Narrative:

Burning smell in cabin from previous flight. On takeoff strong smell like burning food observed in cockpit and throughout cabin. All ovens were off. Turned air condition recirculation fan from automatic to off position and smell dissipated. No smoke observed. Contractor deferred recirculation fan inoperative per MEL. Found hydraulic fluid leaking in and around APU non ram air doors, APU was running and ingesting fluid. When air conditioning packs were turned on a mild burning odor was smelled in the cabin. Odor had an oily type smell. After signing in for my trip I find that the aircraft had a burning odor after departing ord-bwi the afternoon before. Aircraft over-nighted at bwi. Maintenance placarded the recirculation fan inoperative. I called the maintenance controller to see if there was any further troubleshooting for the source of the burning odor. The maintenance controller said no since it was a contract maintenance station and that the PIREP said the smell went away when the recirculation fan was turned off. I said would it not be prudent to check for other sources for a burning smell such as a hydraulic leak being ingested by APU into packs. My personal experience, I had a feeling that there was a strong likelihood that we may have a burning smell (smoke event after takeoff, read possible emergency or air interrupt) since they did not even verify that the recirculation fan was the source of the burning smell. Maintenance just placarded the recirculation fan inoperative. The easy fix, aircraft was towed to gate with APU running -- I walked out to aircraft and headed to lower APU area to find hydraulic fluid leaking in and around APU non ram doors. Go to cockpit, first officer was starting preflight and had just turned packs on and we noticed a mild oily burning smell and turned off packs and APU. Made entry into logbook. Called the maintenance controller and told them what I found (surprise) and received poor/unacceptable guidance on how the situation should be handled. Contract maintenance arrived at aircraft and started searching for the hydraulic leak and found a hole in the right thrust reverser lockout valve. A maintenance field trip from iad was set up for valve replacement and pack burnout. After a layover, reviewed logbook to find that the valve had been changed, but no record of a pack burnout. I called dispatch for a patch to supervisor to inquire about if there was a pack burnout done. After lengthy conversations with supervisor and dispatch the supervisor gets on the call and says that a pack burnout has to be done as well as placarding the APU as they have found ingested hydraulic fluid weakens the APU turbine blades. We get sent back to hotel again. Show up next morning to fly to ord and talk to the second crew of mechanics that had field tripped to bwi and they said that they also found the right pack was leaking oil. All of this might have been prevented when the aircraft arrived at bwi had a more thorough check been done for the source of the burning smell. The last thing that I want to have to deal with is smoke/burning odor in the cabin with all the possible ramifications that come with that. Maintenance said that I would have had at least a burning smell if not smoke in the cabin had we taken off. Did air carrier do all that could be done to make the operation safe before I came to work. Did air carrier at least try. The recirculation fan was found to be ok and signed off prior to our departure to ord.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 CAPT POINTED OUT IMPROPER MAINT, AND IMPROPER MAINT OMISSIONS, AT A CONTRACT MAINT STATION. THE CAPT REFUSED THE ACFT 2 TIMES, WHILE INSISTING PROPER MAINT WAS PERFORMED, AND SIGNED OFF.

Narrative: BURNING SMELL IN CABIN FROM PREVIOUS FLT. ON TKOF STRONG SMELL LIKE BURNING FOOD OBSERVED IN COCKPIT AND THROUGHOUT CABIN. ALL OVENS WERE OFF. TURNED AIR CONDITION RECIRCULATION FAN FROM AUTO TO OFF POS AND SMELL DISSIPATED. NO SMOKE OBSERVED. CONTRACTOR DEFERRED RECIRCULATION FAN INOP PER MEL. FOUND HYD FLUID LEAKING IN AND AROUND APU NON RAM AIR DOORS, APU WAS RUNNING AND INGESTING FLUID. WHEN AIR CONDITIONING PACKS WERE TURNED ON A MILD BURNING ODOR WAS SMELLED IN THE CABIN. ODOR HAD AN OILY TYPE SMELL. AFTER SIGNING IN FOR MY TRIP I FIND THAT THE ACFT HAD A BURNING ODOR AFTER DEPARTING ORD-BWI THE AFTERNOON BEFORE. ACFT OVER-NIGHTED AT BWI. MAINT PLACARDED THE RECIRCULATION FAN INOP. I CALLED THE MAINT CTLR TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY FURTHER TROUBLESHOOTING FOR THE SOURCE OF THE BURNING ODOR. THE MAINT CTLR SAID NO SINCE IT WAS A CONTRACT MAINT STATION AND THAT THE PIREP SAID THE SMELL WENT AWAY WHEN THE RECIRCULATION FAN WAS TURNED OFF. I SAID WOULD IT NOT BE PRUDENT TO CHK FOR OTHER SOURCES FOR A BURNING SMELL SUCH AS A HYD LEAK BEING INGESTED BY APU INTO PACKS. MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, I HAD A FEELING THAT THERE WAS A STRONG LIKELIHOOD THAT WE MAY HAVE A BURNING SMELL (SMOKE EVENT AFTER TKOF, READ POSSIBLE EMER OR AIR INTERRUPT) SINCE THEY DID NOT EVEN VERIFY THAT THE RECIRCULATION FAN WAS THE SOURCE OF THE BURNING SMELL. MAINT JUST PLACARDED THE RECIRCULATION FAN INOP. THE EASY FIX, ACFT WAS TOWED TO GATE WITH APU RUNNING -- I WALKED OUT TO ACFT AND HEADED TO LOWER APU AREA TO FIND HYD FLUID LEAKING IN AND AROUND APU NON RAM DOORS. GO TO COCKPIT, FO WAS STARTING PREFLT AND HAD JUST TURNED PACKS ON AND WE NOTICED A MILD OILY BURNING SMELL AND TURNED OFF PACKS AND APU. MADE ENTRY INTO LOGBOOK. CALLED THE MAINT CTLR AND TOLD THEM WHAT I FOUND (SURPRISE) AND RECEIVED POOR/UNACCEPTABLE GUIDANCE ON HOW THE SIT SHOULD BE HANDLED. CONTRACT MAINT ARRIVED AT ACFT AND STARTED SEARCHING FOR THE HYD LEAK AND FOUND A HOLE IN THE R THRUST REVERSER LOCKOUT VALVE. A MAINT FIELD TRIP FROM IAD WAS SET UP FOR VALVE REPLACEMENT AND PACK BURNOUT. AFTER A LAYOVER, REVIEWED LOGBOOK TO FIND THAT THE VALVE HAD BEEN CHANGED, BUT NO RECORD OF A PACK BURNOUT. I CALLED DISPATCH FOR A PATCH TO SUPVR TO INQUIRE ABOUT IF THERE WAS A PACK BURNOUT DONE. AFTER LENGTHY CONVERSATIONS WITH SUPVR AND DISPATCH THE SUPVR GETS ON THE CALL AND SAYS THAT A PACK BURNOUT HAS TO BE DONE AS WELL AS PLACARDING THE APU AS THEY HAVE FOUND INGESTED HYD FLUID WEAKENS THE APU TURBINE BLADES. WE GET SENT BACK TO HOTEL AGAIN. SHOW UP NEXT MORNING TO FLY TO ORD AND TALK TO THE SECOND CREW OF MECHS THAT HAD FIELD TRIPPED TO BWI AND THEY SAID THAT THEY ALSO FOUND THE R PACK WAS LEAKING OIL. ALL OF THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED WHEN THE ACFT ARRIVED AT BWI HAD A MORE THOROUGH CHK BEEN DONE FOR THE SOURCE OF THE BURNING SMELL. THE LAST THING THAT I WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH IS SMOKE/BURNING ODOR IN THE CABIN WITH ALL THE POSSIBLE RAMIFICATIONS THAT COME WITH THAT. MAINT SAID THAT I WOULD HAVE HAD AT LEAST A BURNING SMELL IF NOT SMOKE IN THE CABIN HAD WE TAKEN OFF. DID ACR DO ALL THAT COULD BE DONE TO MAKE THE OP SAFE BEFORE I CAME TO WORK. DID ACR AT LEAST TRY. THE RECIRCULATION FAN WAS FOUND TO BE OK AND SIGNED OFF PRIOR TO OUR DEP TO ORD.

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.