An Airbus Flight Attendant reported a dirty sock smell on boarding the aircraft and subsequently the entire flight crew became ill. A HAZMAT investigation discovered Tricresyl Phosphate as the cabin contaminant; so the aircraft was removed from service. An engine change apparently resolved the repeated cabin contamination issue. Tricresyl Phosphate is a constituent of turbine engine oil.
Synopsis
An Airbus Flight Attendant reported a dirty sock smell on boarding the aircraft and subsequently the entire flight crew became ill. A HAZMAT investigation discovered Tricresyl Phosphate as the cabin contaminant; so the aircraft was removed from service. An engine change apparently resolved the repeated cabin contamination issue. Tricresyl Phosphate is a constituent of turbine engine oil.
Narrative
I noticed a foul odor from the jetway to the aircraft. I attributed the odor to the wet jetway and possible condensation in ground air hose. The aircraft smelled like a wet dog. Between thunderstorms at the departure airport; ATC delays to our destination and actual flight time; the crew was on board aircraft for 4 hours. Passengers 2-3 hours. The pilots had a overwhelming odor in the cockpit on descent into the destination. They put on their oxygen mask and attempted an autoland. The Captain did not feel comfortable and took the necessary steps for a safe landing. At the destination gate both the Caterer at 2L door and Agent at 1L door commented on the aircraft odor. Mechanics were called and they grounded the aircraft. Airport HAZMAT took the aircraft and detected a contaminant. The crew was taken via ambulance to a hospital. The pilots were out of work 10 days-2 weeks; and 1 flight attendant is currently out with symptoms of spiking blood pressure; fatigue; blurred vision and chest pain. This aircraft was written up several times in under 2 weeks for a odor that was never repaired. It failed 2 test flights and sickened 5 crewmembers from 2 flights before 1 engine was replaced. The passengers are still unaware of the event so I cannot say if any were injured. There was a haze in the cabin but due to the weather we will never know if it was fumes or condensation. This is a recurring problem that the FAA chooses to ignore. Something needs to change very soon.
NASA callback
The Reporter had under taken an extensive personal investigation to get background about this and similar events on other aircraft which had repeatedly been removed from service for the 'dirty socks' smell. She initially thought that vomit in the jetway on a hot humid day was causing the unpleasant smell prior to entering the cabin. After the flight when some fellow crewmembers had been transported to the hospital the aircraft was removed from service and inspected. Tricresyl Phosphate (TCP) was discovered in the cabin air conditioning system. The aircraft was test flown twice and repeatedly failed cabin air quality tests until an engine was changed. Several of the crew members were removed from work status for a period of time recovering from the effects of breathing TCP. Reporter attributes a lung disease she had developed to the exposure. She had no disability with breathing prior to this event but has since had difficulty with strenuous work and even walking long distances.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.