Incident Overview
On 2 April 2004, a BAe 146-300, registration G-JEBA, was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Birmingham to Paris. Approximately 40 nautical miles northwest of Paris, the First Officer noticed a smell of smoke on the flight deck. The Captain could not see any smoke, but the First Officer, who described the odour as electrical in nature, perceived a faint haze against the sun on his side of the aircraft. A MAYDAY was declared, and the aircraft was given radar vectors directly to Runway 09R at Paris.
Flight Crew Actions
The Cabin Crew subsequently reported that the smoke was clearing rapidly. At that stage, the Captain could barely detect any smell and decided that oxygen was not required for passengers or crew. The interval between the initial detection of the smell and the complete dissipation of odours was estimated at about two minutes. The aircraft landed without incident, taxied to the stand, and passengers disembarked normally.
Post-Flight Investigation
Following the flight, the operator's engineering department conducted an investigation. They identified two sources: oil leaking from the number one air-conditioning pack, attributed to an APU oil seal failure, and a smoky oven in the galley. The suspect APU was removed for investigation and overhaul, and no recurrence of the problem has been reported since.