Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Confusion; Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Maintenance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action; General Work Refused
Aircraft
When we entered the aircraft the F/O and myself both commented it had a really bad odor in the cabin. There was a cleaner on board and he asked us for assistance. He said the last crew wrote up an odor and wondered if we still smelled it. He had been cleaning trying to get rid of the smell. The first 10 rows of the aircraft had a musty smell as well as the flight deck. I then checked the logbook to find the prior Captain had written up a bad odor reported by the flight attendants and that he was refusing the aircraft for safety reasons. We immediately got our belongings and got off the aircraft. We had been in for approximately 15-20 minutes.Aircraft should have been removed from service and we never should have been subjected to this event.[Reporter recommends] the aircraft should have been removed from service to find the source of the odor. I asked for maintenance to come out to the aircraft. He wanted to spray some disinfectant and send the aircraft out. He asked if I was refusing the aircraft and I explained I couldn't refuse an aircraft with the open write up still in logbook. He explained that in order to find the source he would have to remove it from service and it was time consuming.
Air Carrier Captain reported a fume event upon arrival at the aircraft. Aircraft logbook had an open discrepancy by previous flight crew who had rejected the aircraft due to a fume event.