Narrative:

I was flying with my student for his private pilot practical examination when the situation occurred. We arrived at the airport early; so I decided to go over possible pitfalls that his designated examiner may introduce during the flying portion of the practical examination. One of these pitfalls would be an accidental approach into a nearby closed airport. 1 mi west of ZZZ is the old ZZZ airport; which is closed. The 2 airports are close together and both have the same runway headings of 18 and 36. I showed my student the closed airport and then turned north to show him another airport he would likely be asked to divert to during the navigation part of the practical examination. I told my nervous student to relax while I flew us there. I took the flight controls and he slid his seat back to relax. I looked out the right window for possible traffic at the new ZZZ. I was about to announce my northbound departure from the area when suddenly I smelled smoke. My reaction to the smell of smoke in the cockpit was to land immediately. The quickest way to land would be to enter a right base for runway 18 at ZZZ. I immediately announced my intentions. I then asked my student if he smelled the smoke. I got no response from my student. A second later; I heard someone on the frequency say; 'be advised ZZZ left traffic.' I had been monitoring the ZZZ frequency and was keeping track of the airport's traffic in my head. I thought all of the traffic was on the ground! When I heard 'be advised left traffic;' I thought that I must have heard part of a transmission and maybe someone was in the pattern making left traffic. I announced that I was turning right base. No response! I vigilantly began looking for the potential traffic. I continued to scan for the traffic. Unable to see anything; I asked my student if he saw any traffic. Again; I got no response from my student. Once I had the runway made; I looked inside the cockpit to glance at the engine gauges. Should I pull the mixture? Does the smoke smell like an electrical fire or gas? Maybe I should turn off the master switch! I glanced at my student to see why he wasn't reacting to the situation. After all; it was his airplane that was potentially on fire. That was when I realized where the smoke was coming from. There; to my left; sat my student -- headset around his neck -- smoking a cigarette! This took me by surprise for a couple of reasons: 1) I didn't know my student smoked; 2) I've never seen anyone smoke in an airplane before. I felt amazingly dumb at that particular moment. I looked at the approach end of the runway and noticed 3 confused cessna pilots holding short of runway 18; where I thought they should be; probably wondering why I was making right traffic. I believe that this situation occurred because of lack of communication between my student and me. I believe that this situation could have been avoided if I had assessed the situation a little longer instead of jumping on my first reaction. I also believe that in the event of an emergency; CRM should be higher on my list of priorities.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT MAKES A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AFTER DETECTING SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. SOURCE OF THE SMOKE WAS THE STUDENT PLT SMOKING A CIGARETTE.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING WITH MY STUDENT FOR HIS PVT PLT PRACTICAL EXAM WHEN THE SIT OCCURRED. WE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT EARLY; SO I DECIDED TO GO OVER POSSIBLE PITFALLS THAT HIS DESIGNATED EXAMINER MAY INTRODUCE DURING THE FLYING PORTION OF THE PRACTICAL EXAM. ONE OF THESE PITFALLS WOULD BE AN ACCIDENTAL APCH INTO A NEARBY CLOSED ARPT. 1 MI W OF ZZZ IS THE OLD ZZZ ARPT; WHICH IS CLOSED. THE 2 ARPTS ARE CLOSE TOGETHER AND BOTH HAVE THE SAME RWY HDGS OF 18 AND 36. I SHOWED MY STUDENT THE CLOSED ARPT AND THEN TURNED N TO SHOW HIM ANOTHER ARPT HE WOULD LIKELY BE ASKED TO DIVERT TO DURING THE NAV PART OF THE PRACTICAL EXAM. I TOLD MY NERVOUS STUDENT TO RELAX WHILE I FLEW US THERE. I TOOK THE FLT CTLS AND HE SLID HIS SEAT BACK TO RELAX. I LOOKED OUT THE R WINDOW FOR POSSIBLE TFC AT THE NEW ZZZ. I WAS ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE MY NBOUND DEP FROM THE AREA WHEN SUDDENLY I SMELLED SMOKE. MY REACTION TO THE SMELL OF SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT WAS TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. THE QUICKEST WAY TO LAND WOULD BE TO ENTER A R BASE FOR RWY 18 AT ZZZ. I IMMEDIATELY ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS. I THEN ASKED MY STUDENT IF HE SMELLED THE SMOKE. I GOT NO RESPONSE FROM MY STUDENT. A SECOND LATER; I HEARD SOMEONE ON THE FREQ SAY; 'BE ADVISED ZZZ L TFC.' I HAD BEEN MONITORING THE ZZZ FREQ AND WAS KEEPING TRACK OF THE ARPT'S TFC IN MY HEAD. I THOUGHT ALL OF THE TFC WAS ON THE GND! WHEN I HEARD 'BE ADVISED L TFC;' I THOUGHT THAT I MUST HAVE HEARD PART OF A XMISSION AND MAYBE SOMEONE WAS IN THE PATTERN MAKING L TFC. I ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS TURNING R BASE. NO RESPONSE! I VIGILANTLY BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE POTENTIAL TFC. I CONTINUED TO SCAN FOR THE TFC. UNABLE TO SEE ANYTHING; I ASKED MY STUDENT IF HE SAW ANY TFC. AGAIN; I GOT NO RESPONSE FROM MY STUDENT. ONCE I HAD THE RWY MADE; I LOOKED INSIDE THE COCKPIT TO GLANCE AT THE ENG GAUGES. SHOULD I PULL THE MIXTURE? DOES THE SMOKE SMELL LIKE AN ELECTRICAL FIRE OR GAS? MAYBE I SHOULD TURN OFF THE MASTER SWITCH! I GLANCED AT MY STUDENT TO SEE WHY HE WASN'T REACTING TO THE SIT. AFTER ALL; IT WAS HIS AIRPLANE THAT WAS POTENTIALLY ON FIRE. THAT WAS WHEN I REALIZED WHERE THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM. THERE; TO MY L; SAT MY STUDENT -- HEADSET AROUND HIS NECK -- SMOKING A CIGARETTE! THIS TOOK ME BY SURPRISE FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS: 1) I DIDN'T KNOW MY STUDENT SMOKED; 2) I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE SMOKE IN AN AIRPLANE BEFORE. I FELT AMAZINGLY DUMB AT THAT PARTICULAR MOMENT. I LOOKED AT THE APCH END OF THE RWY AND NOTICED 3 CONFUSED CESSNA PLTS HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 18; WHERE I THOUGHT THEY SHOULD BE; PROBABLY WONDERING WHY I WAS MAKING R TFC. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SIT OCCURRED BECAUSE OF LACK OF COM BTWN MY STUDENT AND ME. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF I HAD ASSESSED THE SIT A LITTLE LONGER INSTEAD OF JUMPING ON MY FIRST REACTION. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IN THE EVENT OF AN EMER; CRM SHOULD BE HIGHER ON MY LIST OF PRIORITIES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.