MD83 captain experiences a tail comp temp hi light shortly after takeoff. An emergency is declared; ...

Narrative:

After takeoff and just below 1;000 AGL; tail comp temp hi light illuminated. Memory items and QRH procedures were accomplished as we declared an emergency and requested an immediate left downwind for return and landing. Flight attendants were advised [and] PA was made to passengers. Tower was told nature of problem and that we required arff on common frequency and company operations was notified. Bugs were set; checklist accomplished and we landed 10 minutes after wheels up. The offending light extinguished approximately 1.5 to 2 minutes after illuminating. After clearing the runway; arff examined aircraft; gave us a thumbs up and we taxied to gate. We coordinated with customer service; passengers were deplaned to a cool terminal; and maintenance began inspecting the tail area. Dispatch was notified and we stayed on board until maintenance no longer needed us and we were released to the hotel.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD83 Captain experiences a Tail Comp Temp Hi light shortly after takeoff. An emergency is declared; QRH procedures are complied with and the flight returns safely to the departure airport.

Narrative: After takeoff and just below 1;000 AGL; Tail Comp Temp Hi light illuminated. Memory items and QRH procedures were accomplished as we declared an Emergency and requested an immediate left downwind for return and landing. Flight attendants were advised [and] PA was made to passengers. Tower was told nature of problem and that we required ARFF on common frequency and Company Operations was notified. Bugs were set; checklist accomplished and we landed 10 minutes after wheels up. The offending light extinguished approximately 1.5 to 2 minutes after illuminating. After clearing the runway; ARFF examined aircraft; gave us a thumbs up and we taxied to gate. We coordinated with customer service; passengers were deplaned to a cool terminal; and Maintenance began inspecting the tail area. Dispatch was notified and we stayed on board until Maintenance no longer needed us and we were released to the hotel.

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	1091770
Time
Date	201305
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	MD-83
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Climb
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Pneumatic Ducting
Person 1
Function	Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

MD83 captain experiences a tail comp temp hi light shortly after takeoff. An emergency is declared; QRH procedures are complied with and the flight returns safely to the departure airport.