An MD11 freighter makes an emergency return land at sfo when there is smoke coming from the cabin ar...

Narrative:

Passing 5000 ft jump seating crew member aft of cockpit door yelled smoke into the intercom. I (captain was flying) told check pilot (line check) on jump seat (MD11) to check. As he opened the door, smoke came into cockpit. I immediately declared an emergency with bay departure and turned right to intercept the runway 28R ILS at sfo. Nice vectors by bay put me on the ground within 5 mins. The shortened time frame, new (4 months) first officer, made it impossible to do appropriate checklists. I had check pilot do smoke/fire checklist and at least we got into manual air and the packs off. I maintain a 2 man crew aircraft is ridiculous in an emergency when new data has to be loaded into the FMS. The captain is flying etc -- who is supposed to do the checklist? Also, I had to bring 2 jump seaters into the cockpit (5 in cockpit). After an uneventful landing, given rest period and went to sleep! Company still does not know cause. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain reporter stated that the time aloft was less than 5 mins, giving him little chance to get his smoke mask on. There was no one else to fly the aircraft as the new first officer and the check pilot were too busy with communications and checklists to aid in the manual flying of the aircraft. At a later time the captain checked himself on the time it would take to don the mask and set up communications. He said that, in this instance, he would have been on the ground before he could have had his mask on. He was aware that the smoke did not appear to have any acrid smell to it, it being a moderately tinted white smoke, only the essential checklists were completed. The aircraft was 'light,' weighing 450000 pounds on takeoff. He took the smoke warning very seriously since the initial report of the smoke was from the deadheading MD11 first officer sitting in one of the cabin passenger seats. The company, the pilot's union, the NTSB and the FAA were all copied into this incident. The air carrier maintenance people changed the air conditioning pack filters, took off the freight. The crew was released for rest. No cause for the smoke has been found to this date.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD11 FREIGHTER MAKES AN EMER RETURN LAND AT SFO WHEN THERE IS SMOKE COMING FROM THE CABIN AREA. THE SMOKE WAS DETECTED BY A DEADHEADING MD11 FO WHO CALLED OVER THE INTERCOM.

Narrative: PASSING 5000 FT JUMP SEATING CREW MEMBER AFT OF COCKPIT DOOR YELLED SMOKE INTO THE INTERCOM. I (CAPT WAS FLYING) TOLD CHK PLT (LINE CHK) ON JUMP SEAT (MD11) TO CHK. AS HE OPENED THE DOOR, SMOKE CAME INTO COCKPIT. I IMMEDIATELY DECLARED AN EMER WITH BAY DEP AND TURNED R TO INTERCEPT THE RWY 28R ILS AT SFO. NICE VECTORS BY BAY PUT ME ON THE GND WITHIN 5 MINS. THE SHORTENED TIME FRAME, NEW (4 MONTHS) FO, MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DO APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS. I HAD CHK PLT DO SMOKE/FIRE CHKLIST AND AT LEAST WE GOT INTO MANUAL AIR AND THE PACKS OFF. I MAINTAIN A 2 MAN CREW ACFT IS RIDICULOUS IN AN EMER WHEN NEW DATA HAS TO BE LOADED INTO THE FMS. THE CAPT IS FLYING ETC -- WHO IS SUPPOSED TO DO THE CHKLIST? ALSO, I HAD TO BRING 2 JUMP SEATERS INTO THE COCKPIT (5 IN COCKPIT). AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG, GIVEN REST PERIOD AND WENT TO SLEEP! COMPANY STILL DOES NOT KNOW CAUSE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT RPTR STATED THAT THE TIME ALOFT WAS LESS THAN 5 MINS, GIVING HIM LITTLE CHANCE TO GET HIS SMOKE MASK ON. THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE TO FLY THE ACFT AS THE NEW FO AND THE CHK PLT WERE TOO BUSY WITH COMS AND CHKLISTS TO AID IN THE MANUAL FLYING OF THE ACFT. AT A LATER TIME THE CAPT CHKED HIMSELF ON THE TIME IT WOULD TAKE TO DON THE MASK AND SET UP COMS. HE SAID THAT, IN THIS INSTANCE, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE GND BEFORE HE COULD HAVE HAD HIS MASK ON. HE WAS AWARE THAT THE SMOKE DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY ACRID SMELL TO IT, IT BEING A MODERATELY TINTED WHITE SMOKE, ONLY THE ESSENTIAL CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED. THE ACFT WAS 'LIGHT,' WEIGHING 450000 LBS ON TKOF. HE TOOK THE SMOKE WARNING VERY SERIOUSLY SINCE THE INITIAL RPT OF THE SMOKE WAS FROM THE DEADHEADING MD11 FO SITTING IN ONE OF THE CABIN PAX SEATS. THE COMPANY, THE PLT'S UNION, THE NTSB AND THE FAA WERE ALL COPIED INTO THIS INCIDENT. THE ACR MAINT PEOPLE CHANGED THE AIR CONDITIONING PACK FILTERS, TOOK OFF THE FREIGHT. THE CREW WAS RELEASED FOR REST. NO CAUSE FOR THE SMOKE HAS BEEN FOUND TO THIS DATE.

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.

Attributes
ACN	424041
Time
Date	199812
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sfo
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 5000 msl bound upper : 5000
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-11
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	other other
Route In Use	departure other enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 18000 flight time type : 2000
ASRS Report	424041
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other

An MD11 freighter makes an emergency return land at sfo when there is smoke coming from the cabin area. The smoke was detected by a deadheading MD11 first officer who called over the intercom.