Narrative:

Was on aft jump seat deadheading from dfw-tpa to work back tpa-dfw. As we took off, smell filled cabin -- mild at first. #2 flight attendant called #1 flight attendant to see if she smelled anything. #1 flight attendant replied she had, and that she had contacted cockpit. She asked if #2 flight attendant and myself could see smoke. We could not, but the smell was as if something was burning. Cockpit reported that all looked ok from cockpit. There was a jump seat rider in the cockpit. He walked all through the cabin, all the way aft, looking for smoke or anything that might cause the odor. Told us they could smell it in the cockpit. The smell was fading by this time. We did smell it on and off during flight. We landed in tpa. Mechanics checked aircraft for a long time, said they couldn't find anything wrong. We boarded the flight tpa-dfw with full passenger load. I was now on the first jump seat behind cockpit. As we took off, a very strong wave of this odor seemed to come past #1 flight attendant and myself from the right side of the aircraft -- so strong that my eyes started to water, and the #1 flight attendant had trouble with her throat. As she went through the cabin checking for smoke/fire, call lights began to go on -- passenger wanting to known what was burning and if we were turning around. The odor was much strong this time and not going away. We returned to tpa. Fire department met the flight. When they came on board, they could smell the odor also. Some passenger stated it smelled like rubber burning, some plastic. Some said like bad food in ovens. Still don't know what it was.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUMES IN THE CABIN OCCURRING ON BOTH THE FIRST AND SECOND LEGS OF A FLT LEAD TO A DECLARATION OF AN EMER AND RETURN TO TKOF ARPT. CAUSE OF PROB UNKNOWN.

Narrative: WAS ON AFT JUMP SEAT DEADHEADING FROM DFW-TPA TO WORK BACK TPA-DFW. AS WE TOOK OFF, SMELL FILLED CABIN -- MILD AT FIRST. #2 FLT ATTENDANT CALLED #1 FLT ATTENDANT TO SEE IF SHE SMELLED ANYTHING. #1 FLT ATTENDANT REPLIED SHE HAD, AND THAT SHE HAD CONTACTED COCKPIT. SHE ASKED IF #2 FLT ATTENDANT AND MYSELF COULD SEE SMOKE. WE COULD NOT, BUT THE SMELL WAS AS IF SOMETHING WAS BURNING. COCKPIT RPTED THAT ALL LOOKED OK FROM COCKPIT. THERE WAS A JUMP SEAT RIDER IN THE COCKPIT. HE WALKED ALL THROUGH THE CABIN, ALL THE WAY AFT, LOOKING FOR SMOKE OR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT CAUSE THE ODOR. TOLD US THEY COULD SMELL IT IN THE COCKPIT. THE SMELL WAS FADING BY THIS TIME. WE DID SMELL IT ON AND OFF DURING FLT. WE LANDED IN TPA. MECHS CHKED ACFT FOR A LONG TIME, SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. WE BOARDED THE FLT TPA-DFW WITH FULL PAX LOAD. I WAS NOW ON THE FIRST JUMP SEAT BEHIND COCKPIT. AS WE TOOK OFF, A VERY STRONG WAVE OF THIS ODOR SEEMED TO COME PAST #1 FLT ATTENDANT AND MYSELF FROM THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT -- SO STRONG THAT MY EYES STARTED TO WATER, AND THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT HAD TROUBLE WITH HER THROAT. AS SHE WENT THROUGH THE CABIN CHKING FOR SMOKE/FIRE, CALL LIGHTS BEGAN TO GO ON -- PAX WANTING TO KNOWN WHAT WAS BURNING AND IF WE WERE TURNING AROUND. THE ODOR WAS MUCH STRONG THIS TIME AND NOT GOING AWAY. WE RETURNED TO TPA. FIRE DEPT MET THE FLT. WHEN THEY CAME ON BOARD, THEY COULD SMELL THE ODOR ALSO. SOME PAX STATED IT SMELLED LIKE RUBBER BURNING, SOME PLASTIC. SOME SAID LIKE BAD FOOD IN OVENS. STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

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.