An air carrier E120 flight crew was informed by the cabin attendant of smoke in the cabin and they declared an emergency and diverted to the nearest airport and evacuate/evacuationed the aircraft. Maintenance personnel found that the recirculation fan bearing had failed and caused the duct to overheat and generate smoke and fumes. No injuries.

Home

Browse by month

Random

Latest

About

Contact

Attributes
ACN	400437
Time
Date	199804
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lft
State Reference	LA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 17000 msl bound upper : 17000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zhu tracon : lft tower : lft
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Brasilia EMB-120 All Series
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise other other other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 225 flight time total : 2500 flight time type : 225
ASRS Report	400437
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : detected after the fact other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

While en route to btr, flight attendant called cockpit, informed me there was smoke in cabin. Declared emergency, landed in lft. Evacuate/evacuationed aircraft with no injuries. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that the aircraft was flyable since the smoke and fumes were not too heavy, but he decided to land as soon as he could because the smoke was increasing. The controller gave him a vector and he could see the airport so he instructed the first officer to tell the cabin attendant that they were going to land soon and to prepare for an evacuate/evacuation. After the landing the passenger and crew escaped with no injuries. The company sent a maintenance team to lft and they determined that the main bearing in the circulation fan failed and this caused the fan to overheat and it started to melt the housing causing it to create smoke and fumes. The maintenance disabled the fan and the crew ferried the aircraft to a primary maintenance base for replacement of the fan and the housing.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR E120 FLC WAS INFORMED BY THE CABIN ATTENDANT OF SMOKE IN THE CABIN AND THEY DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED TO THE NEAREST ARPT AND EVACED THE ACFT. MAINT PERSONNEL FOUND THAT THE RECIRCULATION FAN BEARING HAD FAILED AND CAUSED THE DUCT TO OVERHEAT AND GENERATE SMOKE AND FUMES. NO INJURIES.

Narrative: WHILE ENRTE TO BTR, FLT ATTENDANT CALLED COCKPIT, INFORMED ME THERE WAS SMOKE IN CABIN. DECLARED EMER, LANDED IN LFT. EVACED ACFT WITH NO INJURIES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT THE ACFT WAS FLYABLE SINCE THE SMOKE AND FUMES WERE NOT TOO HVY, BUT HE DECIDED TO LAND AS SOON AS HE COULD BECAUSE THE SMOKE WAS INCREASING. THE CTLR GAVE HIM A VECTOR AND HE COULD SEE THE ARPT SO HE INSTRUCTED THE FO TO TELL THE CABIN ATTENDANT THAT THEY WERE GOING TO LAND SOON AND TO PREPARE FOR AN EVAC. AFTER THE LNDG THE PAX AND CREW ESCAPED WITH NO INJURIES. THE COMPANY SENT A MAINT TEAM TO LFT AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE MAIN BEARING IN THE CIRCULATION FAN FAILED AND THIS CAUSED THE FAN TO OVERHEAT AND IT STARTED TO MELT THE HOUSING CAUSING IT TO CREATE SMOKE AND FUMES. THE MAINT DISABLED THE FAN AND THE CREW FERRIED THE ACFT TO A PRIMARY MAINT BASE FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE FAN AND THE HOUSING.

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.