Narrative:

Normal: preflight, after start, taxi and takeoff. Upon takeoff (normal) to climb (initially) up to about flaps up, climb power, a pungent smell of burning rubber was detected. Cockpit took appropriate action to diminish the smell with no smoke or fire detected. Ie, recirculating fans to force high flow. Doublechked wheel fire keeping in mind wheel well fire indications can take up to 30 mins to set off warning. Radio jfk flight crew to check for undocumented dangerous cargo in forward cargo and for new york port authority/authorized to sweep runway 13L (takeoff runway). All were negative. Sweep request made for possible tire disintegration. Climbed to FL230. After turning trim air off and alternating cycling of recirculating fans, smell appeared to diminish. Cabin complained of severe smells of burning rubber which also diminished while using high flow features of air conditioning. There were no abnormal conditions detected except the smell of burning rubber. Captain made announcement there was no danger and the flight will continue. Upon that announcement, the smell of burning rubber came back increasing dramatically. At FL350, right air conditioning and right engine bleed were turned off, again clearing the bad smell. Smell diminished again to the point where cockpit and cabin were safe to proceed. We were then made aware of a passenger in seat xx who had been on a previous air carrier Z flight with same situation with smell, by air carrier Z company, via ACARS. We had passenger move to another seat with first officer's and flight attendants. Inspected area around seat. Upon inspection of his seat, under his seat and around venting (sidewalls) found glass shards and a very pungent odor of burnt rubber under seat was detected. The strong odor of burning rubber was completely gone throughout cockpit and cabin. Was only around seat. Passenger was kept under tight watch from then on. En route, descent and landing normal. Flight was met in cdg by french immigration officers. Both united states and french company officials were fully aware of the entire situation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that the response on arrival was not what he expected or what would have occurred in the united states. The immigration officials and company officials met the aircraft, took the passenger and interviewed him. He cleared customs and was turned over to the police who felt there was not enough evidence to proceed further. He was released. Company followed up to assure that he did not return on company aircraft. He booked on a foreign carrier. Reporter was told that fbi was to meet him on arrival in the united states but is not aware if that occurred. From what reporter knows, the passenger was upset because there had been a change in schedule to the south african continent.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC AND CABIN ATTENDANTS NOTICE A BURNT RUBBER SMELL ON CLBOUT. TROUBLESHOOTING THE PROB AND APPARENTLY RELIEVING IT THEY MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT FLT WILL CONTINUE. THE SMELL BEGINS AGAIN AND IS ISOLATED TO A PARTICULAR SEAT. PAX IN THIS SEAT IS MONITORED DURING THE FLT AND A REQUEST IS MADE FOR AUTHS TO MEET THE ACFT.

Narrative: NORMAL: PREFLT, AFTER START, TAXI AND TKOF. UPON TKOF (NORMAL) TO CLB (INITIALLY) UP TO ABOUT FLAPS UP, CLB PWR, A PUNGENT SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER WAS DETECTED. COCKPIT TOOK APPROPRIATE ACTION TO DIMINISH THE SMELL WITH NO SMOKE OR FIRE DETECTED. IE, RECIRCULATING FANS TO FORCE HIGH FLOW. DOUBLECHKED WHEEL FIRE KEEPING IN MIND WHEEL WELL FIRE INDICATIONS CAN TAKE UP TO 30 MINS TO SET OFF WARNING. RADIO JFK FLC TO CHK FOR UNDOCUMENTED DANGEROUS CARGO IN FORWARD CARGO AND FOR NEW YORK PORT AUTH TO SWEEP RWY 13L (TKOF RWY). ALL WERE NEGATIVE. SWEEP REQUEST MADE FOR POSSIBLE TIRE DISINTEGRATION. CLBED TO FL230. AFTER TURNING TRIM AIR OFF AND ALTERNATING CYCLING OF RECIRCULATING FANS, SMELL APPEARED TO DIMINISH. CABIN COMPLAINED OF SEVERE SMELLS OF BURNING RUBBER WHICH ALSO DIMINISHED WHILE USING HIGH FLOW FEATURES OF AIR CONDITIONING. THERE WERE NO ABNORMAL CONDITIONS DETECTED EXCEPT THE SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER. CAPT MADE ANNOUNCEMENT THERE WAS NO DANGER AND THE FLT WILL CONTINUE. UPON THAT ANNOUNCEMENT, THE SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER CAME BACK INCREASING DRAMATICALLY. AT FL350, R AIR CONDITIONING AND R ENG BLEED WERE TURNED OFF, AGAIN CLRING THE BAD SMELL. SMELL DIMINISHED AGAIN TO THE POINT WHERE COCKPIT AND CABIN WERE SAFE TO PROCEED. WE WERE THEN MADE AWARE OF A PAX IN SEAT XX WHO HAD BEEN ON A PREVIOUS ACR Z FLT WITH SAME SIT WITH SMELL, BY ACR Z COMPANY, VIA ACARS. WE HAD PAX MOVE TO ANOTHER SEAT WITH FO'S AND FLT ATTENDANTS. INSPECTED AREA AROUND SEAT. UPON INSPECTION OF HIS SEAT, UNDER HIS SEAT AND AROUND VENTING (SIDEWALLS) FOUND GLASS SHARDS AND A VERY PUNGENT ODOR OF BURNT RUBBER UNDER SEAT WAS DETECTED. THE STRONG ODOR OF BURNING RUBBER WAS COMPLETELY GONE THROUGHOUT COCKPIT AND CABIN. WAS ONLY AROUND SEAT. PAX WAS KEPT UNDER TIGHT WATCH FROM THEN ON. ENRTE, DSCNT AND LNDG NORMAL. FLT WAS MET IN CDG BY FRENCH IMMIGRATION OFFICERS. BOTH UNITED STATES AND FRENCH COMPANY OFFICIALS WERE FULLY AWARE OF THE ENTIRE SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE RESPONSE ON ARR WAS NOT WHAT HE EXPECTED OR WHAT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED IN THE UNITED STATES. THE IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS AND COMPANY OFFICIALS MET THE ACFT, TOOK THE PAX AND INTERVIEWED HIM. HE CLRED CUSTOMS AND WAS TURNED OVER TO THE POLICE WHO FELT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO PROCEED FURTHER. HE WAS RELEASED. COMPANY FOLLOWED UP TO ASSURE THAT HE DID NOT RETURN ON COMPANY ACFT. HE BOOKED ON A FOREIGN CARRIER. RPTR WAS TOLD THAT FBI WAS TO MEET HIM ON ARR IN THE UNITED STATES BUT IS NOT AWARE IF THAT OCCURRED. FROM WHAT RPTR KNOWS, THE PAX WAS UPSET BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN A CHANGE IN SCHEDULE TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTINENT.

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.