aircraft we needed to have the crew members checked by medical personnel. They all decided they were fit to fly and that we should continue. I called the Duty Officer to get an objective opinion. I was guided through an air quality survey. After discussing this with the Duty Officer; both the First Officer and I felt it was safe to continue the flight. I proceeded to the boarding area and spoke with the passengers from the podium; explaining that an odor had been reported on the aircraft inbound and that during the two hour delay we had run tests and determined that the plane was in good flying order. The flight was boarded and we had an uneventful taxi; take off; and departure. After 30 minutes of cruise flight we got a call from a Flight Attendant in the cabin who reported a strong odor and soreness in her throat. We spoke again several minutes later and she reported the conditions persisting and that other flight crew members were being affected. At that point no passengers were indicating any conditions. We contacted Dispatch; and Medlink. The Medlink doctor after speaking to the flight attendants concurred with us that a division was appropriate. We decided to turn around and proceed to an airport about 200 miles away. Dispatch re-released us to the airport; I declared an emergency with ATC; and had Dispatch check landing data for an overweight landing. The First Officer and I worked through all the decisions and communications together; in order to expedite our arrival to the airport. I made two announcements to the passengers; explaining the reason for our diversion; assuring them of a safe landing and assistance at the gate. The landing and taxi in were uneventful. We asked all the passengers to remain seated at the gate to assist the medical personal with their duties. The medical personnel came right on and assisted our cabin crew off the aircraft. Under emergency authority; I directed the passengers over the PA from the L1 door. We asked any passengers with symptoms to ring their call buttons and they were immediately assisted by the efficient medics. Passengers were calm and helpful. Once the plane was empty I spoke with the Duty Officer and he facilitated an air quality checklist with me. In review of this event I am grateful that our diversion went smoothly. I have considered whether the QRH should have been used during this diversion. It is important to see this in context with the situation as it was unfolding. The write up on the inbound flight in the logbook spoke of a smell or odor. The maintenance tests we ran did not produce smoke or fumes. If they had we would not have departed. Symptoms the flight attendants spoke of prior to the flight; did not necessarily correlate to the tests we ran; or being on the aircraft. The decision to continue was based on approval of all the crew after hearing that Maintenance had tested the systems; could not duplicate the reported condition; and cleared the discrepancy. The briefing with the Duty Office representatives served to further reinforce this decision. When we received the news of the smells returning during cruise flight; we did not consider it in the context of smoke or vapor filled cabin. In addition; the First Officer and I never smelled the odor or felt any abnormal symptoms to prompt us to use oxygen and follow the QRC procedures. There were no reports of passengers complaining of symptoms during the flight. The Medlink contact served to reinforce that the symptoms the flight attendants were experiencing might lead to an inability to perform their duties and thus a diversion was initiated. As of this writing we do not know if the smell was an odor or a vapor; or if the symptoms the crew experienced are related to this smell.

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.