Narrative:

First officer noticed odor in cockpit when we were doing our cockpit preflight inspection. He felt it smelled like antifreeze (the kind in your car radiator). I detected a slight smell. The flight attendant that came into the cockpit did not smell anything. First officer leg to cle. He did a lot of hand- flying on that leg as the autothrottles and throttles were not operating normally (split throttles). He also wanted to hand fly as a simulator check was coming up. I felt he was a little erratic in controling the aircraft, but nothing dangerous and I said nothing. Extremely quick turn (9 mins) in cle back to bwi. My leg. Normal takeoff and climb out and level off at FL290. ZOB asked us to descend to FL250. It was then we noticed both our altimeters were still set at 30.49 (from cle local setting). ZOB said nothing to us. On arrival at the bwi local area, it was clear and visibility ok and approach was vectoring us to land on 33L. I had the airport in sight and requested runway 28. They approved that. I turned to what I thought was runway 28 and noticed that the compass was heading 220 degrees. I told the first officer. He was looking at the compass and tuning in the ILS for runway 28 when tower said we were lined up for runway 22 and to please circle to runway 28. It was then I told the first officer that I felt really dizzy and 'out of it.' normal landing on runway 28. First officer said he felt a little dizzy also. Parked at gate and wrote up fumes problem in the logbook. Agent entering the cockpit said he could smell fumes as did 2 mechanics. I requested medical help for first officer and myself and we met airport medics in operations and went to a private room near chief pilot (bwi) office. I took some 100 percent oxygen for about 5-10 mins and felt better. My blood pressure was elevated. First officer's normal. Company checked forward cargo bin and halon fire extinguisher. I suspect (brand name) rain repellent, but there was no associated orange odor. I felt both first officer and my perceptions and judgements were very impaired. Contributing factors: early get-up at XA40 for an XB20 van pick-up in tpa for XC35 departure. Crew meal provided in tpa, which we both did have. However, from XC15 until after our landing in bwi, we had nothing (past XJ00 local). Recommendations: get the toxic stuff out of the cockpit. Provide healthy snack food for all the crew. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter reiterated what he wrote in his report. He remembers thinking: 'what the h--- is going on?' when he was feeling dizzy and 'out of it.' he added that when the mechanics entered the cockpit at bwi he commented, 'geez, what's that smell.' the reporter thinks that the smell came on gradually and he and the first officer became desensitized to it and therefore did not realize how strong the odor was. He has had no feedback from his air carrier concerning this. He repeated that he thought the rain repellent canisters should be mounted outside the cockpit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW SUFFERS SUBTLE INCAPACITATION AND SUSPECTS FUMES FROM RAIN REPELLENT.

Narrative: FO NOTICED ODOR IN COCKPIT WHEN WE WERE DOING OUR COCKPIT PREFLT INSPECTION. HE FELT IT SMELLED LIKE ANTIFREEZE (THE KIND IN YOUR CAR RADIATOR). I DETECTED A SLIGHT SMELL. THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT CAME INTO THE COCKPIT DID NOT SMELL ANYTHING. FO LEG TO CLE. HE DID A LOT OF HAND- FLYING ON THAT LEG AS THE AUTOTHROTTLES AND THROTTLES WERE NOT OPERATING NORMALLY (SPLIT THROTTLES). HE ALSO WANTED TO HAND FLY AS A SIMULATOR CHK WAS COMING UP. I FELT HE WAS A LITTLE ERRATIC IN CTLING THE ACFT, BUT NOTHING DANGEROUS AND I SAID NOTHING. EXTREMELY QUICK TURN (9 MINS) IN CLE BACK TO BWI. MY LEG. NORMAL TKOF AND CLBOUT AND LEVEL OFF AT FL290. ZOB ASKED US TO DSND TO FL250. IT WAS THEN WE NOTICED BOTH OUR ALTIMETERS WERE STILL SET AT 30.49 (FROM CLE LCL SETTING). ZOB SAID NOTHING TO US. ON ARR AT THE BWI LCL AREA, IT WAS CLR AND VISIBILITY OK AND APCH WAS VECTORING US TO LAND ON 33L. I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND REQUESTED RWY 28. THEY APPROVED THAT. I TURNED TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS RWY 28 AND NOTICED THAT THE COMPASS WAS HDG 220 DEGS. I TOLD THE FO. HE WAS LOOKING AT THE COMPASS AND TUNING IN THE ILS FOR RWY 28 WHEN TWR SAID WE WERE LINED UP FOR RWY 22 AND TO PLEASE CIRCLE TO RWY 28. IT WAS THEN I TOLD THE FO THAT I FELT REALLY DIZZY AND 'OUT OF IT.' NORMAL LNDG ON RWY 28. FO SAID HE FELT A LITTLE DIZZY ALSO. PARKED AT GATE AND WROTE UP FUMES PROB IN THE LOGBOOK. AGENT ENTERING THE COCKPIT SAID HE COULD SMELL FUMES AS DID 2 MECHS. I REQUESTED MEDICAL HELP FOR FO AND MYSELF AND WE MET ARPT MEDICS IN OPS AND WENT TO A PVT ROOM NEAR CHIEF PLT (BWI) OFFICE. I TOOK SOME 100 PERCENT OXYGEN FOR ABOUT 5-10 MINS AND FELT BETTER. MY BLOOD PRESSURE WAS ELEVATED. FO'S NORMAL. COMPANY CHKED FORWARD CARGO BIN AND HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHER. I SUSPECT (BRAND NAME) RAIN REPELLENT, BUT THERE WAS NO ASSOCIATED ORANGE ODOR. I FELT BOTH FO AND MY PERCEPTIONS AND JUDGEMENTS WERE VERY IMPAIRED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: EARLY GET-UP AT XA40 FOR AN XB20 VAN PICK-UP IN TPA FOR XC35 DEP. CREW MEAL PROVIDED IN TPA, WHICH WE BOTH DID HAVE. HOWEVER, FROM XC15 UNTIL AFTER OUR LNDG IN BWI, WE HAD NOTHING (PAST XJ00 LCL). RECOMMENDATIONS: GET THE TOXIC STUFF OUT OF THE COCKPIT. PROVIDE HEALTHY SNACK FOOD FOR ALL THE CREW. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR REITERATED WHAT HE WROTE IN HIS RPT. HE REMEMBERS THINKING: 'WHAT THE H--- IS GOING ON?' WHEN HE WAS FEELING DIZZY AND 'OUT OF IT.' HE ADDED THAT WHEN THE MECHS ENTERED THE COCKPIT AT BWI HE COMMENTED, 'GEEZ, WHAT'S THAT SMELL.' THE RPTR THINKS THAT THE SMELL CAME ON GRADUALLY AND HE AND THE FO BECAME DESENSITIZED TO IT AND THEREFORE DID NOT REALIZE HOW STRONG THE ODOR WAS. HE HAS HAD NO FEEDBACK FROM HIS ACR CONCERNING THIS. HE REPEATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE RAIN REPELLENT CANISTERS SHOULD BE MOUNTED OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.