Narrative:

I was the #1 flight attendant on flight on nov/sat/02. It had been an uneventful flight. Our landing at lga was normal, as was most of the taxi-in. We had pulled into an alley between 2 terminals and were coming to a stop because we had to wait to be pulled to our gate by a tug. I had gotten out of my jumpseat to go open the closet behind first class. As I opened the closet I caught a whiff of something odd and my attention was drawn to main cabin where I saw a grayish fog. I returned to my jumpseat and called to the rear of the aircraft and asked them if that was smoke. They said it was. I called the cockpit and said, 'there's smoke in the cabin. We need to get to the gate quickly.' he said ok and to hold on a second. I believe he was trying to make contact with ground personnel. A few seconds later I heard 4 chimes in the cockpit, so I knew the girls in the back were calling the cockpit. I picked up the phone and heard someone say, 'there's a lot of smoke. We need to do something now.' he said ok and then I heard them doing a checklist through the cockpit door. After just a few seconds we heard 'evacuate/evacuation' 3 times over the PA. I got up and yelled, 'unfasten seatbelts. Come this way,' flipped both toggle switches up, which is power port off and emergency lights on. I opened my forward entry door. The slide deployed and I began the evacuate/evacuation. I yelled my commands a few times, then moved over to the galley. I yelled my commands maybe 2 more times from there so they would keep going even though I wasn't right there by the door. I then opened my galley door. The slide deployed and I began pulling people out of the line to use that exit as well. The captain was standing in the doorway of the cockpit and kind of directed traffic. He would have 1 person go to the entry, 1 go to the galley and so on, while I shouted the commands. I had 1 roller board make it up to me. I said, 'no bags,' and took it from him. I then made a PA not to bring any bags with you, just get out of the plane. When no one else was coming to my exits, the captain and I made our way towards the rear of the aircraft to see if the areas were clear of people. The #2 and #4 were on the wing with a couple of people who were going down a ladder that someone on the ground had brought. The captain then said that they were bringing stairs to the front, so the 3 of us and the captain proceeded to the front of the aircraft. They were having difficulty getting the truck with the stairs up to the aircraft, so we all exited down the slide at the entry door. By then the passenger had all been taken away except a woman, who had broken her ankle going down the aft galley slide, and her husband. The 3 of us flight attendants, went to stay with her. The #4 thought to look at her watch and it was about XA50. When we landed, I had given the local time of approximately XA45. The ambulance didn't show up until about XB20. After they loaded her up, the 3 of us started walking towards the jetbridge stairs, because we didn't know where to go. As we were walking we were met by someone from flight service. He took us up the stairs and into the terminal. We sat at the gate for a while and they brought the aircraft to the gate to start getting all the bags off. After we got our luggage, we went up to operations and filled out a short report. (The smoke came from a hydraulic fluid leak onto the APU.) supplemental information from acn #565164: intercom rang -- the first officer answered the intercom and relayed the message that there was smoke filling the cabin. About 15 seconds later, the flight attendants in the back said there was thick smoke filling the cabin and people were having a hard time breathing. At this time, I decided to evacuate/evacuation the aircraft. I called ramp and advised them we were evacing the aircraft on the ramp and then called ground and told them we were evacing the aircraft on the ramp, and told the controller that the aircraft was filling with smoke and requested the crash fire rescue equipment equipment. We did the checklist and evacuate/evacuationed the aircraft. Supplemental information from acn #565568: the #1 flight attendant chimed us to say that there was smoke in the cabin. I had the phone inmy lap since I was about to make the arrival PA, so I answered her. I told her I would relay the information to the captain and get back to her. I told the captain and then the chime range again. This time it was one of the flight attendants in the back calling to say there was 'thick smoke' in the cabin. I relayed this information to the captain and he immediately decided to do an emergency evacuate/evacuation. I referred to my checklist on the chart holder while he called ramp and ground control to notify them. He called ramp first, because he was on their frequency. When he called ground, he told them to roll the crash fire rescue equipment equipment, because we had a cabin full of smoke. We then completed the emergency evacuate/evacuation checklist in its entirety. I then took the cockpit halon fire extinguisher bottle and my hat and exited the cockpit. The evacuate/evacuation was already in progress and appeared to be going well. I exited the aircraft via the main cabin door and began gathering passenger into one location and helping wherever I could.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 CREW HAD THE ACFT FILL WITH HYD FLUID SMOKE. A PAX BROKE HER ANKLE DURING THE EVAC.

Narrative: I WAS THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT ON FLT ON NOV/SAT/02. IT HAD BEEN AN UNEVENTFUL FLT. OUR LNDG AT LGA WAS NORMAL, AS WAS MOST OF THE TAXI-IN. WE HAD PULLED INTO AN ALLEY BTWN 2 TERMINALS AND WERE COMING TO A STOP BECAUSE WE HAD TO WAIT TO BE PULLED TO OUR GATE BY A TUG. I HAD GOTTEN OUT OF MY JUMPSEAT TO GO OPEN THE CLOSET BEHIND FIRST CLASS. AS I OPENED THE CLOSET I CAUGHT A WHIFF OF SOMETHING ODD AND MY ATTN WAS DRAWN TO MAIN CABIN WHERE I SAW A GRAYISH FOG. I RETURNED TO MY JUMPSEAT AND CALLED TO THE REAR OF THE ACFT AND ASKED THEM IF THAT WAS SMOKE. THEY SAID IT WAS. I CALLED THE COCKPIT AND SAID, 'THERE'S SMOKE IN THE CABIN. WE NEED TO GET TO THE GATE QUICKLY.' HE SAID OK AND TO HOLD ON A SECOND. I BELIEVE HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE CONTACT WITH GND PERSONNEL. A FEW SECONDS LATER I HEARD 4 CHIMES IN THE COCKPIT, SO I KNEW THE GIRLS IN THE BACK WERE CALLING THE COCKPIT. I PICKED UP THE PHONE AND HEARD SOMEONE SAY, 'THERE'S A LOT OF SMOKE. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING NOW.' HE SAID OK AND THEN I HEARD THEM DOING A CHKLIST THROUGH THE COCKPIT DOOR. AFTER JUST A FEW SECONDS WE HEARD 'EVAC' 3 TIMES OVER THE PA. I GOT UP AND YELLED, 'UNFASTEN SEATBELTS. COME THIS WAY,' FLIPPED BOTH TOGGLE SWITCHES UP, WHICH IS PWR PORT OFF AND EMER LIGHTS ON. I OPENED MY FORWARD ENTRY DOOR. THE SLIDE DEPLOYED AND I BEGAN THE EVAC. I YELLED MY COMMANDS A FEW TIMES, THEN MOVED OVER TO THE GALLEY. I YELLED MY COMMANDS MAYBE 2 MORE TIMES FROM THERE SO THEY WOULD KEEP GOING EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T RIGHT THERE BY THE DOOR. I THEN OPENED MY GALLEY DOOR. THE SLIDE DEPLOYED AND I BEGAN PULLING PEOPLE OUT OF THE LINE TO USE THAT EXIT AS WELL. THE CAPT WAS STANDING IN THE DOORWAY OF THE COCKPIT AND KIND OF DIRECTED TFC. HE WOULD HAVE 1 PERSON GO TO THE ENTRY, 1 GO TO THE GALLEY AND SO ON, WHILE I SHOUTED THE COMMANDS. I HAD 1 ROLLER BOARD MAKE IT UP TO ME. I SAID, 'NO BAGS,' AND TOOK IT FROM HIM. I THEN MADE A PA NOT TO BRING ANY BAGS WITH YOU, JUST GET OUT OF THE PLANE. WHEN NO ONE ELSE WAS COMING TO MY EXITS, THE CAPT AND I MADE OUR WAY TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE ACFT TO SEE IF THE AREAS WERE CLEAR OF PEOPLE. THE #2 AND #4 WERE ON THE WING WITH A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WHO WERE GOING DOWN A LADDER THAT SOMEONE ON THE GND HAD BROUGHT. THE CAPT THEN SAID THAT THEY WERE BRINGING STAIRS TO THE FRONT, SO THE 3 OF US AND THE CAPT PROCEEDED TO THE FRONT OF THE ACFT. THEY WERE HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING THE TRUCK WITH THE STAIRS UP TO THE ACFT, SO WE ALL EXITED DOWN THE SLIDE AT THE ENTRY DOOR. BY THEN THE PAX HAD ALL BEEN TAKEN AWAY EXCEPT A WOMAN, WHO HAD BROKEN HER ANKLE GOING DOWN THE AFT GALLEY SLIDE, AND HER HUSBAND. THE 3 OF US FLT ATTENDANTS, WENT TO STAY WITH HER. THE #4 THOUGHT TO LOOK AT HER WATCH AND IT WAS ABOUT XA50. WHEN WE LANDED, I HAD GIVEN THE LCL TIME OF APPROX XA45. THE AMBULANCE DIDN'T SHOW UP UNTIL ABOUT XB20. AFTER THEY LOADED HER UP, THE 3 OF US STARTED WALKING TOWARDS THE JETBRIDGE STAIRS, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO GO. AS WE WERE WALKING WE WERE MET BY SOMEONE FROM FLT SVC. HE TOOK US UP THE STAIRS AND INTO THE TERMINAL. WE SAT AT THE GATE FOR A WHILE AND THEY BROUGHT THE ACFT TO THE GATE TO START GETTING ALL THE BAGS OFF. AFTER WE GOT OUR LUGGAGE, WE WENT UP TO OPS AND FILLED OUT A SHORT RPT. (THE SMOKE CAME FROM A HYD FLUID LEAK ONTO THE APU.) SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN #565164: INTERCOM RANG -- THE FO ANSWERED THE INTERCOM AND RELAYED THE MESSAGE THAT THERE WAS SMOKE FILLING THE CABIN. ABOUT 15 SECONDS LATER, THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK SAID THERE WAS THICK SMOKE FILLING THE CABIN AND PEOPLE WERE HAVING A HARD TIME BREATHING. AT THIS TIME, I DECIDED TO EVAC THE ACFT. I CALLED RAMP AND ADVISED THEM WE WERE EVACING THE ACFT ON THE RAMP AND THEN CALLED GND AND TOLD THEM WE WERE EVACING THE ACFT ON THE RAMP, AND TOLD THE CTLR THAT THE ACFT WAS FILLING WITH SMOKE AND REQUESTED THE CFR EQUIP. WE DID THE CHKLIST AND EVACED THE ACFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN #565568: THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT CHIMED US TO SAY THAT THERE WAS SMOKE IN THE CABIN. I HAD THE PHONE INMY LAP SINCE I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE THE ARR PA, SO I ANSWERED HER. I TOLD HER I WOULD RELAY THE INFO TO THE CAPT AND GET BACK TO HER. I TOLD THE CAPT AND THEN THE CHIME RANGE AGAIN. THIS TIME IT WAS ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK CALLING TO SAY THERE WAS 'THICK SMOKE' IN THE CABIN. I RELAYED THIS INFO TO THE CAPT AND HE IMMEDIATELY DECIDED TO DO AN EMER EVAC. I REFERRED TO MY CHKLIST ON THE CHART HOLDER WHILE HE CALLED RAMP AND GND CTL TO NOTIFY THEM. HE CALLED RAMP FIRST, BECAUSE HE WAS ON THEIR FREQ. WHEN HE CALLED GND, HE TOLD THEM TO ROLL THE CFR EQUIP, BECAUSE WE HAD A CABIN FULL OF SMOKE. WE THEN COMPLETED THE EMER EVAC CHKLIST IN ITS ENTIRETY. I THEN TOOK THE COCKPIT HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHER BOTTLE AND MY HAT AND EXITED THE COCKPIT. THE EVAC WAS ALREADY IN PROGRESS AND APPEARED TO BE GOING WELL. I EXITED THE ACFT VIA THE MAIN CABIN DOOR AND BEGAN GATHERING PAX INTO ONE LOCATION AND HELPING WHEREVER I COULD.

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.