AN A320 AVIONICS VENT FAULT ECAM ACCOMPANIED BY ELECTRICAL SMELL CAUSED AN EMER RETURN SHORTLY AFTER TKOF.

Date: 2006-12 · Aircraft: A320 · Phase: initial_climb

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|flight-deck-cabin-aircraft-event-smoke-fire-fumes-odor

Synopsis

AN A320 AVIONICS VENT FAULT ECAM ACCOMPANIED BY ELECTRICAL SMELL CAUSED AN EMER RETURN SHORTLY AFTER TKOF.

Narrative

WHILE TAKING THE ACTIVE FOR DEP; I NOTICED AN UNUSUAL SOUND THAT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE COCKPIT. IT SOUNDED LIKE AIR VIBRATING IN A DUCT. JUST AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE; THE FO AND I NOTICED A FAIRLY STRONG; BURNING ELECTRICAL SMELL. I CALLED THE PURSER; AND HE STATED THAT HE COULD ALSO SMELL THE ODOR; ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO VISIBLE SMOKE IN EITHER THE COCKPIT OR CABIN. THE FO (PF) LEVELED OFF AT ABOUT 6000 FT AND I DECLARED AN EMER WITH DEP. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; AN ECAM AVIONICS VENT FAULT APPEARED; WHICH I FOLLOWED. I ALSO COMPLETED THE QRH AND CHKLIST ITEMS FOR SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT/CABIN; AS WELL AS COORDINATED WITH THE PURSER AND DISPATCH. WE WERE VECTORED BACK TO THE ARPT; AND LANDED OVERWT AT 160000 LBS. WE TAXIED CLEAR OF THE RWY; AND SINCE THE ACRID ODOR HAD NOT BECOME WORSE; AND THERE WAS NO SMOKE; I ELECTED TO TAXI TO A GATE AND DEPLANE RATHER THAN RISK PAX INJURY WITH AN EVACUATION. ZZZ MAINT AND THE AARF MET US AT THE ACFT. I THINK THE AIRBUS FLEET TECHNICAL TEAM SHOULD TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THE SMOKE QRH THOUGH. THE QRH REFERS YOU TO THE EMER SECTION OF THE FLIGHT MANUAL; WHICH IS FINE. HOWEVER; IF THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE IS THE AVIONICS SYSTEM; YOU THEN HAVE TO GO TO THE IRREGULAR SECTION TO FIND THE NEXT STEPS. I FOUND THIS TO BE CUMBERSOME AND TIME CONSUMING; ESPECIALLY IN THE DYNAMIC; STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENT OF AN OVERWT; POSSIBLY BURNING ACFT. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT THIS SECTION ON AVIONICS SMOKE ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE CONTINUATION OF THE SMOKE QRH IN THE EMER SECTION.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.