Narrative:

After landing at ewr, runway 4R, while taxiing to the ramp we were informed by ewr ground that another aircraft had observed our left main wheel appeared to be smoking. We held our position on the taxiway while a crash truck was dispatched to investigate. When the crash truck had arrived they reported to ground that the smoke had dissipated and no damage or problem was apparent. We continued our taxi to the ramp and performed a normal shutdown. Just prior to this flight the #1 medium large transport brake pads were replaced so this landing was the first exposure to landing braking action for the new brake pads. The brake pads were simply being heated up for the first time and burning off any residue they had on them from storage and installation. No write-up was made in the aircraft maintenance log since there was no known mechanical problem. Maintenance personnel were informed of the occurrence and the reason for the precautionary dispatch of the emergency vehicles. Air crew must continually determine whether aircraft equipment is properly functioning or not and if not, to advise maintenance by means of an entry to the aircraft maintenance log if any equipment is not functioning properly. Since there was no malfunction in this case, there was no entry made to the aircraft maintenance log. Perhaps to be on the side of conservative safety, an entry should have been made and allowed maintenance personnel to make the determination in writing via the aircraft maintenance log that the equipment was in fact operating properly. This would also make a written record as to the reason for dispatching emergency equipment at ewr. Supplemental information from acn 403484: by the time the fire department arrived, the smoking had stopped. They didn't even get out of the trucks. They did follow us to the ramp. I made a point of speaking with the mechanic upon arrival at the gate. I told him the fire trucks had followed us as a precautionary measure because of the smoking brake. I also explained the brake was new. He said he had already inspected the brake and there was nothing wrong, it was just new. We agreed the smoke was due solely to the first time use of the new brake and nothing was amiss. Satisfied nothing was out of the ordinary, I departed the aircraft. My error: not documenting the smoking brake in the aircraft logbook.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A TAXIING B727 FREIGHTER HAS A SMOKING BRAKE AFTER LNDG AND THAT FACT IS RPTED TO THE CREW AND TWR BY A FOLLOWING ACFT. EMER GND EQUIP IS DISPATCHED AS A PRECAUTION. THE CREW FAILS TO WRITE UP THE CAUSE OF THE EMER CONDITIONS AFTER AN INSPECTION IS PERFORMED.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT EWR, RWY 4R, WHILE TAXIING TO THE RAMP WE WERE INFORMED BY EWR GND THAT ANOTHER ACFT HAD OBSERVED OUR L MAIN WHEEL APPEARED TO BE SMOKING. WE HELD OUR POS ON THE TXWY WHILE A CRASH TRUCK WAS DISPATCHED TO INVESTIGATE. WHEN THE CRASH TRUCK HAD ARRIVED THEY RPTED TO GND THAT THE SMOKE HAD DISSIPATED AND NO DAMAGE OR PROB WAS APPARENT. WE CONTINUED OUR TAXI TO THE RAMP AND PERFORMED A NORMAL SHUTDOWN. JUST PRIOR TO THIS FLT THE #1 MLG BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED SO THIS LNDG WAS THE FIRST EXPOSURE TO LNDG BRAKING ACTION FOR THE NEW BRAKE PADS. THE BRAKE PADS WERE SIMPLY BEING HEATED UP FOR THE FIRST TIME AND BURNING OFF ANY RESIDUE THEY HAD ON THEM FROM STORAGE AND INSTALLATION. NO WRITE-UP WAS MADE IN THE ACFT MAINT LOG SINCE THERE WAS NO KNOWN MECHANICAL PROB. MAINT PERSONNEL WERE INFORMED OF THE OCCURRENCE AND THE REASON FOR THE PRECAUTIONARY DISPATCH OF THE EMER VEHICLES. AIR CREW MUST CONTINUALLY DETERMINE WHETHER ACFT EQUIP IS PROPERLY FUNCTIONING OR NOT AND IF NOT, TO ADVISE MAINT BY MEANS OF AN ENTRY TO THE ACFT MAINT LOG IF ANY EQUIP IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. SINCE THERE WAS NO MALFUNCTION IN THIS CASE, THERE WAS NO ENTRY MADE TO THE ACFT MAINT LOG. PERHAPS TO BE ON THE SIDE OF CONSERVATIVE SAFETY, AN ENTRY SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AND ALLOWED MAINT PERSONNEL TO MAKE THE DETERMINATION IN WRITING VIA THE ACFT MAINT LOG THAT THE EQUIP WAS IN FACT OPERATING PROPERLY. THIS WOULD ALSO MAKE A WRITTEN RECORD AS TO THE REASON FOR DISPATCHING EMER EQUIP AT EWR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 403484: BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPT ARRIVED, THE SMOKING HAD STOPPED. THEY DIDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE TRUCKS. THEY DID FOLLOW US TO THE RAMP. I MADE A POINT OF SPEAKING WITH THE MECH UPON ARR AT THE GATE. I TOLD HIM THE FIRE TRUCKS HAD FOLLOWED US AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE BECAUSE OF THE SMOKING BRAKE. I ALSO EXPLAINED THE BRAKE WAS NEW. HE SAID HE HAD ALREADY INSPECTED THE BRAKE AND THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, IT WAS JUST NEW. WE AGREED THE SMOKE WAS DUE SOLELY TO THE FIRST TIME USE OF THE NEW BRAKE AND NOTHING WAS AMISS. SATISFIED NOTHING WAS OUT OF THE ORDINARY, I DEPARTED THE ACFT. MY ERROR: NOT DOCUMENTING THE SMOKING BRAKE IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK.

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.