Narrative:

For the last 5 months I have flown almost 100 hours per month with no more than 10 days off per month. The first officer had similar schedules. We were tired, hungry, stressed and under pressure to be on time. Start-up and taxi was uneventful. Prior to takeoff we noticed np and tq indicators had a bounce, we disregarded this as this aircraft had given us non-repeatable failures all day. On the takeoff roll, we were following an A320. We were concerned about the airbus. The cockpit voice recorder transcript shows we did our call outs out of sequence and I called 'autocourse not armed' an abort item. Neither of us remember anything to cause an abort. The first officer noticed a bounce in torque and pointed. I saw no bounce and told him to continue. On takeoff we experienced an alternator shaft failure causing tq, np and ng indicator to go to zero. We elected to troubleshoot this at a safe altitude. No mention of QRH was made. At 2500 ft we had a master caution and a chip detect light, we now decided to return to ZZZ. We leveled at 3000 ft and received vectors for runway 32. I talked to the FAA and made a PA. Talked to dispatch and operations. We were cleared for the visual, performed the landing checklist (we previously did descent and app). The flight attendant called and said he had smoke in the cabin. 3 calls with her indicated it was rubbery and I felt not excessive. I asked if she saw flames or fire in the left engine, she said no. I continued to lnd. At 250 ft we had a master warning 'cargo smoke.' the first officer asked if we should fire the bottles, I said land the airplane. After the first call from the flight attendant about smoke, I asked tower for the equipment to meet us on the ground. At this point we were #1 to land. After landing the cargo smoke light went out. We exited at taxiway east and shut down the engine. The smoke dissipated and the fire chief asked us to deplane. I felt I did the correct actions to get the aircraft on the ground. The left engine was operating as shown by matching it's inter-stage turbine temperature and oil temperatures and pressures in the green. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated a sequence of events occurred to the left engine on takeoff climb just after liftoff the left engine alternator failed. The reporter said with the alternator shaft and bearing failing it caused loss of engine indications tq, np, both dropping to zero. The reporter stated at 2500 ft the master caution light illuminated with the chip detector warning light on. The reporter said at 3000 ft an emergency was declared and diversion started to return to ZZZ. The reporter stated at this point in time the cabin attendant reported smoke, but no flames in the cabin. The reporter said at 750 ft the master caution light again came with 'cargo smoke' warning. The reporter stated with the airplane on the ground and the left engine shutdown the smoke dissipated and the 'cargo smoke' light went out. The reporter said the fire chief wanted the passengers and crew evacuated out the forward entrance door. The reporter stated maintenance explained the cause of these multiple failures, first the alternator shaft sheared and destroyed the bearing and oil seal which caused the chip detector light to illuminate. The reporter said the gearbox started to leak oil with the shaft bearing and seal failure and the pressurized oil entered the pneumatic bleed system causing the smoke in the cabin. The reporter stated the left engine was left running until on the ground. The reporter said there were no injuries to passengers or crew members.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A SAAB 340A ON TKOF CLB AT 3000 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO L ENG FAILURE.

Narrative: FOR THE LAST 5 MONTHS I HAVE FLOWN ALMOST 100 HRS PER MONTH WITH NO MORE THAN 10 DAYS OFF PER MONTH. THE FO HAD SIMILAR SCHEDULES. WE WERE TIRED, HUNGRY, STRESSED AND UNDER PRESSURE TO BE ON TIME. START-UP AND TAXI WAS UNEVENTFUL. PRIOR TO TKOF WE NOTICED NP AND TQ INDICATORS HAD A BOUNCE, WE DISREGARDED THIS AS THIS ACFT HAD GIVEN US NON-REPEATABLE FAILURES ALL DAY. ON THE TKOF ROLL, WE WERE FOLLOWING AN A320. WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE AIRBUS. THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER TRANSCRIPT SHOWS WE DID OUR CALL OUTS OUT OF SEQUENCE AND I CALLED 'AUTOCOURSE NOT ARMED' AN ABORT ITEM. NEITHER OF US REMEMBER ANYTHING TO CAUSE AN ABORT. THE FO NOTICED A BOUNCE IN TORQUE AND POINTED. I SAW NO BOUNCE AND TOLD HIM TO CONTINUE. ON TKOF WE EXPERIENCED AN ALTERNATOR SHAFT FAILURE CAUSING TQ, NP AND NG INDICATOR TO GO TO ZERO. WE ELECTED TO TROUBLESHOOT THIS AT A SAFE ALT. NO MENTION OF QRH WAS MADE. AT 2500 FT WE HAD A MASTER CAUTION AND A CHIP DETECT LIGHT, WE NOW DECIDED TO RETURN TO ZZZ. WE LEVELED AT 3000 FT AND RECEIVED VECTORS FOR RWY 32. I TALKED TO THE FAA AND MADE A PA. TALKED TO DISPATCH AND OPS. WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL, PERFORMED THE LNDG CHKLIST (WE PREVIOUSLY DID DSCNT AND APP). THE FA CALLED AND SAID HE HAD SMOKE IN THE CABIN. 3 CALLS WITH HER INDICATED IT WAS RUBBERY AND I FELT NOT EXCESSIVE. I ASKED IF SHE SAW FLAMES OR FIRE IN THE L ENG, SHE SAID NO. I CONTINUED TO LND. AT 250 FT WE HAD A MASTER WARNING 'CARGO SMOKE.' THE FO ASKED IF WE SHOULD FIRE THE BOTTLES, I SAID LAND THE AIRPLANE. AFTER THE FIRST CALL FROM THE FA ABOUT SMOKE, I ASKED TWR FOR THE EQUIPMENT TO MEET US ON THE GND. AT THIS POINT WE WERE #1 TO LAND. AFTER LNDG THE CARGO SMOKE LIGHT WENT OUT. WE EXITED AT TXWY E AND SHUT DOWN THE ENG. THE SMOKE DISSIPATED AND THE FIRE CHIEF ASKED US TO DEPLANE. I FELT I DID THE CORRECT ACTIONS TO GET THE ACFT ON THE GND. THE L ENG WAS OPERATING AS SHOWN BY MATCHING IT'S INTER-STAGE TURBINE TEMP AND OIL TEMPS AND PRESSURES IN THE GREEN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS OCCURRED TO THE L ENG ON TKOF CLB JUST AFTER LIFTOFF THE L ENG ALTERNATOR FAILED. THE RPTR SAID WITH THE ALTERNATOR SHAFT AND BEARING FAILING IT CAUSED LOSS OF ENG INDICATIONS TQ, NP, BOTH DROPPING TO ZERO. THE RPTR STATED AT 2500 FT THE MASTER CAUTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED WITH THE CHIP DETECTOR WARNING LIGHT ON. THE RPTR SAID AT 3000 FT AN EMER WAS DECLARED AND DIVERSION STARTED TO RETURN TO ZZZ. THE RPTR STATED AT THIS POINT IN TIME THE CABIN ATTENDANT RPTED SMOKE, BUT NO FLAMES IN THE CABIN. THE RPTR SAID AT 750 FT THE MASTER CAUTION LIGHT AGAIN CAME WITH 'CARGO SMOKE' WARNING. THE RPTR STATED WITH THE AIRPLANE ON THE GND AND THE L ENG SHUTDOWN THE SMOKE DISSIPATED AND THE 'CARGO SMOKE' LIGHT WENT OUT. THE RPTR SAID THE FIRE CHIEF WANTED THE PASSENGERS AND CREW EVACUATED OUT THE FORWARD ENTRANCE DOOR. THE RPTR STATED MAINT EXPLAINED THE CAUSE OF THESE MULTIPLE FAILURES, FIRST THE ALTERNATOR SHAFT SHEARED AND DESTROYED THE BEARING AND OIL SEAL WHICH CAUSED THE CHIP DETECTOR LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. THE RPTR SAID THE GEARBOX STARTED TO LEAK OIL WITH THE SHAFT BEARING AND SEAL FAILURE AND THE PRESSURIZED OIL ENTERED THE PNEUMATIC BLEED SYS CAUSING THE SMOKE IN THE CABIN. THE RPTR STATED THE L ENG WAS LEFT RUNNING UNTIL ON THE GND. THE RPTR SAID THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO PASSENGERS OR CREW MEMBERS.

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.