Narrative:

The captain and I were scheduled to fly the continuation of this flight from atl to mob. When we arrived at the airplane, the mechanics were investigating an open write-up in the logbook, the smoke detectors went off in aft lavs on takeoff. The mechanics ran the engines, checked the detectors, and signed off the discrepancy. At approximately 500 ft AGL on takeoff, the flight attendants called the cockpit and notified me of smoke in the cabin (I could hear the smoke detectors through the interphone). I then notified the captain. He continued to fly the airplane and told me to stay in communication with the flight attendants, as he would coordinate an immediate return to atl. The forward lav smoke detector then also sounded and we could begin to smell odor in the cockpit. I donned oxygen. Once we were level in the radar pattern and the throttles retarded, the odor in the cockpit began to subside. Being that this happened at a takeoff power setting and the smoke subsided once level, I thought the problem may have been a bleed air or pack temperature problem even though there were no other cockpit indications of such. I turned the air-conditioning supply switches to high pressure bleed off anyway, just in case a 13TH stage augmentation valve was open. We landed without further incident. We still don't know what caused the smoke. We wish the preceding crew had been more explicit in their logbook write-up, but we must assume it was no more than just the detectors going off since they continued their flight from lga to atl and maintenance investigated and signed-off the logbook. The problem simply must have gotten worse on our takeoff. I must commend our airline's training department. This type scenario is this yr's crew resource management emphasis. Without it, this event could have been very confusing for the crew indeed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT SMOKE ALARMS SOUNDED DURING INITIAL CLBOUT AND SMOKE WAS ALSO SENSED BY THE CREW. THIS HAD BEEN RPTED BY A PREVIOUS FLC AND CHKED BY MAINT. THE FLC RETURNED AND LANDED.

Narrative: THE CAPT AND I WERE SCHEDULED TO FLY THE CONTINUATION OF THIS FLT FROM ATL TO MOB. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE AIRPLANE, THE MECHS WERE INVESTIGATING AN OPEN WRITE-UP IN THE LOGBOOK, THE SMOKE DETECTORS WENT OFF IN AFT LAVS ON TKOF. THE MECHS RAN THE ENGS, CHKED THE DETECTORS, AND SIGNED OFF THE DISCREPANCY. AT APPROX 500 FT AGL ON TKOF, THE FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED THE COCKPIT AND NOTIFIED ME OF SMOKE IN THE CABIN (I COULD HEAR THE SMOKE DETECTORS THROUGH THE INTERPHONE). I THEN NOTIFIED THE CAPT. HE CONTINUED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AND TOLD ME TO STAY IN COM WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS, AS HE WOULD COORDINATE AN IMMEDIATE RETURN TO ATL. THE FORWARD LAV SMOKE DETECTOR THEN ALSO SOUNDED AND WE COULD BEGIN TO SMELL ODOR IN THE COCKPIT. I DONNED OXYGEN. ONCE WE WERE LEVEL IN THE RADAR PATTERN AND THE THROTTLES RETARDED, THE ODOR IN THE COCKPIT BEGAN TO SUBSIDE. BEING THAT THIS HAPPENED AT A TKOF PWR SETTING AND THE SMOKE SUBSIDED ONCE LEVEL, I THOUGHT THE PROB MAY HAVE BEEN A BLEED AIR OR PACK TEMP PROB EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE NO OTHER COCKPIT INDICATIONS OF SUCH. I TURNED THE AIR-CONDITIONING SUPPLY SWITCHES TO HIGH PRESSURE BLEED OFF ANYWAY, JUST IN CASE A 13TH STAGE AUGMENTATION VALVE WAS OPEN. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE SMOKE. WE WISH THE PRECEDING CREW HAD BEEN MORE EXPLICIT IN THEIR LOGBOOK WRITE-UP, BUT WE MUST ASSUME IT WAS NO MORE THAN JUST THE DETECTORS GOING OFF SINCE THEY CONTINUED THEIR FLT FROM LGA TO ATL AND MAINT INVESTIGATED AND SIGNED-OFF THE LOGBOOK. THE PROB SIMPLY MUST HAVE GOTTEN WORSE ON OUR TKOF. I MUST COMMEND OUR AIRLINE'S TRAINING DEPT. THIS TYPE SCENARIO IS THIS YR'S CREW RESOURCE MGMNT EMPHASIS. WITHOUT IT, THIS EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY CONFUSING FOR THE CREW INDEED.

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.