Narrative:

Location: taxiway wq just short of runway 36R at dfw during ground stop on taxi out for takeoff at dfw, we shut engines down to save fuel. After sitting for quite awhile, lightning struck very close to our aircraft or struck our aircraft. This we could not determine at the time, but I think the inspection by maintenance uncovered only a bad right recirculation fan motor. After the lightning, about 2 mins later, the cockpit began to fill with smoke from the forward instrument panel area and first class cabin had burning odor and light smoke. We accomplished red boxed items for cabin/cockpit smoke in accordance with checklist procedure. Doing this red box series induced equipment overheat light on overhead switch. We then accomplished abnormal procedure for this light. The smoke subsided. We requested assistance from tower and had fire department stand by until maintenance towed us to the gate. It was a substantial delay in very bad WX because of the lightning prohibiting ground persons from working outside. Lessons learned: improvement of communications with ramp via radio would make solving a problem like this easier. Ramp was busy and would not answer the radio reliability. This is not good because a situation like this can deteriorate very rapidly and turn into a full emergency. We need to examine if ground personnel will respond to an aircraft emergency during lightning and get a little clrer idea of what to expect. I agree with the decision not to come to the aircraft right away because of lightning, but later the delay was extensive and avoidable. I think it worth mentioning that accomplishing the red box item for cockpit/cabin smoke on the ground in the B757 aircraft induces the abnormal procedure of equipment overheat due to the step of turning off left and right recirculation fans, the left recirculation fan being the primary equipment cooling on the ground. This may be an acceptable consequence in a situation with fire or smoke but could also add to overheating of equipment. I just want to make sure that we have a look at this consequence of turning the left recirculation fan off during a procedure on the ground -- in-flight it does not pose a problem. Also, should we reinstate the left recirculation for equipment cooling, if it is not causing the smoke. Supplemental information from acn 474161: a sharp bolt of lightning struck outside followed by thunder. The aircraft shook and a couple of passenger mentioned they thought it hit the aircraft. The captain called and asked if I saw any smoke. I turned and looked through the cabin and saw a thin layer of smoke that resembled fog, throughout the cabin. He asked if we could smell smoke and how it was in the back of the cabin. I called flight attendant #2 asking about the smoke and smell. She said yes she could see and smell it. The captain called me to the cockpit, to brief me on the situation. He said we're detecting smoke in the belly of the aircraft or cargo compartment (I really can't remember the exact wording). He said be prepared to evacuate/evacuation. If the problem got worse he would signal us with the signaling system to evacuate/evacuation. About 15 mins after my discussion with the captain, myself, flight attendant #3, and 2 passenger smelled an electrical smell again at rows 2L and 2R. I notified the captain again. We were pulled back to the gate, by tug, approximately 1 hour later. Supplemental information from acn 473537: captain kept crew and passenger constantly informed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A GND HOLDING B757 IS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING WHILE EXPERIENCING A TFC DELAY AT A TIME OF TSTM ACTIVITY AT DFW, TX. SMOKE IS DETECTED, REQUIRING THE USE OF EMER CHKLISTS. NO EVAC.

Narrative: LOCATION: TXWY WQ JUST SHORT OF RWY 36R AT DFW DURING GND STOP ON TAXI OUT FOR TKOF AT DFW, WE SHUT ENGS DOWN TO SAVE FUEL. AFTER SITTING FOR QUITE AWHILE, LIGHTNING STRUCK VERY CLOSE TO OUR ACFT OR STRUCK OUR ACFT. THIS WE COULD NOT DETERMINE AT THE TIME, BUT I THINK THE INSPECTION BY MAINT UNCOVERED ONLY A BAD R RECIRCULATION FAN MOTOR. AFTER THE LIGHTNING, ABOUT 2 MINS LATER, THE COCKPIT BEGAN TO FILL WITH SMOKE FROM THE FORWARD INST PANEL AREA AND FIRST CLASS CABIN HAD BURNING ODOR AND LIGHT SMOKE. WE ACCOMPLISHED RED BOXED ITEMS FOR CABIN/COCKPIT SMOKE IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHKLIST PROC. DOING THIS RED BOX SERIES INDUCED EQUIP OVERHEAT LIGHT ON OVERHEAD SWITCH. WE THEN ACCOMPLISHED ABNORMAL PROC FOR THIS LIGHT. THE SMOKE SUBSIDED. WE REQUESTED ASSISTANCE FROM TWR AND HAD FIRE DEPT STAND BY UNTIL MAINT TOWED US TO THE GATE. IT WAS A SUBSTANTIAL DELAY IN VERY BAD WX BECAUSE OF THE LIGHTNING PROHIBITING GND PERSONS FROM WORKING OUTSIDE. LESSONS LEARNED: IMPROVEMENT OF COMS WITH RAMP VIA RADIO WOULD MAKE SOLVING A PROB LIKE THIS EASIER. RAMP WAS BUSY AND WOULD NOT ANSWER THE RADIO RELIABILITY. THIS IS NOT GOOD BECAUSE A SIT LIKE THIS CAN DETERIORATE VERY RAPIDLY AND TURN INTO A FULL EMER. WE NEED TO EXAMINE IF GND PERSONNEL WILL RESPOND TO AN ACFT EMER DURING LIGHTNING AND GET A LITTLE CLRER IDEA OF WHAT TO EXPECT. I AGREE WITH THE DECISION NOT TO COME TO THE ACFT RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE OF LIGHTNING, BUT LATER THE DELAY WAS EXTENSIVE AND AVOIDABLE. I THINK IT WORTH MENTIONING THAT ACCOMPLISHING THE RED BOX ITEM FOR COCKPIT/CABIN SMOKE ON THE GND IN THE B757 ACFT INDUCES THE ABNORMAL PROC OF EQUIP OVERHEAT DUE TO THE STEP OF TURNING OFF L AND R RECIRCULATION FANS, THE L RECIRCULATION FAN BEING THE PRIMARY EQUIP COOLING ON THE GND. THIS MAY BE AN ACCEPTABLE CONSEQUENCE IN A SIT WITH FIRE OR SMOKE BUT COULD ALSO ADD TO OVERHEATING OF EQUIP. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A LOOK AT THIS CONSEQUENCE OF TURNING THE L RECIRCULATION FAN OFF DURING A PROC ON THE GND -- INFLT IT DOES NOT POSE A PROB. ALSO, SHOULD WE REINSTATE THE L RECIRCULATION FOR EQUIP COOLING, IF IT IS NOT CAUSING THE SMOKE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 474161: A SHARP BOLT OF LIGHTNING STRUCK OUTSIDE FOLLOWED BY THUNDER. THE ACFT SHOOK AND A COUPLE OF PAX MENTIONED THEY THOUGHT IT HIT THE ACFT. THE CAPT CALLED AND ASKED IF I SAW ANY SMOKE. I TURNED AND LOOKED THROUGH THE CABIN AND SAW A THIN LAYER OF SMOKE THAT RESEMBLED FOG, THROUGHOUT THE CABIN. HE ASKED IF WE COULD SMELL SMOKE AND HOW IT WAS IN THE BACK OF THE CABIN. I CALLED FLT ATTENDANT #2 ASKING ABOUT THE SMOKE AND SMELL. SHE SAID YES SHE COULD SEE AND SMELL IT. THE CAPT CALLED ME TO THE COCKPIT, TO BRIEF ME ON THE SIT. HE SAID WE'RE DETECTING SMOKE IN THE BELLY OF THE ACFT OR CARGO COMPARTMENT (I REALLY CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT WORDING). HE SAID BE PREPARED TO EVAC. IF THE PROB GOT WORSE HE WOULD SIGNAL US WITH THE SIGNALING SYS TO EVAC. ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER MY DISCUSSION WITH THE CAPT, MYSELF, FLT ATTENDANT #3, AND 2 PAX SMELLED AN ELECTRICAL SMELL AGAIN AT ROWS 2L AND 2R. I NOTIFIED THE CAPT AGAIN. WE WERE PULLED BACK TO THE GATE, BY TUG, APPROX 1 HR LATER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 473537: CAPT KEPT CREW AND PAX CONSTANTLY INFORMED.

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.