Narrative:

On the evening of jun/xa/00, I flew flight XXX out and back to memphis from ZZZ. Upon our arrival back into ZZZ, we blocked into parking at our gate. I was completing the required paperwork while the captain completed the aircraft shutdown duties. As the ground personnel plugged in the ground power cart, we heard a loud noise followed moments later by a ground person running up to the cockpit to tell us there was smoke coming from the nose gear area. I went down to take a look and returned confirming the smoke under the nose gear area and radome. The captain was in the process of calling ground control requesting the fire equipment and securing the aircraft. We left the aircraft in the control of maintenance and fire personnel after the smoke appeared to be extinguished. We did not know the exact cause of the occurrence. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the cause of the smoke was a ground power receptacle terminal lug which was found loose and poorly crimped causing the wire to overheat and the insulation to melt and smoke. The reporter said maintenance replaced the receptacle and rewired the wire harness.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC9 PARKED AT GATE DECLARED AN EMER WHEN SMOKE APPEARED FROM NOSE GEAR WHEEL WELL AND AROUND THE RADOME CAUSED BY A GND PWR LUG.

Narrative: ON THE EVENING OF JUN/XA/00, I FLEW FLT XXX OUT AND BACK TO MEMPHIS FROM ZZZ. UPON OUR ARR BACK INTO ZZZ, WE BLOCKED INTO PARKING AT OUR GATE. I WAS COMPLETING THE REQUIRED PAPERWORK WHILE THE CAPT COMPLETED THE ACFT SHUTDOWN DUTIES. AS THE GND PERSONNEL PLUGGED IN THE GND PWR CART, WE HEARD A LOUD NOISE FOLLOWED MOMENTS LATER BY A GND PERSON RUNNING UP TO THE COCKPIT TO TELL US THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE NOSE GEAR AREA. I WENT DOWN TO TAKE A LOOK AND RETURNED CONFIRMING THE SMOKE UNDER THE NOSE GEAR AREA AND RADOME. THE CAPT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CALLING GND CTL REQUESTING THE FIRE EQUIP AND SECURING THE ACFT. WE LEFT THE ACFT IN THE CTL OF MAINT AND FIRE PERSONNEL AFTER THE SMOKE APPEARED TO BE EXTINGUISHED. WE DID NOT KNOW THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE OCCURRENCE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE CAUSE OF THE SMOKE WAS A GND PWR RECEPTACLE TERMINAL LUG WHICH WAS FOUND LOOSE AND POORLY CRIMPED CAUSING THE WIRE TO OVERHEAT AND THE INSULATION TO MELT AND SMOKE. THE RPTR SAID MAINT REPLACED THE RECEPTACLE AND REWIRED THE WIRE HARNESS.

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.