Narrative:

During cruise flight I; the captain; begin to experience the necessity to cough a lot. I questioned the first officer as to how he was feeling. I expressed that I had a headache and was feeling like I wanted to vomit. The first officer expressed the same feelings. I told him to use the oxygen mask and that I would do the same until we figured out why we were feeling this way. There was an odor in the cockpit that could be compared to the exhaust of an automobile. We did not advise ATC due to the uncertainty of what was going on. We were quite confused. I had suggested that we shut off the lp bleed air from the right engine since that was where the majority of the air supply to the cockpit was coming from. I did this knowing that the aircraft would remain pressurized with the left engine lp bleed. About 10 minutes after shutting off the right engine lp bleed we noticed the exhaust smell dissipate. The rest of the flight was uneventful. Once in the gate at ZZZ; I contacted maintenance control about the bad smell and wrote this up as an issue. The aircraft remained down in ZZZ for a couple days from what I understand. Only through hearsay I learned that maintenance was very confused about the write-up and finally went to a local hardware store to buy a co detector. After placing the co detector in the cockpit and running the engine the purchased co detector experienced a co alarm reflecting the presence of co in the cockpit. From this hearsay about this maintenance experience I can only deduce that the first officer and myself experienced co poisoning during cruise flight. Through hearsay I learning that the aircraft was ferried back to ZZZ1 below 10;000 MSL with the right lp bleed left closed and the pressurization outflow valves sealed open. I later learned that the right engine was changed out because the cause of the co could not be determined.... Learned also through hearsay.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he and the first officer first noted the need to cough; headaches; and the feeling of wanting to vomit. The cockpit had the characteristic odor of automobile exhaust. The cabin attendant was questioned about cabin air conditions and odor or smell and non east was noted. The oxygen masks were put on and the right engine bleed was turned off. Maintenance was advised of the incident and the logbook entry described the conditions experienced by the flight crew. The reporter later learned the aircraft was worked on the non-maintenance station by two techs and remained out of service for two days. The reporter stated the odor was not the acrid smell or smoke of engine or APU oil. The engine was a ge ct-7-9B.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CREW OF AN SF340B IN CRUISE EXPERIENCED HEADACHES; NAUSEA; AND A SMELL OF AUTOMOBILE EXHAUST. CREW DONNED OXYGEN MASKS AND SHUT DOWN RIGHT ENG BLEED. AFTER 10 MINS; THE EXHAUST SMELL DISSIPATED.

Narrative: DURING CRUISE FLIGHT I; THE CAPT; BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE THE NECESSITY TO COUGH A LOT. I QUESTIONED THE FO AS TO HOW HE WAS FEELING. I EXPRESSED THAT I HAD A HEADACHE AND WAS FEELING LIKE I WANTED TO VOMIT. THE FO EXPRESSED THE SAME FEELINGS. I TOLD HIM TO USE THE OXYGEN MASK AND THAT I WOULD DO THE SAME UNTIL WE FIGURED OUT WHY WE WERE FEELING THIS WAY. THERE WAS AN ODOR IN THE COCKPIT THAT COULD BE COMPARED TO THE EXHAUST OF AN AUTOMOBILE. WE DID NOT ADVISE ATC DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. WE WERE QUITE CONFUSED. I HAD SUGGESTED THAT WE SHUT OFF THE LP BLEED AIR FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE SINCE THAT WAS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE AIR SUPPLY TO THE COCKPIT WAS COMING FROM. I DID THIS KNOWING THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD REMAIN PRESSURIZED WITH THE LEFT ENGINE LP BLEED. ABOUT 10 MINUTES AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE RIGHT ENGINE LP BLEED WE NOTICED THE EXHAUST SMELL DISSIPATE. THE REST OF THE FLIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL. ONCE IN THE GATE AT ZZZ; I CONTACTED MAINT CONTROL ABOUT THE BAD SMELL AND WROTE THIS UP AS AN ISSUE. THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED DOWN IN ZZZ FOR A COUPLE DAYS FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND. ONLY THROUGH HEARSAY I LEARNED THAT MAINT WAS VERY CONFUSED ABOUT THE WRITE-UP AND FINALLY WENT TO A LOCAL HARDWARE STORE TO BUY A CO DETECTOR. AFTER PLACING THE CO DETECTOR IN THE COCKPIT AND RUNNING THE ENGINE THE PURCHASED CO DETECTOR EXPERIENCED A CO ALARM REFLECTING THE PRESENCE OF CO IN THE COCKPIT. FROM THIS HEARSAY ABOUT THIS MAINTENANCE EXPERIENCE I CAN ONLY DEDUCE THAT THE FO AND MYSELF EXPERIENCED CO POISONING DURING CRUISE FLIGHT. THROUGH HEARSAY I LEARNING THAT THE ACFT WAS FERRIED BACK TO ZZZ1 BELOW 10;000 MSL WITH THE RIGHT LP BLEED LEFT CLOSED AND THE PRESSURIZATION OUTFLOW VALVES SEALED OPEN. I LATER LEARNED THAT THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS CHANGED OUT BECAUSE THE CAUSE OF THE CO COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.... LEARNED ALSO THROUGH HEARSAY.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE AND THE FO FIRST NOTED THE NEED TO COUGH; HEADACHES; AND THE FEELING OF WANTING TO VOMIT. THE COCKPIT HAD THE CHARACTERISTIC ODOR OF AUTOMOBILE EXHAUST. THE CABIN ATTENDANT WAS QUESTIONED ABOUT CABIN AIR CONDITIONS AND ODOR OR SMELL AND NON E WAS NOTED. THE OXYGEN MASKS WERE PUT ON AND THE R ENG BLEED WAS TURNED OFF. MAINT WAS ADVISED OF THE INCIDENT AND THE LOGBOOK ENTRY DESCRIBED THE CONDITIONS EXPERIENCED BY THE FLT CREW. THE RPTR LATER LEARNED THE ACFT WAS WORKED ON THE NON-MAINT STATION BY TWO TECHS AND REMAINED OUT OF SERVICE FOR TWO DAYS. THE RPTR STATED THE ODOR WAS NOT THE ACRID SMELL OR SMOKE OF ENG OR APU OIL. THE ENG WAS A GE CT-7-9B.

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.