Narrative:

We heard a loud knocking at the cockpit door followed by a flight attendant call that there was smoke in the cabin. We opened the cockpit door to see a hazy (whitish) substance in the rear 1/3 of cabin. We immediately turned off packs and air supplies (we already had the cockpit window open). We called aft flight attendant to see if condition was stabilizing or not, or decreasing. They could not tell, but it did effect their eyes and throat. We had already called for emergency equipment via tower declaring the smoke in cabin. We were beginning our emergency evacuate/evacuation QRH checklist and stopped at the point of evacuate/evacuation or not. We called the aft flight attendants again and asked the condition in which they replied the smoke and fumes were gone. Since we had infants, small kids and a pregnant woman aboard, I went to the rear to make sure no substance could be detected if we were not evacing. The cabin was ok, so I chose not to evacuate/evacuation for the safety of all. We had already called operations requesting a tug because we had shut down for the smoke emergency and we would need a quick gate due to no air. Ground control was not considering us priority aircraft in need because we were under tow. Neither tower, nor we, updated them of our need to expedite to the gate. Awareness of our continued need for help seemed to vanish from ground control, operations, ramp control and ramp personnel after the tug began towing us to the gate. Supplemental information from acn 619643: short of 15 hours flight attendants reported smoke in cabin. Reaching gate there was no one to meet us. Ramp said that they did not know about our situation. In conclusion the training we received in procedures, checklists and crew concept worked. However, the assumption that we had as a crew: that we had priority handling from tower to ground, operations to ramp and ramp to the gate, the assumption by the controllers that we no longer needed priority handling because we were under tow, caused a great deal of misunderstanding and confusion. We declared an emergency and never did we withdraw this declaration.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 CABIN ATTENDANT INFORMS THE FLT CREW THAT THERE IS SMOKE IN THE CABIN WHILE THE ACFT IS ON THE GND. AN EMER WAS DECLARED. BREAKDOWN WITH COMPANY INTERAGENCY COORD.

Narrative: WE HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING AT THE COCKPIT DOOR FOLLOWED BY A FLT ATTENDANT CALL THAT THERE WAS SMOKE IN THE CABIN. WE OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR TO SEE A HAZY (WHITISH) SUBSTANCE IN THE REAR 1/3 OF CABIN. WE IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF PACKS AND AIR SUPPLIES (WE ALREADY HAD THE COCKPIT WINDOW OPEN). WE CALLED AFT FLT ATTENDANT TO SEE IF CONDITION WAS STABILIZING OR NOT, OR DECREASING. THEY COULD NOT TELL, BUT IT DID EFFECT THEIR EYES AND THROAT. WE HAD ALREADY CALLED FOR EMER EQUIP VIA TWR DECLARING THE SMOKE IN CABIN. WE WERE BEGINNING OUR EMER EVAC QRH CHKLIST AND STOPPED AT THE POINT OF EVAC OR NOT. WE CALLED THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS AGAIN AND ASKED THE CONDITION IN WHICH THEY REPLIED THE SMOKE AND FUMES WERE GONE. SINCE WE HAD INFANTS, SMALL KIDS AND A PREGNANT WOMAN ABOARD, I WENT TO THE REAR TO MAKE SURE NO SUBSTANCE COULD BE DETECTED IF WE WERE NOT EVACING. THE CABIN WAS OK, SO I CHOSE NOT TO EVAC FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL. WE HAD ALREADY CALLED OPS REQUESTING A TUG BECAUSE WE HAD SHUT DOWN FOR THE SMOKE EMER AND WE WOULD NEED A QUICK GATE DUE TO NO AIR. GND CTL WAS NOT CONSIDERING US PRIORITY ACFT IN NEED BECAUSE WE WERE UNDER TOW. NEITHER TWR, NOR WE, UPDATED THEM OF OUR NEED TO EXPEDITE TO THE GATE. AWARENESS OF OUR CONTINUED NEED FOR HELP SEEMED TO VANISH FROM GND CTL, OPS, RAMP CTL AND RAMP PERSONNEL AFTER THE TUG BEGAN TOWING US TO THE GATE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 619643: SHORT OF 15 HRS FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED SMOKE IN CABIN. REACHING GATE THERE WAS NO ONE TO MEET US. RAMP SAID THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW ABOUT OUR SIT. IN CONCLUSION THE TRAINING WE RECEIVED IN PROCS, CHKLISTS AND CREW CONCEPT WORKED. HOWEVER, THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE HAD AS A CREW: THAT WE HAD PRIORITY HANDLING FROM TWR TO GND, OPS TO RAMP AND RAMP TO THE GATE, THE ASSUMPTION BY THE CTLRS THAT WE NO LONGER NEEDED PRIORITY HANDLING BECAUSE WE WERE UNDER TOW, CAUSED A GREAT DEAL OF MISUNDERSTANDING AND CONFUSION. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND NEVER DID WE WITHDRAW THIS DECLARATION.

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.