Narrative:

All passenger were deplaned and aircraft was connected to external power. First officer and I were preparing to leave aircraft when ramp agent asked me to look at something unusual. There was a small amount of smoke venting from small holes located on the bottom of the fuselage between nose gear area and east&east compartment access door. I immediately asked for maintenance and completely depowered aircraft. After depowering aircraft, the amount of smoke venting lessened. Mechanics gained access through east&east compartment door and removed two hot ni-cad batteries. He also said solid state type battery charger was hot. We had no indications of this new solid state battery being installed on the aircraft (placard or other). There were no indications of smoke or continuous battery charging in-flight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the battery charger had been changed to a solid state type of charger. Normally when the charger is changed, a placard is placed in the cockpit to make the flight crew aware of the newer charger. With a new solid state charger the charge indicator deflects differently as it indicates when the battery is being charged. The flight crew is made aware of the charge differences with the mounting of the placard. The flight crew or reporter could not explain to analyst how this would make the charging of the battery any different than before. It still has the same voltage limitations as the old charger. Even charging at different cycles, it would still be in line with the voltage limitations of the new charger and old charger. Both reporter and mechanic were at a loss as to why this new battery charger would be at fault. They each wrote a company report about it but had no further information.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC 9-10 IS VENTING SMOKE AFTER SHUTDOWN AT THE GATE IN MEM, TN. BATTERY CHARGER HAD BEEN CHANGED WITH NO NOTICE TO FLC.

Narrative: ALL PAX WERE DEPLANED AND ACFT WAS CONNECTED TO EXTERNAL PWR. FO AND I WERE PREPARING TO LEAVE ACFT WHEN RAMP AGENT ASKED ME TO LOOK AT SOMETHING UNUSUAL. THERE WAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE VENTING FROM SMALL HOLES LOCATED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE BETWEEN NOSE GEAR AREA AND E&E COMPARTMENT ACCESS DOOR. I IMMEDIATELY ASKED FOR MAINT AND COMPLETELY DEPOWERED ACFT. AFTER DEPOWERING ACFT, THE AMOUNT OF SMOKE VENTING LESSENED. MECHS GAINED ACCESS THROUGH E&E COMPARTMENT DOOR AND REMOVED TWO HOT NI-CAD BATTERIES. HE ALSO SAID SOLID STATE TYPE BATTERY CHARGER WAS HOT. WE HAD NO INDICATIONS OF THIS NEW SOLID STATE BATTERY BEING INSTALLED ON THE ACFT (PLACARD OR OTHER). THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS OF SMOKE OR CONTINUOUS BATTERY CHARGING INFLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE BATTERY CHARGER HAD BEEN CHANGED TO A SOLID STATE TYPE OF CHARGER. NORMALLY WHEN THE CHARGER IS CHANGED, A PLACARD IS PLACED IN THE COCKPIT TO MAKE THE FLC AWARE OF THE NEWER CHARGER. WITH A NEW SOLID STATE CHARGER THE CHARGE INDICATOR DEFLECTS DIFFERENTLY AS IT INDICATES WHEN THE BATTERY IS BEING CHARGED. THE FLC IS MADE AWARE OF THE CHARGE DIFFERENCES WITH THE MOUNTING OF THE PLACARD. THE FLC OR RPTR COULD NOT EXPLAIN TO ANALYST HOW THIS WOULD MAKE THE CHARGING OF THE BATTERY ANY DIFFERENT THAN BEFORE. IT STILL HAS THE SAME VOLTAGE LIMITATIONS AS THE OLD CHARGER. EVEN CHARGING AT DIFFERENT CYCLES, IT WOULD STILL BE IN LINE WITH THE VOLTAGE LIMITATIONS OF THE NEW CHARGER AND OLD CHARGER. BOTH RPTR AND MECH WERE AT A LOSS AS TO WHY THIS NEW BATTERY CHARGER WOULD BE AT FAULT. THEY EACH WROTE A COMPANY RPT ABOUT IT BUT HAD NO FURTHER INFO.

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.