Narrative:

Immediately after takeoff from runway 27, the flight attendant called the cockpit and notified us that smoke was filling the cabin. I told the captain and he said we were going to return to the airport. I notified the tower and they told us to stop our climb at 3000 ft MSL. At that time, the captain advised me to run the QRH checklist for 'smoke in the cabin.' immediately after, the EICAS displayed the caution message, 'smoke in toilet.' he advised me he 'had the airplane and the radios' and declared an emergency. While I was running the checklist, he advised the flight attendants that we were indicating smoke in the toilet and asked her to verify. She said that it was coming out of all of the overhead vents and that the smoke was not originating from the toilet. The QRH directed me to open several circuit breakers. As I searched for the circuit breakers, the captain advised me that we had been cleared to land and that I should discontinue the QRH checklist and prepare to land. While I was putting the checklist down, I noticed the smoke had begun entering the cockpit. I put on my oxygen mask and verified that the captain could hear me. Since we were landing, I immediately crosschecked altimeter settings and tuned in the runway 18R ILS frequency. At this time, we were already on final with the gear down and flaps at 30 degrees. I bugged the airspeed for flaps 30 degrees and informed him we were slightly low. As he adjusted onto the GS, I asked if he wanted flaps 45 degrees. Soon after he called for flaps 45 degrees before landing check. I completed the landing check and we landed approximately 30 seconds later. We then turned off the runway, I contacted the fire units and informed them we were evacing. We then opened the door and evacuate/evacuationed the aircraft through the main cabin door. After a brief inspection by fire personnel and maintenance, the cause was still undetermined. Maintenance speculated the smoke toilet message was generated because of the smoke being more dense towards the aft, but was probably not the cause of the smoke. I feel I became too focused on finding circuit breakers and that communication between me and captain broke down. I found myself unaware of our location and when I realized where we were, we were already on short final. I should have realized the importance, at that time, of simply landing the plane. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the entire event lasted no more than 5 mins from the report of smoke in the cabin to landing and evacuate/evacuation. The reporter said the chief pilot has released no information on the cause of the smoke in the cabin. The reporter stated after maintenance, the airplane was released for service and again had a 'smoke in the cabin' event. The reporter said when the airplane was operated on the day's first flight, the APU was deferred as inoperative and an air bottle start was made. The reporter stated the reason for the APU being inoperative is also unknown.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CANADAIR CL65, AFTER TKOF AT 1000 FT, DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO SMOKE IN THE CABIN AND COCKPIT. CAUSE UNKNOWN.

Narrative: IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF FROM RWY 27, THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT AND NOTIFIED US THAT SMOKE WAS FILLING THE CABIN. I TOLD THE CAPT AND HE SAID WE WERE GOING TO RETURN TO THE ARPT. I NOTIFIED THE TWR AND THEY TOLD US TO STOP OUR CLB AT 3000 FT MSL. AT THAT TIME, THE CAPT ADVISED ME TO RUN THE QRH CHKLIST FOR 'SMOKE IN THE CABIN.' IMMEDIATELY AFTER, THE EICAS DISPLAYED THE CAUTION MESSAGE, 'SMOKE IN TOILET.' HE ADVISED ME HE 'HAD THE AIRPLANE AND THE RADIOS' AND DECLARED AN EMER. WHILE I WAS RUNNING THE CHKLIST, HE ADVISED THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT WE WERE INDICATING SMOKE IN THE TOILET AND ASKED HER TO VERIFY. SHE SAID THAT IT WAS COMING OUT OF ALL OF THE OVERHEAD VENTS AND THAT THE SMOKE WAS NOT ORIGINATING FROM THE TOILET. THE QRH DIRECTED ME TO OPEN SEVERAL CIRCUIT BREAKERS. AS I SEARCHED FOR THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS, THE CAPT ADVISED ME THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND AND THAT I SHOULD DISCONTINUE THE QRH CHKLIST AND PREPARE TO LAND. WHILE I WAS PUTTING THE CHKLIST DOWN, I NOTICED THE SMOKE HAD BEGUN ENTERING THE COCKPIT. I PUT ON MY OXYGEN MASK AND VERIFIED THAT THE CAPT COULD HEAR ME. SINCE WE WERE LNDG, I IMMEDIATELY XCHKED ALTIMETER SETTINGS AND TUNED IN THE RWY 18R ILS FREQ. AT THIS TIME, WE WERE ALREADY ON FINAL WITH THE GEAR DOWN AND FLAPS AT 30 DEGS. I BUGGED THE AIRSPD FOR FLAPS 30 DEGS AND INFORMED HIM WE WERE SLIGHTLY LOW. AS HE ADJUSTED ONTO THE GS, I ASKED IF HE WANTED FLAPS 45 DEGS. SOON AFTER HE CALLED FOR FLAPS 45 DEGS BEFORE LNDG CHK. I COMPLETED THE LNDG CHK AND WE LANDED APPROX 30 SECONDS LATER. WE THEN TURNED OFF THE RWY, I CONTACTED THE FIRE UNITS AND INFORMED THEM WE WERE EVACING. WE THEN OPENED THE DOOR AND EVACED THE ACFT THROUGH THE MAIN CABIN DOOR. AFTER A BRIEF INSPECTION BY FIRE PERSONNEL AND MAINT, THE CAUSE WAS STILL UNDETERMINED. MAINT SPECULATED THE SMOKE TOILET MESSAGE WAS GENERATED BECAUSE OF THE SMOKE BEING MORE DENSE TOWARDS THE AFT, BUT WAS PROBABLY NOT THE CAUSE OF THE SMOKE. I FEEL I BECAME TOO FOCUSED ON FINDING CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND THAT COM BTWN ME AND CAPT BROKE DOWN. I FOUND MYSELF UNAWARE OF OUR LOCATION AND WHEN I REALIZED WHERE WE WERE, WE WERE ALREADY ON SHORT FINAL. I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THE IMPORTANCE, AT THAT TIME, OF SIMPLY LNDG THE PLANE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ENTIRE EVENT LASTED NO MORE THAN 5 MINS FROM THE RPT OF SMOKE IN THE CABIN TO LNDG AND EVAC. THE RPTR SAID THE CHIEF PLT HAS RELEASED NO INFO ON THE CAUSE OF THE SMOKE IN THE CABIN. THE RPTR STATED AFTER MAINT, THE AIRPLANE WAS RELEASED FOR SVC AND AGAIN HAD A 'SMOKE IN THE CABIN' EVENT. THE RPTR SAID WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED ON THE DAY'S FIRST FLT, THE APU WAS DEFERRED AS INOP AND AN AIR BOTTLE START WAS MADE. THE RPTR STATED THE REASON FOR THE APU BEING INOP IS ALSO UNKNOWN.

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.