Narrative:

We were heading west and were approximately 180 mi west of ZZZ. The captain and I both noticed a foul odor. It smelled mostly like rotten eggs (sulfur) with a burning smell as well. We asked each other if we knew what it was and neither of us did. The captain called back to the purser and asked if he smelled it or knew what the origin was. At first; the purser said he did not smell anything; but after a short investigation the purser said he did smell it too. By that time the smell in the cockpit was getting worse and we put on our oxygen masks and established communications. 2-4 mins after we first noticed the smell; we got an ECAM that said 'right windshield anti-ice.' we looked in the flight manual under irregulars for the ECAM message we had and all it said was 'crew awareness.' we determined that the dense smoke checklist in the flight manual was not applicable. After running the checklists; it seemed that the odor in the cockpit lessened somewhat. The captain coordination with dispatch and maintenance control and the flight attendants while I flew the plane and talked with ATC. Maintenance control told the captain to try pulling circuit breaker W13. When time permitted; I pulled that circuit breaker and left it out. We told ATC we were not planning to evacuate/evacuation the aircraft as there were no signs of smoke in the cockpit or cabin and the unusual odor was only very slight in the cabin at that time. We made an uneventful approach and landing at ZZZ. When we were exiting runway 1L onto runway 14; the purser called the cockpit and said he had smoke coming out of all the vents in the cabin. He was very excited and I asked him to repeat that; the captain was listening also. He said again in a loud and panicked voice that there was smoke coming out of all the vents in the back. He asked if we were going to evacuate/evacuation and the captain said yes we were but wait till we ran the checklist and he heard the evacuate/evacuation alarm. The captain ordered the evacuate/evacuation qrc. I read and completed it all. When I opened the cockpit door everyone was still in their seats. The evacuate/evacuation alarm was going off and the purser was asking if we should evacuate/evacuation. The captain yelled to open the doors and evacuate/evacuation the aircraft. Then the purser opened 1L and 1R and the purser and I started to yell for them to release their seatbelts and get out. The purser started waving his arms back and forth frantically towards the flight attendants in the back and they later stated they did not understand what that meant but that they thought he was telling them not to evacuate/evacuation. Doors 2L and 2R were never opened/deployed. All of the passenger exited through doors 1L and 1R. I did not observe any smoke or fire in the cabin at any time; but I did still smell the odor. I did not observe any injuries during the evacuate/evacuation. After all passenger were safely off the plane; the captain and I did a final sweep of the aircraft and then I exited at door 1L followed by the captain. After we all determined it was safe to go back onto the plane; we spent the next couple of hours helping to get the carry-on bags off and to the passenger.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FOLLOWING AN EMERGENCY LANDING DUE TO SMOKE OF AN UNKNOWN ORIGIN; FAULTY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE FLT AND CABIN CREWS OF AN A319 RESULTS IN A TARDY AND POORLY PERFORMED EVACUATION.

Narrative: WE WERE HEADING W AND WERE APPROX 180 MI W OF ZZZ. THE CAPT AND I BOTH NOTICED A FOUL ODOR. IT SMELLED MOSTLY LIKE ROTTEN EGGS (SULFUR) WITH A BURNING SMELL AS WELL. WE ASKED EACH OTHER IF WE KNEW WHAT IT WAS AND NEITHER OF US DID. THE CAPT CALLED BACK TO THE PURSER AND ASKED IF HE SMELLED IT OR KNEW WHAT THE ORIGIN WAS. AT FIRST; THE PURSER SAID HE DID NOT SMELL ANYTHING; BUT AFTER A SHORT INVESTIGATION THE PURSER SAID HE DID SMELL IT TOO. BY THAT TIME THE SMELL IN THE COCKPIT WAS GETTING WORSE AND WE PUT ON OUR OXYGEN MASKS AND ESTABLISHED COMS. 2-4 MINS AFTER WE FIRST NOTICED THE SMELL; WE GOT AN ECAM THAT SAID 'R WINDSHIELD ANTI-ICE.' WE LOOKED IN THE FLT MANUAL UNDER IRREGULARS FOR THE ECAM MESSAGE WE HAD AND ALL IT SAID WAS 'CREW AWARENESS.' WE DETERMINED THAT THE DENSE SMOKE CHKLIST IN THE FLT MANUAL WAS NOT APPLICABLE. AFTER RUNNING THE CHKLISTS; IT SEEMED THAT THE ODOR IN THE COCKPIT LESSENED SOMEWHAT. THE CAPT COORD WITH DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS WHILE I FLEW THE PLANE AND TALKED WITH ATC. MAINT CTL TOLD THE CAPT TO TRY PULLING CIRCUIT BREAKER W13. WHEN TIME PERMITTED; I PULLED THAT CIRCUIT BREAKER AND LEFT IT OUT. WE TOLD ATC WE WERE NOT PLANNING TO EVAC THE ACFT AS THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT OR CABIN AND THE UNUSUAL ODOR WAS ONLY VERY SLIGHT IN THE CABIN AT THAT TIME. WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL APCH AND LNDG AT ZZZ. WHEN WE WERE EXITING RWY 1L ONTO RWY 14; THE PURSER CALLED THE COCKPIT AND SAID HE HAD SMOKE COMING OUT OF ALL THE VENTS IN THE CABIN. HE WAS VERY EXCITED AND I ASKED HIM TO REPEAT THAT; THE CAPT WAS LISTENING ALSO. HE SAID AGAIN IN A LOUD AND PANICKED VOICE THAT THERE WAS SMOKE COMING OUT OF ALL THE VENTS IN THE BACK. HE ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO EVAC AND THE CAPT SAID YES WE WERE BUT WAIT TILL WE RAN THE CHKLIST AND HE HEARD THE EVAC ALARM. THE CAPT ORDERED THE EVAC QRC. I READ AND COMPLETED IT ALL. WHEN I OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR EVERYONE WAS STILL IN THEIR SEATS. THE EVAC ALARM WAS GOING OFF AND THE PURSER WAS ASKING IF WE SHOULD EVAC. THE CAPT YELLED TO OPEN THE DOORS AND EVAC THE ACFT. THEN THE PURSER OPENED 1L AND 1R AND THE PURSER AND I STARTED TO YELL FOR THEM TO RELEASE THEIR SEATBELTS AND GET OUT. THE PURSER STARTED WAVING HIS ARMS BACK AND FORTH FRANTICALLY TOWARDS THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK AND THEY LATER STATED THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANT BUT THAT THEY THOUGHT HE WAS TELLING THEM NOT TO EVAC. DOORS 2L AND 2R WERE NEVER OPENED/DEPLOYED. ALL OF THE PAX EXITED THROUGH DOORS 1L AND 1R. I DID NOT OBSERVE ANY SMOKE OR FIRE IN THE CABIN AT ANY TIME; BUT I DID STILL SMELL THE ODOR. I DID NOT OBSERVE ANY INJURIES DURING THE EVAC. AFTER ALL PAX WERE SAFELY OFF THE PLANE; THE CAPT AND I DID A FINAL SWEEP OF THE ACFT AND THEN I EXITED AT DOOR 1L FOLLOWED BY THE CAPT. AFTER WE ALL DETERMINED IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK ONTO THE PLANE; WE SPENT THE NEXT COUPLE OF HRS HELPING TO GET THE CARRY-ON BAGS OFF AND TO THE PAX.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.