Upon starting the APU while taxiing to the gate an md-80 aft cabin started to fill with smoke. When ...

Attributes
ACN	940289
Time
Date	201103
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	APU Fuel System
Person 1
Function	Flight Attendant In Charge
Experience	Flight Attendant Airline Total 10 Flight Attendant Number Of Acft Qualified On 4 Flight Attendant Total 39 Flight Attendant Type 25
Person 2
Function	Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

Narrative:

Just as we were approaching the gate the APU began to emit smoke into the cabin. It was more visible in the back and I didn't even notice it until I stood up to disarm the front galley door. Then I heard call bells ringing in the cockpit as the flight attendant in the rear of the aircraft was calling the cockpit to alert them of the smoke and acrid smell. The pilots turned off the APU and the smoke stopped pouring out of the overhead. The cabin was smoky but not smoke filled. The smell was strong of jet fuel but visibility was not compromised. Since we were stopped at the gate I gave the signal to disarm as we had not heard it from the cockpit. The jetway was pulled up quickly and the passengers deplaned in an orderly manner with all their belongings. The continuation leg was canceled.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Upon starting the APU while taxiing to the gate an MD-80 aft cabin started to fill with smoke. When the APU was shut down the smoke stopped.

Narrative: Just as we were approaching the gate the APU began to emit smoke into the cabin. It was more visible in the back and I didn't even notice it until I stood up to disarm the front galley door. Then I heard call bells ringing in the cockpit as the Flight Attendant in the rear of the aircraft was calling the cockpit to alert them of the smoke and acrid smell. The pilots turned off the APU and the smoke stopped pouring out of the overhead. The cabin was smoky but not smoke filled. The smell was strong of jet fuel but Visibility was not compromised. Since we were stopped at the gate I gave the signal to disarm as we had not heard it from the cockpit. The jetway was pulled up quickly and the passengers deplaned in an orderly manner with all their belongings. The continuation leg was canceled.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

Upon starting the APU while taxiing to the gate an md-80 aft cabin started to fill with smoke. When the APU was shut down the smoke stopped.