Date: 201501
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Aircraft: B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Climb
Airspace: Class B ZZZ
ATC / advisory: TRACON ZZZ
Aircraft component: Electrical Wiring & Connectors
Component problem: Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: First Officer; Pilot Not Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Second reporter function: Pilot Flying; Captain
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Detector: Person Flight Crew; Person Flight Attendant
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Declared Emergency
Contributing factors: Aircraft
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: After climbing through 7;000 feet the forward flight attendant called the flight deck. The complaint stated by the flight attendant was of an electrical smoke smell. A few other flight attendants also complained of this smell. The captain engaged the autopilot and we transferred the flight controls to me. She then got on the interphone and started talking to the flight attendants. After a few moments we started smelling the same electrical smoke smell. The Captain and the IRO put on their oxygen masks and the IRO started running the smoke/fumes/and odor checklist. I then put on my mask and we continued to run the checklist while I started the process of returning to the airport. My mask microphone after testing fine on the ground did not work in flight which made communication between myself and the rest of the crew difficult. We decided to return to the departure airport. The Captain and the IRO finished the checklist and we set up for the approach. The Captain took back the controls and we made an uneventful landing. We came to a stop and Fire and Rescue verified that we weren't on fire. After that we returned to the gate.


Second narrative: On climbout at 7000 Purser called to advise of a strong electrical smell in cabin at the inflight entertainment cabinet and the [forward] cross aisle jumpseat area. Instructed her to turn off IFE switches and turned off the utility buses. Engaged autopilot. Transferred flying duties and ATC communication to FO. Continued departure and climb. Flight attendants reported odor and fumes continued in first class and then throughout the cabin. The odor was now present in the cockpit. Oxygen masks and smoke goggles donned. Emergency declared with ATC. Return was coordinated. Smoke/odor/fumes checklist was run. [Flight] attendants continued to smell the odor throughout the approach and landing. Crash fire rescue met the aircraft on landing and determined there was no smoke visible from the outside. No evacuation was conducted.We encountered two problems during the event. The first was that there was great difficulty communicating using the mask. The first officer could not hear despite the fact that he had his comm panel set up correctly. I could hear the flight interphone and service interphone but it was very low. As a result I had to use the speaker to communicate on both flight and service interphone. The other issue was that we were not able to get landing data from dispatch. The IRO checked the performance data in the FM.


Synopsis: B767 flight crew is informed by the Purser shortly after takeoff that electrical fumes are in the forward galley area and possibly coming from the IFE equipment. The Captain advises that the IFE should be turned off and the utility busses are turned off in the cockpit. An emergency is declared and the flight returns to the departure airport.