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A B737-300 flight crew experienced obnoxious odor in the cockpit shortly after takeoff that led to donning oxygen masks; declaring an emergency; and returning to departure airport. Odor later determined to originate from leaking rain repellent container.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 977470 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201110 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737-300 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Climb |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Rain Repellent System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | First Officer |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 78 Flight Crew Type 9200 |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 197 Flight Crew Type 10000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor |
Narrative:
Passing through about 600 ft AGL on takeoff; an odd smell similar to evergreen or pine sol appeared in the cockpit. Our first thought was that it was an air freshener that was possibly deployed in the forward lavatory. As we continued; the smell became a distracting irritant that was getting stronger in intensity. We donned our masks; declared an emergency; turned back towards [departure airport] and then proceeded with the QRH smoke/fire/fumes checklist. At no time was there ever an obvious source apparent to us. The captain conferred with the flight attendants and then advised them to plan a normal landing. We asked approach control to notify the company of our intent to return to the airport. We completed all required checklists and then flew a visual approach. Taxiing to the gate was normal. Passengers were advised and crash fire rescue equipment met us at the gate. Rain repellent no longer smells like citrus. Our manuals need to be updated and our crews made aware of the characteristics of the rain repellent in use on our aircraft.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A B737-300 flight crew experienced obnoxious odor in the cockpit shortly after takeoff that led to donning oxygen masks; declaring an emergency; and returning to departure airport. Odor later determined to originate from leaking rain repellent container.
Narrative: Passing through about 600 FT AGL on takeoff; an odd smell similar to evergreen or pine sol appeared in the cockpit. Our first thought was that it was an air freshener that was possibly deployed in the forward lavatory. As we continued; the smell became a distracting irritant that was getting stronger in intensity. We donned our masks; declared an emergency; turned back towards [departure airport] and then proceeded with the QRH Smoke/Fire/Fumes Checklist. At no time was there ever an obvious source apparent to us. The Captain conferred with the flight attendants and then advised them to plan a normal landing. We asked Approach Control to notify the Company of our intent to return to the airport. We completed all required checklists and then flew a visual approach. Taxiing to the gate was normal. Passengers were advised and CFR met us at the gate. Rain repellent no longer smells like citrus. Our manuals need to be updated and our crews made aware of the characteristics of the rain repellent in use on our aircraft.
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.