Air Carrier Flight Crew reported a fume event during initial climb. The flight crew returned to the departure airport where a safe landing was completed
Synopsis
Air Carrier Flight Crew reported a fume event during initial climb. The flight crew returned to the departure airport where a safe landing was completed
Narrative
So in the pre-flight; I came back from doing an extensive walk around and came back up to the cockpit and was taking off lots of layers of clothing when I noticed a light haze and it did haze up in the cabin and have a smell. The mechanic that was on the aircraft came up to the flight deck. He checked for faults but nothing. The aircraft to our right was getting de-iced and we figured with the wind it probably injected a little of the de-ice fluid and it was going away. The mechanic released the flight saying it was probably deciding fluid. After we took off on the climb we noticed it came back and the Flight Attendants (FA) said they smelt it too very strongly towards door XX there was a faint smoke as well. Flight crew [requested priority handling] to turn back to ZZZ for safety. We accomplished the Fume Event checklist and the Overweight Landing checklist as well. Dispatch send landing data. We came back to the departure runway for a landing. We pulled off the runway. Fire crew then conducted there safety checks on heat and smoke and felt it was safe to return to the gate. We returned to the gate.
Second reporter narrative
[This flight] was planned and released in compliance with FAR 121; the [company] Flight Operations Manual (FOM); and Boeing 777 Flight Manual.During pre-flight; an odor of unknown origin was noted in the cockpit and Maintenance Control was consulted. The conclusion provided by Maintenance Control regarding the odor was a suspected deicing fluid that had migrated into the pneumatic ducting. Considering the snow event at ZZZ the day prior; and that the aircraft had been on the ground in ZZZ overnight; the explanation seemed plausible. Maintenance Control provided a maintenance release document and the flight proceeded. After departure and upon climb out a strong odor and faint smoke was noted in the cockpit at the same time that a Flight Attendant in the AFT galley reported that there was smoke in the cabin. The Captain [requested priority handling to] return to ZZZ. The Fume Event checklist; and the Overweight Landing checklists were completed in addition to normal procedures. Runaway condition data was obtained and stopping distance was verified for ZZZ Runway XXC.The approach and landing was conducted and upon exiting the runway the aircraft was stopped to allow Airport Rescue and Firefighting to evaluate the aircraft with FLIR sensors. No fire or hotspots on the aircraft were reported by Crash Fire Rescue or observed by the crew. The aircraft was taxied to the gate. Customer service met the aircraft to accommodate the passengers and Maintenance Control was debriefed on the event. The flight deck crew was subsequently debriefed by the Chief Pilot and deemed capable of continuing the duty period. Threat and Error Management CRM skills were used effectively in all phases resulting in a successful outcome.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.