Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Physiological - Other
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Aircraft; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
Statements from the crew members below: Flight Attendant 'B': On the takeoff roll when the airplane began to accelerate right before lift off; I started to smell fumes until we left the ground and when we lifted off the runway; I felt lightheaded; dizzy and unusual. At that time Flight Attendant A called me and asked how I was feeling because she could see from her seat that something was wrong with me. She asked; 'How are you feeling?' and I responded; 'Very lightheaded' and she said; 'Me too; something is not right; my vision is messed up; I'm going to call the cockpit.' We were both on the phone with the First Officer in the cockpit. We were still seated when we spoke to the First Officer. He didn't say much because he was listening to what Flight Attendant A was saying and then said OK; give us a second and we will call you right back. We hung up and Flight Attendant A told me to get my oxygen bottle out. I waited for more instructions and then the Captain called and at that point I released myself out of my jumpseat to head up to the Galley by Flight Attendant A. I told Flight Attendant A that my head hurt and she said sit down and get some oxygen. At that point I was sitting down in the Galley breathing oxygen while Flight Attendant A was checking on First Class and talking to the Captain. She said that the Captain told us to breathe some oxygen if we needed to. I began to feel better and good enough to continue with my duties. I continued with my duties and I checked on passengers while doing the beverage service and observing their mannerisms. The passengers didn't appear to be experiencing any of the symptoms we felt; but they seemed very relaxed and quiet. One passenger traveling with her daughter had her head back and her eyes closed and her daughter ordered for her. She seemed to be concentrating on her breathing like she didn't feel well. I asked her if she felt OK and her response was; 'I was feeling a little funny and I have a headache; but I'm fine.' I continued on with my service and I noticed that a lot of people were sleeping and a lot of people ordered water; Sprite; or ginger ale. Shortly after we were done with the beverage service we received a call from the First Officer that we were going to get turbulence so we should sit down right away. A few minutes after sitting back down in the jump seat; I started to feel the same symptoms again that I felt on the takeoff and climb; so I got the oxygen bottle out and put [it] in seat 17C and leaned over into the seat to use the oxygen so the passengers wouldn't see me use it because I didn't want to make them nervous. While I was using the oxygen; I continued to look at Flight Attendant A and scanned the passengers until we landed. Flight Attendant A said that she could see that I didn't feel good again on the descent. She called and asked me if I felt OK and I told her that I had a headache and she told me to continue to use the oxygen. After our last passenger deplaned; Flight Attendant A and I went up to the cockpit and told the Captain we think there is a problem with the plane and we didn't feel safe to keep flying in it. We both felt ill and went out into the jetbridge and sat down on the floor while the Captain called the company and reported the situation. Flight Attendant 'A': I noticed during takeoff that Flight Attendant B's eyes were closing and I thought I need to call her and wake her up. Then I noticed that she was slumping and it wasn't her normal posture. The Service door was abnormally loud on the takeoff and climb. I was monitoring the service door situation as well as Flight Attendant B's condition. Then I started to feel lightheaded and my vision started to get blurry and that's when I noticed Flight Attendant B's eyes were closed. I picked up the phone to call her and asked her if she felt OK. She said I feel dizzy and lightheaded. I said; 'Me too; something is not right; I'm going to call the cockpit.' We agreed I should call and break sterile cockpit because we were concerned. I spoke with First Officer; and I said we both don't feel right; we are lightheaded and dizzy and my vision is messed up. I also told him the service door was really loud; but the loud noise dissipated and evened out after awhile as we continued to climb. I don't really remember what he said to me other than they would get back to me and he hung up. A short while later; the Captain called us back. At that time; Flight Attendant B released herself from her jumpseat and came forward into the Galley. I told her to breathe some oxygen. I explained what was going on to the Captain and she told me we should breathe oxygen if we need to. She asked me several questions that I'm really foggy on right now; but as we breathed the oxygen a few times; we both felt better. She told us that all the doors indicated that they were closed and that everything appeared to be normal indications with the cabin pressure. She thought maybe we passed through some exhaust from a landing aircraft on the takeoff roll and that might be what the fumes were that Flight Attendant B smelled on takeoff. She asked if we should turn around and go back; but because we both started to feel better we said no; I think we will be OK now. She said OK; call us if you need to. After we were done with the beverage service which was quick because we didn't have that many passengers; we were told by the First Officer to sit down because we were going to get into some turbulence. The Flight Attendant B and I returned to our jump seats and after a few minutes of sitting there we started to descend. I noticed that look on Flight Attendant B's face again that I saw during the takeoff. I called her and asked her how she was feeling. She said she had a headache and didn't feel good. I told her to make sure she kept the oxygen nearby. I saw her lean into the row of seats next to her a few times to breath the oxygen. I started to feel lightheaded; dizzy; and had blurry vision again as we descended lower. By the time we got to the gate; I didn't feel well at all. After the last passenger was off the plane; Flight Attendant B and I both felt that there was something wrong with the plane and we didn't feel safe flying on it. We went up to the cockpit and I told the Captain that we did not feel safe flying on this plane and that we didn't feel good. She said OK and got on the phone to call the company. Flight Attendant B and I sat down on the floor in the jet-bridge to rest; and I filled out the oxygen bottle report form because we used enough oxygen out of one of the bottles that it dropped below 1;500 [PSI]. Captain: I was the Captain flying [during that] flight. This departure required us to cross through the intersection of the landing runway immediately after an aircraft had landed. The winds were 170/14G19. An aircraft reported wind shear to Tower so we took the 'FLEX' out and departed with Full Thrust TOGA power. Shortly after departure and in the climb; the Flight Attendant called. I told the First Officer I had the radios and to see what was wrong. He spoke to the Flight Attendant and then came back and told me that they said they felt dizzy and lightheaded and that the service door was making a lot of noise and that we would get back to them. At this time we were approaching 9;000 FT so I told him to take the flight controls and the radios and I quickly did the 10;000 FT check and was 'off to talk to the girls;' I asked the girls what was going on and Flight Attendant A told me that Flight Attendant B smelled fumes briefly on the takeoff when we were accelerated and about to lift off. She said that they both felt dizzy and lightheaded and she said that her vision went blurry. I told them to breathe Oxygen if they needed to because it might help make them feel better. They already had the bottles out and they took a few breaths. By this time we were now leveled off at 12;000 FT for quite some time and I told her that the doorsindicated they were all closed and cabin pressure seemed fine and normal. I asked her if they wanted me to turn back. They paused for a moment and then said we are starting to feel better now that we breathed the oxygen. They said they thought they would be OK and they didn't think we needed to go back. I told them to call back if they needed to. My thought process from what Flight Attendant A was telling me was that we had passed through the intersection of a recently landing airplane and I figured the momentary smell of fumes was probably from that. We executed a 'NO FLEX' TOGA takeoff and we accelerated very fast and climbed very fast so maybe that was what made them feel dizzy. Breathing the oxygen usually makes people feel better which is why I told them to do so if they needed to. I was asking them lots of questions to see if I thought they were not coherent or distraught; and that did not seem to be the case. They were not having trouble speaking. When I asked them if we should return; they said no because they were starting to feel better; and the passengers didn't seem to be having any issues at that time. When I returned to the intercom with the First Officer; I looked at him to see if he looked hypoxic and he appeared normal. I asked him if he thought I looked hypoxic and if he thought we should return and he said no because it was probably fumes from the landing aircraft and the fact that we tookoff so fast with the 'NO FLEX' takeoff. He had the same thoughts I did so we continued to climb to our final altitude of FL280. We monitored the pressurization and everything seemed normal. About 30 minutes prior to landing; we started to get some moderate chop. The First Officer told the flight attendants to sit down. At that time they did not indicate that they still weren't feeling well. The First Officer and I discussed what had happened earlier and that was the first time he mentioned to me that he felt a little funny on takeoff too; but he didn't think it was anything with the plane but maybe his sinuses acting up from the pressure because we were climbing faster than normal. He said it passed quickly and he was fine. Up until that point; I was unaware of the fact that he had experienced something too. I didn't experience any symptoms of any kind during the entire flight. When we landed and after the passengers were gone; both flight attendants came into the cockpit to tell me that it happened to them again on the descent and that something was really wrong with the airplane and they didn't feel safe flying on it and no one else should fly on it either. They informed me that they had to use oxygen in the descent. Up to this point; I was unaware that the flight attendants continued to use oxygen to feel well during flight other than the time I told them to breathe it back in the climb out. They both looked awful. Their eyes were glassy and red; Flight Attendant A's face was pale and Flight Attendant B's face was flushed. They left the airplane and sat down on the jet bridge floor. They indicated to me that their heads felt foggy. Flight Attendant B had a headache. That's the point when I realized the severity of the situation and I called Dispatch to inform them. The crew was removed from duty and sent to the nearest hospital to be tested for carbon monoxide poisoning.
A CRJ-700 flight attendant crew reported moderate breathing and eye irritation after takeoff requiring the use of oxygen while the flight crew reported very slight effects from an odorless cabin contaminant which required post flight medical attention.