B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 195
Human-Machine Interface; Time Pressure; Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors; Aircraft
Passing through 11;000 feet the flight attendants called and said entire cabin had heavy electric smoke smell but they could not see any smoke. At that time; I began to smell a faint electric smoke odor also. The First Officer and I performed memory items and went on oxygen. Smoke goggles were not required as our eyes were not effected. I looked up to ensure the gasper fan was turned off and it was. It was just turned off shortly before the flight attendants called up when we accomplished the Climb Checklist. I turned the recirculation fan off and told the First Officer to level off. I told ATC we had smoke in cabin and needed to return to our departure airport which was just 23 miles away and I determined that to be our nearest suitable airport. We were at roughly 16;500 feet when we started down. I directed the First Officer to fly and work the radios while I coordinated with the cabin. I asked the flight attendants if the smell was worse anywhere in the cabin. They said it was throughout but worse mid-cabin through the front. The flight attendants said the smell was dissipating quickly [as we were] descending through 10;000 feet. I told them our plan was to return to [the departure airport] and get checked out by the fire department and then return to gate unless anybody saw things progressing and then I would make the call on a quick evacuation. The First Officer and I had our hands full with our masks on; being high on our descent and trying to successfully manage our aircraft energy on approach. Knowing the cabin was getting better; we concentrated on maintaining situational awareness on the big picture of getting the plane on the ground as fast as we could and making sure we were maintaining aircraft control to ensure a successful landing. We managed to accomplish normal checks but were time crunched and missed getting into the Smoke/Fire/Fumes in Aircraft non-normal checklist. Because we did not get into that checklist; I missed getting bus transfer switch off; the galley power switch off; and completing rest of steps in non-normal checklist. I believe if the smoke persisted during the descent; I would have gotten into the checklist but because the flight attendants said things were good in the back; I used the short time we had on approach and landing. Landing was uneventful. Fire trucks checked us out with heat sensors and said we were good. Flight attendants said cabin was normal in back. We returned quickly to the gate and got the passengers and crew off immediately just in case. Company Maintenance was in town for another problem but came over to see what had gone wrong. They turned on gasper and got the smell immediately. I guess the gasper went bad on climbout and dumped the smell into the cabin for a few minutes. When flight attendants called up; we had just turned it off so they had not noticed the smell dissipating yet. Because it was already off; the cabin pretty much cleared quickly during descent though 10;000.I should have gone immediately into the non-normal checklist first and then coordinated with the cabin. Talking with the flight attendants first gave me the feeling things were under control after what I did already so I slipped back into normal checklists to get the plane on ground quickly missing steps in the non-normal checklist; which was never called for.
When the flight attendants reported an electrical odor in the cabin shortly after takeoff the flight crew of a B737 promptly returned to their departure airport.  Due to the brief duration of the incident the associated Non-Normal Checklists were not completed.  The odor had dissipated by the time they reached the gate.