MD-83
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Fatigue; Physiological - Other; Time Pressure
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Declared Emergency; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
On takeoff we noticed an odor like Chlorine at 110 KTS. By 1;500 FT; it was more like turpentine. We declared an emergency; accomplished the QRH; smoke/fire/fumes checklist and returned to the airport for an overweight landing.
The reporter was told several days after this event that an 'O' ring in a wheel well hydraulic component had failed and allowed air to stream back along the aircraft belly during takeoff. The assumption is that it was ingested in an aircraft engine and then into the left pack. A previous night both engine high pressure bleed valves were cleaned and the reporter's first thought after detecting the odor was residual cleaning fluid on the valves. Before putting on his oxygen mask; he began feeling light headed. After landing he and First Officer sought medical attention and were told at the hospital that they had inflamed lung tissue. The reporter felt fatigued for about two days after the event and his personal physician gave him a steroid injection which seemed to relieve his malaise. Because the flight attendants were apparently not affected by the fumes and continued the trip; the reporter assumed the left engine and pack were the source of the fumes since the flight station receives all of its conditioned air from that source.
A MD-82 wheel well hydraulic component 'O' ring failed on takeoff allowing hydraulic fluid to enter the aircraft air conditioning system. The odor made the pilots light headed so an emergency was declared and the flight returned to the departure airport.