A crj-145 crew reported an odor and haze which developed into heavy smoke after takeoff so an emerge...

Narrative:

After climbing past approximately 1;000 ft; we noticed an odor in the cockpit that increased in intensity. I looked toward the captain's side of the cockpit and noticed that there was a haze in the air inside of the cockpit. The haze was getting thicker and the smell increased in intensity. We performed the memory items for cabin smoke; informed departure that we were declaring an emergency; and that we needed to return to the airport to land. The smoke began to subside when the recirculation fan was turned off. The flight attendant called shortly thereafter and informed us that there was smoke in the cabin as well. We alerted her and told her we would be landing in 10-15 minutes. She then made her emergency PA to the passengers. We were given vectors to land. Due to the crosswind component being near the limit for the aircraft; and the overweight landing situation; the captain took control of the aircraft on short final and landed. There was no smoke in the cockpit present upon landing. The flight attendant called and said there was no smoke present in the cabin. We coordinated with ground control to have an emergency crew come to inspect the airplane's exterior for evidence of fire or smoke. The emergency crew found no evidence of either; so we then coordinated with operation to bring the aircraft back to the gate. At the gate we deplaned and talked with maintenance about the event. The state in which the event occurred (shortly after takeoff) was a threat. The high crosswind; slight wind shear; and overweight landing were also threats. Undesired states were smoke in the cockpit and having to communicate through oxygen masks. Experiencing this kind of situation in real-life (and not in the simulator; when I am expecting it) will help me to realize the very real possibility of this happening in the future. I will be better prepared now when it does happen.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CRJ-145 crew reported an odor and haze which developed into heavy smoke after takeoff so an emergency was declared and the flight returned to the departure airport. An engine oil seal leak was suspected.

Narrative: After climbing past approximately 1;000 FT; we noticed an odor in the cockpit that increased in intensity. I looked toward the Captain's side of the cockpit and noticed that there was a haze in the air inside of the cockpit. The haze was getting thicker and the smell increased in intensity. We performed the memory items for cabin smoke; informed Departure that we were declaring an emergency; and that we needed to return to the airport to land. The smoke began to subside when the recirculation fan was turned off. The Flight Attendant called shortly thereafter and informed us that there was smoke in the cabin as well. We alerted her and told her we would be landing in 10-15 minutes. She then made her emergency PA to the passengers. We were given vectors to land. Due to the crosswind component being near the limit for the aircraft; and the overweight landing situation; the Captain took control of the aircraft on short final and landed. There was no smoke in the cockpit present upon landing. The Flight Attendant called and said there was no smoke present in the cabin. We coordinated with Ground Control to have an emergency crew come to inspect the airplane's exterior for evidence of fire or smoke. The emergency crew found no evidence of either; so we then coordinated with operation to bring the aircraft back to the gate. At the gate we deplaned and talked with Maintenance about the event. The state in which the event occurred (shortly after takeoff) was a threat. The high crosswind; slight wind shear; and overweight landing were also threats. Undesired states were smoke in the cockpit and having to communicate through oxygen masks. Experiencing this kind of situation in real-life (and not in the simulator; when I am expecting it) will help me to realize the very real possibility of this happening in the future. I will be better prepared now when it does happen.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1003534
Time
Date	201204
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	EMB ERJ 145 ER/LR
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Climb
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Engine Oil Seals
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying First Officer
Person 2
Function	Captain Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

A crj-145 crew reported an odor and haze which developed into heavy smoke after takeoff so an emergency was declared and the flight returned to the departure airport. An engine oil seal leak was suspected.