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