An A321 captain returned to the gate after taxi out because of a strong 'rotten egg' smell in the af...

Attributes
ACN	988126
Time
Date	201201
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A321
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Air Conditioning Distribution System
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness

Narrative:

On taxi out; the lead flight attendant called and reported a 'rotten egg' odor in the rear half of the passenger cabin. The odor was strong and apparent to all 4 flight attendants and the passengers in the aft half of the cabin. We returned to the gate for maintenance and while the mechanics were evaluating the systems; paramedics evaluated the flight attendants. One flight attendant elected to go to the hospital at the paramedics recommendation. The rest of the crew elected not to. Maintenance could not duplicate the event at the gate and released the aircraft. We then ferried the aircraft. Suspect contamination in air conditioning system.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An A321 Captain returned to the gate after taxi out because of a strong 'rotten egg' smell in the aft aircraft cabin. One Flight Attendant sought medical attention.

Narrative: On taxi out; the Lead Flight Attendant called and reported a 'rotten egg' odor in the rear half of the passenger cabin. The odor was strong and apparent to all 4 flight attendants and the passengers in the aft half of the cabin. We returned to the gate for maintenance and while the mechanics were evaluating the systems; paramedics evaluated the flight attendants. One flight attendant elected to go to the hospital at the paramedics recommendation. The rest of the crew elected not to. Maintenance could not duplicate the event at the gate and released the aircraft. We then ferried the aircraft. Suspect contamination in Air Conditioning system.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.

An A321 captain returned to the gate after taxi out because of a strong 'rotten egg' smell in the aft aircraft cabin. One flight attendant sought medical attention.