Narrative:

I am submitting this report to get to the bottom of the smoke and fume incidents on B757 aircraft XXX. I was advised earlier today that there have been three individual events over the past two flts. Background: I was the first officer on flight XXXX; ZZZ to ZZZ1 last night. Prior to my exterior preflight inspection I noticed an extended history of erratic left engine oil consumption; possibly suggesting an intermittent; yet potentially large; oil leak. A few mins later during my exterior preflight inspection I noted that the left acm/pack exhaust had a stream of oil running down the fuselage; while the right side acm exhaust duct was completely dry -- as they should probably all be. I advised the captain of this anomaly; noted the left engine oil consumption history; and requested we have maintenance look at it; he concurred. The amt's effectively dismissed my concerns re: oil leaking from the engine into the bleed air supply and signed it off. Flight attendant reported light smoke in the center cabin and a sulfur odor occurring at takeoff +-5 mins. And at takeoff +-20 mins. We advised and discussed this with our dispatcher/maintenance control via multiple ACARS messages and via a phone patch later in the flight. During our flight to ZZZ the left engine consumed 2 quarts of oil; the right used zero. The captain allowed me to make an 'information to maintenance' entry in the log book regarding the smoke and fume events. Today I spoke with maintenance control for more than 30 mins to follow up on last night's events. Despite extensive inspection by ZZZ1 amt's; I was told that the aircraft had another (third) fume event on the return flight from ZZZ1 to ZZZ; a 'sour milk odor' for several mins after takeoff; as reported by a flight attendant and a passenger. ZZZ maintenance had removed power from one or more of the eight over-wing exit door heaters per MEL. Please address the following questions? 1) why do we have no reference to these electric heaters in our B757 manuals (with the MEL exception; this volume is usually review after-the-fact)? Why are they not addressed in initial or recurrent training? 2) where exactly are these 8 heaters located? What are the possible failures modes and do they manifest themselves via smoke in the cabin? 3) why do only some of our B757 aircraft have these heaters? 4) while I am not an a&P; I have nearly 40 years of experience in aviation. I remain uncertain that the over-wing exit heaters are the source of odors and smoke in this B757. I was advised that ship YYY (B757 smoke and fume ground evacuation at ZZZ2 a few days ago) had engine oil residue found on the recirculation fan filters. Have thos filters been checked on B757 aircraft XXX? 5) I only recently learned of the B757 aft cargo 'false' overheat indication/smoke/fire event in a recurrent training class. May I please urge that we have important information such as this event shared more promptly among all B767/757 pilots? I was disappointed to learn about this event in a regular recurrent training class -- all our B767/757 pilots should have been informed as soon as the initial results were available; given the potentially catastrophic nature of an in-flight electrical fire.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated the lack of concern by maintenance was troubling. He does not believe the cabin sidewall electric resistant heaters are the source of the light smoke or the cause of the smell of sulfur or sour milk odors in the cabin reported by the flight attendants; especially since the problems seem to be noticeable during takeoff and climb out. Reporter stated when he saw the stream of oil running down the fuselage from the left acm pack exhaust and also noted the #1 engine oil consumption; he thought maintenance would have been interested; but they were not. Reporter stated this same aircraft had at least three situations of smoke and strong fumes in the cabin.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A B757-200 RPTS FLT ATTENDANTS NOTED LIGHT SMOKE IN THE CENTER CABIN AND A SULFUR ODOR OCCURRING AT TKOF+5 MINUTES AND AGAIN AT TKOF+20 MINUTES. PLT BELIEVES OIL LEAKING FROM ENG INTO BLEED AIR SUPPLY.

Narrative: I AM SUBMITTING THIS RPT TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SMOKE AND FUME INCIDENTS ON B757 ACFT XXX. I WAS ADVISED EARLIER TODAY THAT THERE HAVE BEEN THREE INDIVIDUAL EVENTS OVER THE PAST TWO FLTS. BACKGROUND: I WAS THE FO ON FLT XXXX; ZZZ TO ZZZ1 LAST NIGHT. PRIOR TO MY EXTERIOR PREFLT INSPECTION I NOTICED AN EXTENDED HISTORY OF ERRATIC L ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION; POSSIBLY SUGGESTING AN INTERMITTENT; YET POTENTIALLY LARGE; OIL LEAK. A FEW MINS LATER DURING MY EXTERIOR PREFLT INSPECTION I NOTED THAT THE LEFT ACM/PACK EXHAUST HAD A STREAM OF OIL RUNNING DOWN THE FUSELAGE; WHILE THE RIGHT SIDE ACM EXHAUST DUCT WAS COMPLETELY DRY -- AS THEY SHOULD PROBABLY ALL BE. I ADVISED THE CAPT OF THIS ANOMALY; NOTED THE L ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION HISTORY; AND REQUESTED WE HAVE MAINT LOOK AT IT; HE CONCURRED. THE AMT'S EFFECTIVELY DISMISSED MY CONCERNS RE: OIL LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE INTO THE BLEED AIR SUPPLY AND SIGNED IT OFF. FLT ATTENDANT RPTED LIGHT SMOKE IN THE CENTER CABIN AND A SULFUR ODOR OCCURRING AT TAKEOFF +-5 MINS. AND AT TAKEOFF +-20 MINS. WE ADVISED AND DISCUSSED THIS WITH OUR DISPATCHER/MAINT CTL VIA MULTIPLE ACARS MESSAGES AND VIA A PHONE PATCH LATER IN THE FLT. DURING OUR FLT TO ZZZ THE L ENGINE CONSUMED 2 QUARTS OF OIL; THE R USED ZERO. THE CAPT ALLOWED ME TO MAKE AN 'INFO TO MAINT' ENTRY IN THE LOG BOOK REGARDING THE SMOKE AND FUME EVENTS. TODAY I SPOKE WITH MAINT CTL FOR MORE THAN 30 MINS TO FOLLOW UP ON LAST NIGHT'S EVENTS. DESPITE EXTENSIVE INSPECTION BY ZZZ1 AMT'S; I WAS TOLD THAT THE ACFT HAD ANOTHER (THIRD) FUME EVENT ON THE RETURN FLT FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ; A 'SOUR MILK ODOR' FOR SEVERAL MINS AFTER TAKEOFF; AS RPTED BY A FLT ATTENDANT AND A PAX. ZZZ MAINT HAD REMOVED POWER FROM ONE OR MORE OF THE EIGHT OVER-WING EXIT DOOR HEATERS PER MEL. PLEASE ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS? 1) WHY DO WE HAVE NO REFERENCE TO THESE ELECTRIC HEATERS IN OUR B757 MANUALS (WITH THE MEL EXCEPTION; THIS VOLUME IS USUALLY REVIEW AFTER-THE-FACT)? WHY ARE THEY NOT ADDRESSED IN INITIAL OR RECURRENT TRAINING? 2) WHERE EXACTLY ARE THESE 8 HEATERS LOCATED? WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE FAILURES MODES AND DO THEY MANIFEST THEMSELVES VIA SMOKE IN THE CABIN? 3) WHY DO ONLY SOME OF OUR B757 ACFT HAVE THESE HEATERS? 4) WHILE I AM NOT AN A&P; I HAVE NEARLY 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN AVIATION. I REMAIN UNCERTAIN THAT THE OVER-WING EXIT HEATERS ARE THE SOURCE OF ODORS AND SMOKE IN THIS B757. I WAS ADVISED THAT SHIP YYY (B757 SMOKE AND FUME GND EVACUATION AT ZZZ2 A FEW DAYS AGO) HAD ENGINE OIL RESIDUE FOUND ON THE RECIRCULATION FAN FILTERS. HAVE THOS FILTERS BEEN CHKED ON B757 ACFT XXX? 5) I ONLY RECENTLY LEARNED OF THE B757 AFT CARGO 'FALSE' OVERHEAT INDICATION/SMOKE/FIRE EVENT IN A RECURRENT TRAINING CLASS. MAY I PLEASE URGE THAT WE HAVE IMPORTANT INFORMATION SUCH AS THIS EVENT SHARED MORE PROMPTLY AMONG ALL B767/757 PLTS? I WAS DISAPPOINTED TO LEARN ABOUT THIS EVENT IN A REGULAR RECURRENT TRAINING CLASS -- ALL OUR B767/757 PLTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN INFORMED AS SOON AS THE INITIAL RESULTS WERE AVAILABLE; GIVEN THE POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC NATURE OF AN INFLT ELECTRICAL FIRE.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE LACK OF CONCERN BY MAINT WAS TROUBLING. HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THE CABIN SIDEWALL ELECTRIC RESISTANT HEATERS ARE THE SOURCE OF THE LIGHT SMOKE OR THE CAUSE OF THE SMELL OF SULFUR OR SOUR MILK ODORS IN THE CABIN RPTED BY THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS; ESPECIALLY SINCE THE PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE NOTICEABLE DURING TAKEOFF AND CLIMB OUT. RPTR STATED WHEN HE SAW THE STREAM OF OIL RUNNING DOWN THE FUSELAGE FROM THE LEFT ACM PACK EXHAUST AND ALSO NOTED THE #1 ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION; HE THOUGHT MAINT WOULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTED; BUT THEY WERE NOT. RPTR STATED THIS SAME ACFT HAD AT LEAST THREE SITUATIONS OF SMOKE AND STRONG FUMES IN THE CABIN.

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.