Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 252; Flight Crew Total 13066; Flight Crew Type 7756
Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
After takeoff at level off at FL300 we got both L & R RECIR Fan EICAS Messages L & R Recir Fan Inop lights on overhead panel. QRH is Pilot Awareness only. States 'Indicates the fan is failed or not operating.' We turned off both L & R Recir Fans. Both EICIAS messages and inop lights (overhead) extinguished. Turned both Recir Fans back on one at a time. Right Recir Fan EICAS and Inop (overhead) stayed extinguished. Left Recir Fan EICAS reappeared. Turned off Left Recir Fan. Continued with right Recir Fan on with no EICAS message or Inop light on overhead. 90 minutes later - burning smell in the cockpit. Shortly thereafter smoke appeared coming out of the grasper vent behind FO (First Officer) seat above Jumpseat. No EICAS messages. Immediately turned off right Recir Fan - Smoke immediately stopped and smell subsided. Contacted Dispatch; [Maintenance Control] and [Operations] via Sat Comm. All agreed most likely burned Right Recir Fan and ok to continue unless subsequent further issues. [Operations] checked and relayed via ACARS that this is a common occurrence on the 767-400 and as long as no additional smoke; ok to continue. No further issues remainder of fight. Normal approach and landing in ZZZ.
At FL300; we simultaneously got 'L RECIR FAN' and 'R RECIR FAN' EICAS messages. L and R RECIR FAN INOP lights were both illuminated on the overhead panel. We referenced the QRH which said PILOT AWARENESS and turned off both switches. We discussed any possible options and elected to turn on each switch; one at a time - INOP lights extinguished in both switches. In short time; the L RECIR FAN EICAS reappeared and knowing what the QRH stated; we turned off this switch- it remained off. Around 1.5 hours later there was an electrical smell in the cockpit; followed by a quick billowing of grayish white smoke. There was no associated EICAS; however; the Captain directed me to turn off the R RECIR FAN switch. The onset of smoke stopped and the smoke and electrical smell subsided. We followed the [flight manual] protocol for this event and agreed to continue. Over time; I experienced a rapid onset of a raw throat; sneezing and coughing. During a visit to my AME; he thought the symptoms could be related to electrical smoke inhalation and diagnosed my condition as Tracheal Bronchitis.
B767-400 flight crew reported a recirculation fan failure in the flight deck resulting in smoke and fumes event.