Narrative:

Flight from dtw-ewr, level at FL370, about 60 mi southeast of cle, I noticed a rather strong, caustic odor. I asked the first officer if he smelled anything and he did. One of our flight attendants entered the cockpit and also smelled it and saw a misty vapor like substance coming from the crew bag storage area. I got out of my seat to investigate, removed my bag from the storage area and put my head down to see what might be wrong. The smell was very strong, and when I stood upright, I felt dizzy. I immediately returned to my seat and donned my oxygen mask which the first officer did also. We ran the appropriate checklist and the odor remained and seemed stronger. I asked my first officer to continue to fly the aircraft while I talked to ZOB to coordinate a diversion to cle (due to unknown nature of the fumes). We were cleared direct to cle and given lower altitude in segments (i.e., FL290, FL240, then 10000 ft). I was still dizzy and the flight attendant that had been in the cockpit, was in her jumpseat breathing a portable oxygen bottle because she felt faint and had tunnel vision. My first officer said that he felt nauseous at just about the same time as my fsm said that all the flight attendants in the cabin were on oxygen due to the fumes. At this point I declared an emergency. We discussed and decided to manually deploy the oxygen masks in the passenger cabin as a precautionary measure also. All checklists were performed and we landed uneventfully. After clearing the runway, we stopped the aircraft and depressurized and opened the cockpit windows. I talked to the emergency equipment and then we taxied to the gate with our oxygen masks still on as we still had no idea what we were breathing. The passenger were deplaned normally and did not require the assistance of the airport paramedics. All 3 flight attendants went to the infirmary for a check-up while my first officer and I talked to the cle chief pilot, company and the FAA, etc. Maintenance determined the cause of the toxic smell to be as follows: the 35 degree valve in the right pack was inoperative which caused the pack to freeze up solid. This, in turn, caused the air cycle machine to leak oil into the air conditioning. Playing monday morning quarterback, I still would have diverted to cle (erie was offered, but I was unfamiliar with the airport, performance, emergency equipment availability, passenger handling, etc), but I would have declared an emergency sooner than I did. ZOB, approach, tower and ground were all very professional and helpful and a key part of bringing this diversion to a safe ending. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he was flying a B737-500. The fumes made him dizzy, his copilot nauseous, and the flight attendant said she almost passed out going to the back. The smell of the fumes was like latex paint. He did not know if turning off a pack would stop the fumes or of course which pack was causing the fumes or even that a pack was causing the fumes. His first thought was some terrorist had gotten some kind of gas into the airplane. The entire crew had a headache that night but all were fine for the rest of the 2-DAY trip. A cleveland tv station showed 10-20 pounds of ice being pulled out of the air-conditioning duct. The FAA said because the oxygen masks to the passenger were deployed for mechanical reasons the FAA considered that an airplane mechanical incident and not a flight crew incident -- the point being the crew will not have to say they had an incident and their names will not be associated with their report -- only the aircraft number.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC EXPERIENCES FUMES IN THE COCKPIT THAT MAKE THE CREW DIZZY AND NAUSEOUS.

Narrative: FLT FROM DTW-EWR, LEVEL AT FL370, ABOUT 60 MI SE OF CLE, I NOTICED A RATHER STRONG, CAUSTIC ODOR. I ASKED THE FO IF HE SMELLED ANYTHING AND HE DID. ONE OF OUR FLT ATTENDANTS ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND ALSO SMELLED IT AND SAW A MISTY VAPOR LIKE SUBSTANCE COMING FROM THE CREW BAG STORAGE AREA. I GOT OUT OF MY SEAT TO INVESTIGATE, REMOVED MY BAG FROM THE STORAGE AREA AND PUT MY HEAD DOWN TO SEE WHAT MIGHT BE WRONG. THE SMELL WAS VERY STRONG, AND WHEN I STOOD UPRIGHT, I FELT DIZZY. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO MY SEAT AND DONNED MY OXYGEN MASK WHICH THE FO DID ALSO. WE RAN THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST AND THE ODOR REMAINED AND SEEMED STRONGER. I ASKED MY FO TO CONTINUE TO FLY THE ACFT WHILE I TALKED TO ZOB TO COORDINATE A DIVERSION TO CLE (DUE TO UNKNOWN NATURE OF THE FUMES). WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO CLE AND GIVEN LOWER ALT IN SEGMENTS (I.E., FL290, FL240, THEN 10000 FT). I WAS STILL DIZZY AND THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT HAD BEEN IN THE COCKPIT, WAS IN HER JUMPSEAT BREATHING A PORTABLE OXYGEN BOTTLE BECAUSE SHE FELT FAINT AND HAD TUNNEL VISION. MY FO SAID THAT HE FELT NAUSEOUS AT JUST ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS MY FSM SAID THAT ALL THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE CABIN WERE ON OXYGEN DUE TO THE FUMES. AT THIS POINT I DECLARED AN EMER. WE DISCUSSED AND DECIDED TO MANUALLY DEPLOY THE OXYGEN MASKS IN THE PAX CABIN AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE ALSO. ALL CHKLISTS WERE PERFORMED AND WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. AFTER CLRING THE RWY, WE STOPPED THE ACFT AND DEPRESSURIZED AND OPENED THE COCKPIT WINDOWS. I TALKED TO THE EMER EQUIP AND THEN WE TAXIED TO THE GATE WITH OUR OXYGEN MASKS STILL ON AS WE STILL HAD NO IDEA WHAT WE WERE BREATHING. THE PAX WERE DEPLANED NORMALLY AND DID NOT REQUIRE THE ASSISTANCE OF THE ARPT PARAMEDICS. ALL 3 FLT ATTENDANTS WENT TO THE INFIRMARY FOR A CHK-UP WHILE MY FO AND I TALKED TO THE CLE CHIEF PLT, COMPANY AND THE FAA, ETC. MAINT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE TOXIC SMELL TO BE AS FOLLOWS: THE 35 DEG VALVE IN THE R PACK WAS INOP WHICH CAUSED THE PACK TO FREEZE UP SOLID. THIS, IN TURN, CAUSED THE AIR CYCLE MACHINE TO LEAK OIL INTO THE AIR CONDITIONING. PLAYING MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK, I STILL WOULD HAVE DIVERTED TO CLE (ERIE WAS OFFERED, BUT I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT, PERFORMANCE, EMER EQUIP AVAILABILITY, PAX HANDLING, ETC), BUT I WOULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER SOONER THAN I DID. ZOB, APCH, TWR AND GND WERE ALL VERY PROFESSIONAL AND HELPFUL AND A KEY PART OF BRINGING THIS DIVERSION TO A SAFE ENDING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE WAS FLYING A B737-500. THE FUMES MADE HIM DIZZY, HIS COPLT NAUSEOUS, AND THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID SHE ALMOST PASSED OUT GOING TO THE BACK. THE SMELL OF THE FUMES WAS LIKE LATEX PAINT. HE DID NOT KNOW IF TURNING OFF A PACK WOULD STOP THE FUMES OR OF COURSE WHICH PACK WAS CAUSING THE FUMES OR EVEN THAT A PACK WAS CAUSING THE FUMES. HIS FIRST THOUGHT WAS SOME TERRORIST HAD GOTTEN SOME KIND OF GAS INTO THE AIRPLANE. THE ENTIRE CREW HAD A HEADACHE THAT NIGHT BUT ALL WERE FINE FOR THE REST OF THE 2-DAY TRIP. A CLEVELAND TV STATION SHOWED 10-20 LBS OF ICE BEING PULLED OUT OF THE AIR-CONDITIONING DUCT. THE FAA SAID BECAUSE THE OXYGEN MASKS TO THE PAX WERE DEPLOYED FOR MECHANICAL REASONS THE FAA CONSIDERED THAT AN AIRPLANE MECHANICAL INCIDENT AND NOT A FLC INCIDENT -- THE POINT BEING THE CREW WILL NOT HAVE TO SAY THEY HAD AN INCIDENT AND THEIR NAMES WILL NOT BE ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR RPT -- ONLY THE ACFT NUMBER.

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.