MD-82
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Troubleshooting
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution
Aircraft
Approximately 50 minutes into the flight we both started to smell fuel odor coming from the vents. We had been in level flight for at least ten minutes and had not made any turns or altitude changes. There are no applicable checklists for this situation so we called Maintenance Control and they advised us to shut off a pack and see if the odor was still there. We shut each pack off individually and the odor was still there. We called the Lead Flight Attendant into the cockpit and she confirmed the odor as well. She also said she could smell it in the forward galley although not as strong. About this time the First Officer said he was getting a little light headed (the odor seemed to be stronger on his side). We were approximately 90 miles from [a nearby suitable airport] so we made the decision to divert there.
DC-9-82 Captain reported fuel fumes were noticable in the cockpit and cabin so a decision was made to divert to the nearest suitable airport.