Commuter light transport flight crew experiences smoke in cabin and cockpit.

Attributes
ACN	155903
Time
Date	199008
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : aml airport : iad
State Reference	VA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 3000 msl bound upper : 3000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : iad
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Light Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude cruise other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 5500 flight time type : 600
ASRS Report	155903
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : overcame equipment problem flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

On climb out I asked the copilot if he smelled something burning. He answered he did. Just about the same time the F/a opened the door and said the cabin was full of smoke. With the cockpit door open, I could see that the smoke had a blue tint to it. I asked the first officer to shut off the recirculating and gasper fans because we were only 3000'. I also asked him to shut down the packs and bleeds (I knew this would dump the cabin slowly). The cabin started rising at 800 FPM. I called iad approach and told them we needed to return to iad. They asked if we had a problem. I told them we had smoke in the cabin and the cockpit. We pulled out the O2 masks but did not put them on because the smoke was starting to clear. I decided against dropping the masks in the back because I did not want the first officer walking around when we were going to land. Also I might scare the passenger. Iad approach said that we were following an air carrier large transport. At this time I just wanted to get the aircraft on the ground. I told iad approach that we were declaring an emergency. Approach control wanted to know how many passenger and fuel. I told them 1500-3000' on descent. We were busy doing checklists. Approximately 10 mi out we had visibility on the airport. We were cleared for a visibility approach and the approach controller said that the equipment was standing by. We landed west/O incident and taxied to the gate. After checking the aircraft, maintenance could find nothing wrong. It was also determined that 10 days earlier that this same aircraft had smoke in cabin and cockpit in a descent to iad. Again, maintenance could not find anything wrong. The company was going to test fly the aircraft (once around the patch) and put it back into service. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter indicated that same situation happened twice more before maintenance discovered source of smoke was faulty bearing seal in 1 engine, allowing oil bypass into bleed air system. The faulty engine was replaced with the engine manufacturer taking back the power plant in question.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER LTT FLT CREW EXPERIENCES SMOKE IN CABIN AND COCKPIT.

Narrative: ON CLBOUT I ASKED THE COPLT IF HE SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. HE ANSWERED HE DID. JUST ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE F/A OPENED THE DOOR AND SAID THE CABIN WAS FULL OF SMOKE. WITH THE COCKPIT DOOR OPEN, I COULD SEE THAT THE SMOKE HAD A BLUE TINT TO IT. I ASKED THE F/O TO SHUT OFF THE RECIRCULATING AND GASPER FANS BECAUSE WE WERE ONLY 3000'. I ALSO ASKED HIM TO SHUT DOWN THE PACKS AND BLEEDS (I KNEW THIS WOULD DUMP THE CABIN SLOWLY). THE CABIN STARTED RISING AT 800 FPM. I CALLED IAD APCH AND TOLD THEM WE NEEDED TO RETURN TO IAD. THEY ASKED IF WE HAD A PROB. I TOLD THEM WE HAD SMOKE IN THE CABIN AND THE COCKPIT. WE PULLED OUT THE O2 MASKS BUT DID NOT PUT THEM ON BECAUSE THE SMOKE WAS STARTING TO CLR. I DECIDED AGAINST DROPPING THE MASKS IN THE BACK BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT THE F/O WALKING AROUND WHEN WE WERE GOING TO LAND. ALSO I MIGHT SCARE THE PAX. IAD APCH SAID THAT WE WERE FOLLOWING AN ACR LGT. AT THIS TIME I JUST WANTED TO GET THE ACFT ON THE GND. I TOLD IAD APCH THAT WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER. APCH CTL WANTED TO KNOW HOW MANY PAX AND FUEL. I TOLD THEM 1500-3000' ON DSNT. WE WERE BUSY DOING CHKLISTS. APPROX 10 MI OUT WE HAD VIS ON THE ARPT. WE WERE CLRED FOR A VIS APCH AND THE APCH CTLR SAID THAT THE EQUIP WAS STANDING BY. WE LANDED W/O INCIDENT AND TAXIED TO THE GATE. AFTER CHKING THE ACFT, MAINT COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT 10 DAYS EARLIER THAT THIS SAME ACFT HAD SMOKE IN CABIN AND COCKPIT IN A DSNT TO IAD. AGAIN, MAINT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE COMPANY WAS GOING TO TEST FLY THE ACFT (ONCE AROUND THE PATCH) AND PUT IT BACK INTO SVC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR INDICATED THAT SAME SITUATION HAPPENED TWICE MORE BEFORE MAINT DISCOVERED SOURCE OF SMOKE WAS FAULTY BEARING SEAL IN 1 ENG, ALLOWING OIL BYPASS INTO BLEED AIR SYS. THE FAULTY ENG WAS REPLACED WITH THE ENG MANUFACTURER TAKING BACK THE PWR PLANT IN QUESTION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.