A319
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Distraction; Physiological - Other; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Aircraft
At cruise altitude (FL360); Flight Attendant contacted the cockpit to report a strange odor around [mid cabin]. At that time there was no odor in the cockpit. About 5 minutes later; the Flight Attendant called back to say all the flight attendants smelled the odor. I sent an ACARS message to Dispatch to give the Dispatcher a heads up that we may have a fume event. He sent back that we were about 30 minutes from a domestic airport; which we had also determined. By then; we also had an unusual odor in the cockpit and we decided to divert to that airport. We [advised] ATC and told them we wished to divert directly to a domestic airport. The Controller cleared us as requested then handed us to Center. We confirmed with them we wished to land and have the emergency vehicles meet us on arrival. We gave them SOB count of 129; and fuel load. We were given priority clearance with a constant descent for the airport and we donned our oxygen masks. I talked with the flight attendants on the interphone to tell them we were going to land as a precaution. It would be a normal; precautionary landing in about 25 minutes. I then made a PA to inform the passengers we were going to make a precautionary landing and there would be emergency vehicles following us after we landed. During the descent I performed the Smoke/Avionics Smoke/Fumes immediate action from the QRH. We noticed no change in the odor. I assigned the flying duties to the First Officer who continued the descent while I went to the follow-up procedure in the QRH. After determining the follow up procedure did not really apply; and seeing we were approaching 10;000 FT; I changed back to pilot not flying duties and radio operation. The First Officer had already programmed the FMGC for the diversion; entered the landing information for airport and briefed the ILS approach. While checking landing performance; we noted we would probably be landing overweight; We discussed the landing technique for an overweight landing. Our weight on short final was 138;400 and the descent rate at 50 FT AGL was 100 FPM; and decreased to less than that at touchdown. There was no change in the odor situation; so we taxied to the gate with the emergency vehicles following us. The gate agent deplaned the passengers after having me give a PA saying they were to deplane; go through customs and then to the Company counter to be rebooked. The paramedics came to the airplane and after the passengers deplaned; checked O2 levels; blood pressure and pulse of each crew member. The flight attendants were complaining of headaches; and some were light headed. I also had a slight headache. The entire crew went to a local hospital to have blood work to verify we hadn't been involved in a toxic fumes event.While we received no ECAM Fault message in flight; after being at the gate for about 20 minutes; we did receive an AIR BLEED message; and on the bleed page; the temperature entering the right pack was indicating 375. It fluctuated down to 275 and back to 375. I don't know if this was related to the odor or not. Also; when starting the engines [in our departure airport]; we had a tailwind; and could smell fuel on each engine start.
An A319 Captain reported the flight attendants and pilots detected an unusual odor in flight in foreign airspace and the flight diverted to a domestic airport for an emergency landing. The crew went to the hospital with headaches and other symptoms.