Regional Jet 700 ER/LR (CRJ700)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Physiological - Other
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Maintenance Action
Procedure; Aircraft; Human Factors
Prior to the event we swapped aircraft because our original one had a maintenance issue. It had been sitting on the maintenance pad and was warm because it was first flight of the day. We started the APU to cool down the cabin; and then they boarded the passengers. The number 2 flight attendant advised me that there was a loud noise throughout the cabin; but especially row 18; 13 and 7. We were still at the gate so I had maintenance come on board and they deplaned the passengers to work on the duct work. There was disconnected ducting through the aircraft and they fixed it with duct tape and some kind of super glue adhesive. They then signed the book off and operations loaded the passengers back up and we departed.We were climbing through FL300 on our way to FL370 when the number 2 flight attendant called up with shortness of breath. She said that she would call back to see if it went away. We leveled off immediately at FL330 as a precaution; and then called the number one flight attendant. She said that she had shortness of breath and that passengers weren't in distress and that there were fumes in the cabin. I advised the flight attendants that we were going to make an emergency descent into Airport ZZZ and that that they needed to apply emergency procedures. Also that we were going to evacuate through the forward cabin door once clear of the runway. We applied the fumes in cabin QRH; put on oxygen masks; and advised ATC that we needed an emergency descent into ZZZ which was right below us. We requested CFR; advised ATC of all pertinent information. It was VMC; and we received vectors to ZZZ using runway XYR. We knew it was going to be an overweight landing; and applied procedures for that. We had a 300 feet per min descent over the fence and landed at the 200 feet mark on the runway with a 0 feet per min descent. It was a smooth landing and we exited the runway to the right and parked in front of CFR. I made the PA for an emergency evacuation through the front passenger door. We also opened the front service door for air ventilation. I opened the cockpit door to help with the evacuation; and the fumes were noticeable. Passengers were calm; and were given first responder attention then bussed to the terminal and rebooked. One passenger was transported to the hospital for inhalation. The aircraft was then towed 2 hours later with me and the First Officer using oxygen masks and the APU running with packs off to terminal so passengers could get their personal belongings. There was no one in ZZZ with CRJ experience to ride the brakes. We didn't want to inconvenience the passengers more than they were already.
Flight departed the gate about 2.5 hours late due to earlier maintenance and aircraft swaps. Flight departed without incident. About 32 minutes into flight dispatch noticed on the flight following system that the flight was diverting to Airport ZZZ. I queried the Captain (CA) via ACARS whether he was diverting to ZZZ. I then ran the flight plan per dispatch procedures by estimating his fuel and position and route to ZZZ and the system reported possible overweight landing at ZZZ. I immediately informed the CA to be aware of possible overweight landing in ZZZ at his current estimated weight. CA sent ACARS telling me to standby. I then prepared the diversion entry for ZZZ and awaited the CA's intentions. Two minutes later he sent ACARS that he was going to ZZZ. I then entered the diversion entry and immediately notified the dispatch manager on duty and then called ZZZ operations to inform them of the diversion. Five minutes after the captain informed dispatch of his intentions; the flight landed in ZZZ. With the very limited time available; I failed to amend the dispatch release with the CA to change the destination to ZZZ. This error was rectified in the record history of the flight. There was no disruption to the flight; since the CA used his authority to divert the aircraft to ZZZ without prior and/or expeditious notification to dispatch due to what he considered an emergency for the safety of his passengers and crew.Had the CA provided dispatch with adequate notification of his problem and his intentions; I could have provided his fuel calculations and his amendment to the dispatch release; to include weather; NOTAMS and field conditions for ZZZ prior to his landing at ZZZ. With the limited time I had available; I did the best I could under the circumstances to do what I did for him in 13 minutes from the time I discovered the diversion until he actually landed in ZZZ. The limited communication with the cockpit crew led me to believe that his emergency was such that too much information at that time could have distracted the crew from their task at hand. Fly and land the airplane safely due to the [situation]. Also; the post flight debriefing and coordination with management and the diversion station (ZZZ operations) I failed to enter the amend release entry into the record history of the flight until 2 days later. My error.The company needs to have some kind of improved system for the cockpit crew to notify dispatch of a catastrophic emergency that requires immediate diversion to an enroute airport that is or is not on the original dispatch release. Better communication or more effective ACARS functions allowing the pilot to contact dispatch and quickly relay his intentions could possibly preclude this from happening again. Again; thirteen minutes from discovery [of the issue] to landing; without communication from the cockpit crew; is not time enough for even a highly experienced dispatcher to do all of the coordination and computer entries required in such a [situation].
A CRJ700 flight crew and the Dispatcher involved describe a diversion due to fumes in the cabin. Prior to departure Maintenance had made repairs to air conditioning duct work using 'some kind of super glue'; which may have been the source of the fumes.