Smoke in flight station cabin.

Attributes
ACN	293183
Time
Date	199501
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : atl
State Reference	GA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2000 msl bound upper : 10000
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : atl
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : atp pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 2500
ASRS Report	293183
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 25 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 25
ASRS Report	293338
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

After takeoff 1000 ft AGL white smoke began to enter the cockpit, possibly from airconditioning. Smoke detectors in aft cabin sounded. Flight attendants reported smoke in cabin. Aircraft was leveled at 10000 ft MSL, smoke dissipated. Emergency declared and returned to atl. Crew oxygen masks were not used because of the rapid dissipation of smoke. The total time from takeoff to landing was 12 mins. Cockpit management was good with rapid and timely decisions to be made. Communications with flight attendants was difficult due to smoke detectors sounding and intercom was slightly garbled. Slight confusion occurred with the flight attendants when a male flight attendant's voice was thought to be from cockpit crew when communicating on intercom. Smoke detectors were disarmed by flight attendants. Landing and taxi in were uneventful. Passenger disembarked using jetway without any complaints or injury. Things I would have done different: donned oxygen mask, regardless of how fast smoke dissipated. Both captain and I complained of sore throat later. Communication difficulty, even without an oxygen mask on, made us reluctant to use oxygen which makes it even more difficult. When wearing an oxygen mask, even to talk to the other pilot, a button must be pressed and then talk over interphone and the flight attendants would have to listen to the pilots run the verbal part of checklists, all of this can create even more confusion.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMOKE IN FLT STATION CABIN.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF 1000 FT AGL WHITE SMOKE BEGAN TO ENTER THE COCKPIT, POSSIBLY FROM AIRCONDITIONING. SMOKE DETECTORS IN AFT CABIN SOUNDED. FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED SMOKE IN CABIN. ACFT WAS LEVELED AT 10000 FT MSL, SMOKE DISSIPATED. EMER DECLARED AND RETURNED TO ATL. CREW OXYGEN MASKS WERE NOT USED BECAUSE OF THE RAPID DISSIPATION OF SMOKE. THE TOTAL TIME FROM TKOF TO LNDG WAS 12 MINS. COCKPIT MGMNT WAS GOOD WITH RAPID AND TIMELY DECISIONS TO BE MADE. COMS WITH FLT ATTENDANTS WAS DIFFICULT DUE TO SMOKE DETECTORS SOUNDING AND INTERCOM WAS SLIGHTLY GARBLED. SLIGHT CONFUSION OCCURRED WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS WHEN A MALE FLT ATTENDANT'S VOICE WAS THOUGHT TO BE FROM COCKPIT CREW WHEN COMMUNICATING ON INTERCOM. SMOKE DETECTORS WERE DISARMED BY FLT ATTENDANTS. LNDG AND TAXI IN WERE UNEVENTFUL. PAX DISEMBARKED USING JETWAY WITHOUT ANY COMPLAINTS OR INJURY. THINGS I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT: DONNED OXYGEN MASK, REGARDLESS OF HOW FAST SMOKE DISSIPATED. BOTH CAPT AND I COMPLAINED OF SORE THROAT LATER. COM DIFFICULTY, EVEN WITHOUT AN OXYGEN MASK ON, MADE US RELUCTANT TO USE OXYGEN WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. WHEN WEARING AN OXYGEN MASK, EVEN TO TALK TO THE OTHER PLT, A BUTTON MUST BE PRESSED AND THEN TALK OVER INTERPHONE AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS WOULD HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE PLTS RUN THE VERBAL PART OF CHKLISTS, ALL OF THIS CAN CREATE EVEN MORE CONFUSION.

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.