Narrative:

While en route from cvg to cae, we had a cargo smoke warning message and associated aural warnings. We immediately proceeded with the cargo smoke emergency checklist items and declared an emergency with ATC. We determined that knoxville, tn, was our most suitable diversion point based on our distance and altitude as well as facilities available after landing to deal with a possible fire. We were given a direct clearance to tys and a descent to 11000 ft. We told ATC to have crash fire rescue equipment equipment out to meet us in knoxville and to advise our company of the emergency, and our point of diversion. We also, gave them the number of souls and fuel onboard. The flight attendant was told of the situation and given instructions to discontinue cabin service and prepare for an emergency evacuate/evacuation out the main cabin door after landing. I also told her that everything would be fine and that we had about 10 mins to landing. Then I made an announcement to the passenger and told them that the warning was gone, but we had declared an emergency and were diverting to knoxville. I assured them that we would be fine and not to worry. We were vectored to runway 23R and planned to pull off the runway at B3 where the crash fire rescue equipment equipment would be in position and ready. As we rolled onto B3, we requested a wind check and pointed the nose into the wind, before coming to a stop. I began the emergency evacuate/evacuation checklist and using the PA system advised the passenger that we needed to evacuate/evacuation aircraft and told them to leave their luggage behind and just get up and walk to the main cabin door and exit to assemble at a distant area in front of the aircraft as directed by the first officer and firemen. Once the checklist was complete and all passenger were safely off the aircraft, I exited and consulted with crash fire rescue equipment personnel, airport officials and air carrier X station personnel. The aircraft personnel were told of possible halon gas in the cargo area prior to opening the door. They inspected the area and found no evidence of fire or smoke damage. Maintenance later inspected the cargo area as well as the detection and extinguishing system. They also saw no evidence of fire and it was determined that the warning was false. The detection and extinguishing system were written up in the maintenance log and deferred by maintenance. With this deferral, no baggage is permitted to be carried in the cargo area. We continued from this point to operate as a revenue flight and passenger checked bags were sent on a later flight. They were permitted to bring one carry-on bag onboard as long as it met the size criteria laid out by our operations manual. We received a new dispatch release for this flight and the MEL items for the cargo smoke detection and extinguishing system were not listed. Our operations manual requires cdl/MEL items to be listed on the release if there is a flight restr. A flight restr is something that affects the way we fly the airplane such as an airspeed, weight or altitude restr. Therefore, I saw no problem with that information being absent from the release. As I write this report, the FAA may be disputing this interpretation with air carrier X. We continued to cae without further incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN ACR MDT JET HAD A CARGO SMOKE WARNING MESSAGE DURING CRUISE CAUSING THEM TO DECLARE AN EMER AND DIVERT LAND. AFTER RUNNING CHKLISTS, AND BRIEFING THE CABIN ATTENDANTS AND PAX FOR LNDG AND EVAC, LNDG WAS MADE WITH FIRE RESCUE STANDING BY.

Narrative: WHILE ENRTE FROM CVG TO CAE, WE HAD A CARGO SMOKE WARNING MESSAGE AND ASSOCIATED AURAL WARNINGS. WE IMMEDIATELY PROCEEDED WITH THE CARGO SMOKE EMER CHKLIST ITEMS AND DECLARED AN EMER WITH ATC. WE DETERMINED THAT KNOXVILLE, TN, WAS OUR MOST SUITABLE DIVERSION POINT BASED ON OUR DISTANCE AND ALT AS WELL AS FACILITIES AVAILABLE AFTER LNDG TO DEAL WITH A POSSIBLE FIRE. WE WERE GIVEN A DIRECT CLRNC TO TYS AND A DSCNT TO 11000 FT. WE TOLD ATC TO HAVE CFR EQUIP OUT TO MEET US IN KNOXVILLE AND TO ADVISE OUR COMPANY OF THE EMER, AND OUR POINT OF DIVERSION. WE ALSO, GAVE THEM THE NUMBER OF SOULS AND FUEL ONBOARD. THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS TOLD OF THE SIT AND GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCONTINUE CABIN SVC AND PREPARE FOR AN EMER EVAC OUT THE MAIN CABIN DOOR AFTER LNDG. I ALSO TOLD HER THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE FINE AND THAT WE HAD ABOUT 10 MINS TO LNDG. THEN I MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX AND TOLD THEM THAT THE WARNING WAS GONE, BUT WE HAD DECLARED AN EMER AND WERE DIVERTING TO KNOXVILLE. I ASSURED THEM THAT WE WOULD BE FINE AND NOT TO WORRY. WE WERE VECTORED TO RWY 23R AND PLANNED TO PULL OFF THE RWY AT B3 WHERE THE CFR EQUIP WOULD BE IN POS AND READY. AS WE ROLLED ONTO B3, WE REQUESTED A WIND CHK AND POINTED THE NOSE INTO THE WIND, BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. I BEGAN THE EMER EVAC CHKLIST AND USING THE PA SYS ADVISED THE PAX THAT WE NEEDED TO EVAC ACFT AND TOLD THEM TO LEAVE THEIR LUGGAGE BEHIND AND JUST GET UP AND WALK TO THE MAIN CABIN DOOR AND EXIT TO ASSEMBLE AT A DISTANT AREA IN FRONT OF THE ACFT AS DIRECTED BY THE FO AND FIREMEN. ONCE THE CHKLIST WAS COMPLETE AND ALL PAX WERE SAFELY OFF THE ACFT, I EXITED AND CONSULTED WITH CFR PERSONNEL, ARPT OFFICIALS AND ACR X STATION PERSONNEL. THE ACFT PERSONNEL WERE TOLD OF POSSIBLE HALON GAS IN THE CARGO AREA PRIOR TO OPENING THE DOOR. THEY INSPECTED THE AREA AND FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE OR SMOKE DAMAGE. MAINT LATER INSPECTED THE CARGO AREA AS WELL AS THE DETECTION AND EXTINGUISHING SYS. THEY ALSO SAW NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE WARNING WAS FALSE. THE DETECTION AND EXTINGUISHING SYS WERE WRITTEN UP IN THE MAINT LOG AND DEFERRED BY MAINT. WITH THIS DEFERRAL, NO BAGGAGE IS PERMITTED TO BE CARRIED IN THE CARGO AREA. WE CONTINUED FROM THIS POINT TO OPERATE AS A REVENUE FLT AND PAX CHKED BAGS WERE SENT ON A LATER FLT. THEY WERE PERMITTED TO BRING ONE CARRY-ON BAG ONBOARD AS LONG AS IT MET THE SIZE CRITERIA LAID OUT BY OUR OPS MANUAL. WE RECEIVED A NEW DISPATCH RELEASE FOR THIS FLT AND THE MEL ITEMS FOR THE CARGO SMOKE DETECTION AND EXTINGUISHING SYS WERE NOT LISTED. OUR OPS MANUAL REQUIRES CDL/MEL ITEMS TO BE LISTED ON THE RELEASE IF THERE IS A FLT RESTR. A FLT RESTR IS SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS THE WAY WE FLY THE AIRPLANE SUCH AS AN AIRSPD, WT OR ALT RESTR. THEREFORE, I SAW NO PROB WITH THAT INFO BEING ABSENT FROM THE RELEASE. AS I WRITE THIS RPT, THE FAA MAY BE DISPUTING THIS INTERP WITH ACR X. WE CONTINUED TO CAE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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.