Narrative:

Our crew was getting ready for pushback after an unscheduled aircraft swap due to a broken aircraft. We were running about 1 hour late. About 2 mins prior to push; the crew noticed a fuel smell. The fueler had just unhooked and we attributed the smell to the fueler. I informed the 'a' flight attendant that if the smell did not subside that we would taxi back to the gate. We pushed; started the engines and taxied out. We ran the packs on high for a few mins and the smell subsided. Looking back in the situation; we did not notice the smell until we had started the APU which occurred about 6 mins prior to push. The aircraft had been hooked up the ground power. Upon taxi out; we turned the APU off shortly after we began to taxi. This was when the smell began to subside. The flight attendants did not notify me of any further discomfort. In hindsight; they commented that they had been talking among themselves about the smell. It had been lingering in the back and mid-section of the aircraft and only one of the flight attendants was still sensitive to smelling the gas. She happened to be the 'C' flight attendant and was the only one who had walked the aisle of the aircraft just prior to takeoff. In hindsight; we did feel that the entire crew had been desensitized to the smell of the gas. We took off and flew to ZZZ. Upon landing and clearing the runway; we started the APU during the after landing 'flaps up' flow. By the time we taxied the short distance to the gate; there was a very strong gas smell; especially in the passenger cabin. The operations agent as well as the flight crew noticed the smell. Both pilots noticed a strong increase in the smell as we opened the cockpit door. The flight was not a through-flight. The passenger unloaded without event. As far as we know; there were no complaints from passenger at this time. After being around the aircraft for a few mins; one of the flight attendants became ill. We shut down the aircraft and moved to operations. We coordination with dispatch; the sod and scheduling. The flight crew received medical attention from medlink; local paramedics; the fire department and an on-call doctor. In hindsight; we can all look back and realize how insidious fumes and odors can be. I don't think many people would have made a different decision. I would have kept the aircraft on the ground in ZZZ1 but did not know of all the information and the smell had; for the most part; gone away. I could have pulled over before we took the runway just to make sure everyone was comfortable. If I had done this; perhaps the 'C' flight attendant would have voiced what she smelled in the center of the cabin. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said on the departure the APU was operated for only 6 mins for engine start and using engine air the cabin air cleared up immediately. On landing during the taxi in to the gate; the APU was started and pneumatics were used for air conditioning. The cabin was immediately filled with the fuel smell. When asked by the analyst if the smell was that of APU oil; the answer was 'absolutely not oil; but fuel.' the reporter did not get any information on the APU component found leaking fuel. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: after fueling was completed; the APU was started and the pushback began and the strong fuel smell was noted. We believed the smell was caused by the fueling procedure which was accomplished with the aft service door open. With the engines started; the APU was shut down and engine air cleared the cabin and cockpit of the smell. On landing; the APU was again started and the cabin again filled with the fuel smell somewhat lighter in the cockpit. By the time the passenger were deplaned; the cabin and flight crew were lightheaded and all required medical service.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 PARKED AFTER FUELING WITH APU RUNNING CABIN AND FLT CREW NOTICED A STRONG FUEL SMELL BELIEVED CAUSED BY FUELING. ON LNDG; APU AGAIN STARTED AND CABIN FILLED WITH STRONG FUEL SMELL.

Narrative: OUR CREW WAS GETTING READY FOR PUSHBACK AFTER AN UNSCHEDULED ACFT SWAP DUE TO A BROKEN ACFT. WE WERE RUNNING ABOUT 1 HR LATE. ABOUT 2 MINS PRIOR TO PUSH; THE CREW NOTICED A FUEL SMELL. THE FUELER HAD JUST UNHOOKED AND WE ATTRIBUTED THE SMELL TO THE FUELER. I INFORMED THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT THAT IF THE SMELL DID NOT SUBSIDE THAT WE WOULD TAXI BACK TO THE GATE. WE PUSHED; STARTED THE ENGS AND TAXIED OUT. WE RAN THE PACKS ON HIGH FOR A FEW MINS AND THE SMELL SUBSIDED. LOOKING BACK IN THE SIT; WE DID NOT NOTICE THE SMELL UNTIL WE HAD STARTED THE APU WHICH OCCURRED ABOUT 6 MINS PRIOR TO PUSH. THE ACFT HAD BEEN HOOKED UP THE GND PWR. UPON TAXI OUT; WE TURNED THE APU OFF SHORTLY AFTER WE BEGAN TO TAXI. THIS WAS WHEN THE SMELL BEGAN TO SUBSIDE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS DID NOT NOTIFY ME OF ANY FURTHER DISCOMFORT. IN HINDSIGHT; THEY COMMENTED THAT THEY HAD BEEN TALKING AMONG THEMSELVES ABOUT THE SMELL. IT HAD BEEN LINGERING IN THE BACK AND MID-SECTION OF THE ACFT AND ONLY ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS WAS STILL SENSITIVE TO SMELLING THE GAS. SHE HAPPENED TO BE THE 'C' FLT ATTENDANT AND WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD WALKED THE AISLE OF THE ACFT JUST PRIOR TO TKOF. IN HINDSIGHT; WE DID FEEL THAT THE ENTIRE CREW HAD BEEN DESENSITIZED TO THE SMELL OF THE GAS. WE TOOK OFF AND FLEW TO ZZZ. UPON LNDG AND CLRING THE RWY; WE STARTED THE APU DURING THE AFTER LNDG 'FLAPS UP' FLOW. BY THE TIME WE TAXIED THE SHORT DISTANCE TO THE GATE; THERE WAS A VERY STRONG GAS SMELL; ESPECIALLY IN THE PAX CABIN. THE OPS AGENT AS WELL AS THE FLT CREW NOTICED THE SMELL. BOTH PLTS NOTICED A STRONG INCREASE IN THE SMELL AS WE OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR. THE FLT WAS NOT A THROUGH-FLT. THE PAX UNLOADED WITHOUT EVENT. AS FAR AS WE KNOW; THERE WERE NO COMPLAINTS FROM PAX AT THIS TIME. AFTER BEING AROUND THE ACFT FOR A FEW MINS; ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS BECAME ILL. WE SHUT DOWN THE ACFT AND MOVED TO OPS. WE COORD WITH DISPATCH; THE SOD AND SCHEDULING. THE FLT CREW RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTN FROM MEDLINK; LCL PARAMEDICS; THE FIRE DEPT AND AN ON-CALL DOCTOR. IN HINDSIGHT; WE CAN ALL LOOK BACK AND REALIZE HOW INSIDIOUS FUMES AND ODORS CAN BE. I DON'T THINK MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENT DECISION. I WOULD HAVE KEPT THE ACFT ON THE GND IN ZZZ1 BUT DID NOT KNOW OF ALL THE INFO AND THE SMELL HAD; FOR THE MOST PART; GONE AWAY. I COULD HAVE PULLED OVER BEFORE WE TOOK THE RWY JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE WAS COMFORTABLE. IF I HAD DONE THIS; PERHAPS THE 'C' FLT ATTENDANT WOULD HAVE VOICED WHAT SHE SMELLED IN THE CTR OF THE CABIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID ON THE DEP THE APU WAS OPERATED FOR ONLY 6 MINS FOR ENG START AND USING ENG AIR THE CABIN AIR CLRED UP IMMEDIATELY. ON LNDG DURING THE TAXI IN TO THE GATE; THE APU WAS STARTED AND PNEUMATICS WERE USED FOR AIR CONDITIONING. THE CABIN WAS IMMEDIATELY FILLED WITH THE FUEL SMELL. WHEN ASKED BY THE ANALYST IF THE SMELL WAS THAT OF APU OIL; THE ANSWER WAS 'ABSOLUTELY NOT OIL; BUT FUEL.' THE RPTR DID NOT GET ANY INFO ON THE APU COMPONENT FOUND LEAKING FUEL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AFTER FUELING WAS COMPLETED; THE APU WAS STARTED AND THE PUSHBACK BEGAN AND THE STRONG FUEL SMELL WAS NOTED. WE BELIEVED THE SMELL WAS CAUSED BY THE FUELING PROC WHICH WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE AFT SVC DOOR OPEN. WITH THE ENGS STARTED; THE APU WAS SHUT DOWN AND ENG AIR CLRED THE CABIN AND COCKPIT OF THE SMELL. ON LNDG; THE APU WAS AGAIN STARTED AND THE CABIN AGAIN FILLED WITH THE FUEL SMELL SOMEWHAT LIGHTER IN THE COCKPIT. BY THE TIME THE PAX WERE DEPLANED; THE CABIN AND FLT CREW WERE LIGHTHEADED AND ALL REQUIRED MEDICAL SVC.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.