Narrative:

Seconds after rotation we hit a bird. The bird struck the airplane with an audible thud and struck the first officer's window. He was flying. I monitored engine indications closely and detected no sign of abnormality. We continued the climb on profile. A few seconds later a strong smell of smoke entered the cockpit and persisted. First officer confirmed that all engine indications were normal and continued standard climb. Smell and smoke were strong. I made a decision to return to ZZZ due to smoke and smell. Called ZZZ and declared an emergency; announced bird strike and requested to return to ZZZ. They gave us vectors to downwind. Conditions were VFR and we were cleared for visual. They did a nice job of bringing us in closely. On downwind smoke continued to dissipate. Flight attendant advised she had smelled strong odor and smoke in cabin but not continuing smells and seemed to be dissipating. I explained we were returning to ZZZ and told her to call me if there was increasing smoke or smell; otherwise we would contact ground. We cleaned up to flaps 5 degrees; 180 KT speed for trip around pattern. Called operations on radio for quick message to dispatch and then proceeded with after takeoff and approach to landing checklists. We were in position to land abeam landing threshold (due to tower's nice vectors) but decided to fly normal base/final as there was no continuing smoke/smell. While coming around the patch we heard another aircraft report debris on runway xx near our rotation point. We landed on runway xxl; exited to the left and stopped. Emergency vehicles inspected the airplane. I was concerned for signs of unusual burning or a hydraulic leak in case bird hit a leading edge. Fire department saw a 'puff of unusual smoke' coming from the #1 engine and wanted to approach. Somehow they did not have a clue that the engine was still operating. We coordinated with them; shut the engine down. After shutdown egt continued to rise! We shut down right engine as well and advised flight attendants to be ready for a possible evacuate/evacuation from right side only. Both engines' egt's dissipated steadily and we then coordinated to be towed to the gate. I believe that the 'puff of smoke' seen by the fire department was in fact the APU starting but they insisted it came from the #1 engine. The post shutdown rise in egt's was higher than we normally experience and caused some concern. However; this may be within normal parameters when engines are shut down without cool down period -- we do not know. We continued to monitor engine egt's on standby instruments. After being towed to the gate we debriefed with the flight attendants. They confirmed that the smell was barely noticeable in the aft section; increasingly strong as one moved forward and strongest at approximately row 6. One first class passenger said he saw a bird hit the right engine and saw a clean spot on 1 blade where it hit. Local maintenance came and inspected the aircraft. We later flew to ZZZ2 without incident. Tower came and showed us a dead bird found in the debris on the runway. We explained that this could not be the bird who went through the engine. Also did not match the color the first officer saw at impact. Could have been the mate; or perhaps we hit a hawk who was carrying this other smaller bird as prey?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BIRD STRUCK A B757 WINDSHIELD ON TKOF. SHORTLY THEREAFTER SMOKE AND SMELL INDICATED A POSSIBLE FIRE SO THE CREW DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURNED TO LAND.

Narrative: SECONDS AFTER ROTATION WE HIT A BIRD. THE BIRD STRUCK THE AIRPLANE WITH AN AUDIBLE THUD AND STRUCK THE FO'S WINDOW. HE WAS FLYING. I MONITORED ENG INDICATIONS CLOSELY AND DETECTED NO SIGN OF ABNORMALITY. WE CONTINUED THE CLB ON PROFILE. A FEW SECONDS LATER A STRONG SMELL OF SMOKE ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND PERSISTED. FO CONFIRMED THAT ALL ENG INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL AND CONTINUED STANDARD CLB. SMELL AND SMOKE WERE STRONG. I MADE A DECISION TO RETURN TO ZZZ DUE TO SMOKE AND SMELL. CALLED ZZZ AND DECLARED AN EMER; ANNOUNCED BIRD STRIKE AND REQUESTED TO RETURN TO ZZZ. THEY GAVE US VECTORS TO DOWNWIND. CONDITIONS WERE VFR AND WE WERE CLRED FOR VISUAL. THEY DID A NICE JOB OF BRINGING US IN CLOSELY. ON DOWNWIND SMOKE CONTINUED TO DISSIPATE. FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED SHE HAD SMELLED STRONG ODOR AND SMOKE IN CABIN BUT NOT CONTINUING SMELLS AND SEEMED TO BE DISSIPATING. I EXPLAINED WE WERE RETURNING TO ZZZ AND TOLD HER TO CALL ME IF THERE WAS INCREASING SMOKE OR SMELL; OTHERWISE WE WOULD CONTACT GND. WE CLEANED UP TO FLAPS 5 DEGS; 180 KT SPD FOR TRIP AROUND PATTERN. CALLED OPS ON RADIO FOR QUICK MESSAGE TO DISPATCH AND THEN PROCEEDED WITH AFTER TKOF AND APCH TO LNDG CHKLISTS. WE WERE IN POS TO LAND ABEAM LNDG THRESHOLD (DUE TO TWR'S NICE VECTORS) BUT DECIDED TO FLY NORMAL BASE/FINAL AS THERE WAS NO CONTINUING SMOKE/SMELL. WHILE COMING AROUND THE PATCH WE HEARD ANOTHER ACFT RPT DEBRIS ON RWY XX NEAR OUR ROTATION POINT. WE LANDED ON RWY XXL; EXITED TO THE L AND STOPPED. EMER VEHICLES INSPECTED THE AIRPLANE. I WAS CONCERNED FOR SIGNS OF UNUSUAL BURNING OR A HYD LEAK IN CASE BIRD HIT A LEADING EDGE. FIRE DEPT SAW A 'PUFF OF UNUSUAL SMOKE' COMING FROM THE #1 ENG AND WANTED TO APCH. SOMEHOW THEY DID NOT HAVE A CLUE THAT THE ENG WAS STILL OPERATING. WE COORDINATED WITH THEM; SHUT THE ENG DOWN. AFTER SHUTDOWN EGT CONTINUED TO RISE! WE SHUT DOWN R ENG AS WELL AND ADVISED FLT ATTENDANTS TO BE READY FOR A POSSIBLE EVAC FROM R SIDE ONLY. BOTH ENGS' EGT'S DISSIPATED STEADILY AND WE THEN COORDINATED TO BE TOWED TO THE GATE. I BELIEVE THAT THE 'PUFF OF SMOKE' SEEN BY THE FIRE DEPT WAS IN FACT THE APU STARTING BUT THEY INSISTED IT CAME FROM THE #1 ENG. THE POST SHUTDOWN RISE IN EGT'S WAS HIGHER THAN WE NORMALLY EXPERIENCE AND CAUSED SOME CONCERN. HOWEVER; THIS MAY BE WITHIN NORMAL PARAMETERS WHEN ENGS ARE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT COOL DOWN PERIOD -- WE DO NOT KNOW. WE CONTINUED TO MONITOR ENG EGT'S ON STANDBY INSTS. AFTER BEING TOWED TO THE GATE WE DEBRIEFED WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS. THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE SMELL WAS BARELY NOTICEABLE IN THE AFT SECTION; INCREASINGLY STRONG AS ONE MOVED FORWARD AND STRONGEST AT APPROX ROW 6. ONE FIRST CLASS PAX SAID HE SAW A BIRD HIT THE R ENG AND SAW A CLEAN SPOT ON 1 BLADE WHERE IT HIT. LCL MAINT CAME AND INSPECTED THE ACFT. WE LATER FLEW TO ZZZ2 WITHOUT INCIDENT. TWR CAME AND SHOWED US A DEAD BIRD FOUND IN THE DEBRIS ON THE RWY. WE EXPLAINED THAT THIS COULD NOT BE THE BIRD WHO WENT THROUGH THE ENG. ALSO DID NOT MATCH THE COLOR THE FO SAW AT IMPACT. COULD HAVE BEEN THE MATE; OR PERHAPS WE HIT A HAWK WHO WAS CARRYING THIS OTHER SMALLER BIRD AS PREY?

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.