Narrative:

We departed atl for cak with 108 passenger and 5 crew on a scheduled part 121 trip for an air carrier. Our aircraft was a DC9- 32. On our climb out of 12000 ft, we noticed an unusual odor and called our #1 flight attendant up to ask if she smelled anything in the cabin. She reported no cabin odor, but she could smell an odor in the cockpit. We decided to level at 15000 ft and request a return to atl. While turning back we then noticed smoke and declared an emergency and requested the crash fire rescue equipment equipment to be out for our landing. We donned our oxygen masks and smoke goggles and accomplished the smoke removal emergency checklist up to opening up a cockpit window which we felt wasn't necessary at that point because we still had a very small amount of smoke and could see clearly inside the cockpit. We then completed our descent and approach and before landing checklists and landed uneventfully on runway 26R at atl. The crash fire rescue equipment people could see no smoke or fire and our flight attendants found no smoke in the cabin so we taxied in to a gate and deplaned at a jetway. Company mechanics found an automatic spoiler actuator box to be overheating and burning up the wiring attached. We felt we, as a cockpit crew, performed well, but were hampered by our inability to communicate with our oxygen masks on without continually switching the microphone selector from communication to intercom to talk to ATC and to each other. The actuator box had been installed just prior to our flight. I am not privy as to why this box malfunctioned. Just prior to our takeoff the 'stall indication failure' annunciator light came on. We performed the abnormal procedure for it, but it stayed on. We felt the wind (20-30 KTS) had caused this so we elected to depart hoping it would go out once we started our takeoff roll. The light remained on throughout the flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR DC9 FLC WITH A KNOWN MALFUNCTION TKOF ANYWAY AND ENCOUNTER ANOTHER, MORE SERIOUS PROB. THEY RETURN TO THEIR DEP ARPT WITH SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED ATL FOR CAK WITH 108 PAX AND 5 CREW ON A SCHEDULED PART 121 TRIP FOR AN ACR. OUR ACFT WAS A DC9- 32. ON OUR CLBOUT OF 12000 FT, WE NOTICED AN UNUSUAL ODOR AND CALLED OUR #1 FLT ATTENDANT UP TO ASK IF SHE SMELLED ANYTHING IN THE CABIN. SHE RPTED NO CABIN ODOR, BUT SHE COULD SMELL AN ODOR IN THE COCKPIT. WE DECIDED TO LEVEL AT 15000 FT AND REQUEST A RETURN TO ATL. WHILE TURNING BACK WE THEN NOTICED SMOKE AND DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED THE CFR EQUIP TO BE OUT FOR OUR LNDG. WE DONNED OUR OXYGEN MASKS AND SMOKE GOGGLES AND ACCOMPLISHED THE SMOKE REMOVAL EMER CHKLIST UP TO OPENING UP A COCKPIT WINDOW WHICH WE FELT WASN'T NECESSARY AT THAT POINT BECAUSE WE STILL HAD A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE AND COULD SEE CLRLY INSIDE THE COCKPIT. WE THEN COMPLETED OUR DSCNT AND APCH AND BEFORE LNDG CHKLISTS AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY ON RWY 26R AT ATL. THE CFR PEOPLE COULD SEE NO SMOKE OR FIRE AND OUR FLT ATTENDANTS FOUND NO SMOKE IN THE CABIN SO WE TAXIED IN TO A GATE AND DEPLANED AT A JETWAY. COMPANY MECHS FOUND AN AUTO SPOILER ACTUATOR BOX TO BE OVERHEATING AND BURNING UP THE WIRING ATTACHED. WE FELT WE, AS A COCKPIT CREW, PERFORMED WELL, BUT WERE HAMPERED BY OUR INABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR OXYGEN MASKS ON WITHOUT CONTINUALLY SWITCHING THE MIKE SELECTOR FROM COM TO INTERCOM TO TALK TO ATC AND TO EACH OTHER. THE ACTUATOR BOX HAD BEEN INSTALLED JUST PRIOR TO OUR FLT. I AM NOT PRIVY AS TO WHY THIS BOX MALFUNCTIONED. JUST PRIOR TO OUR TKOF THE 'STALL INDICATION FAILURE' ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT CAME ON. WE PERFORMED THE ABNORMAL PROC FOR IT, BUT IT STAYED ON. WE FELT THE WIND (20-30 KTS) HAD CAUSED THIS SO WE ELECTED TO DEPART HOPING IT WOULD GO OUT ONCE WE STARTED OUR TKOF ROLL. THE LIGHT REMAINED ON THROUGHOUT THE FLT.

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.