What happened
On June 20, 2017, at 04:03 UTC, an Airbus A319 operated by SAS Scandinavian Airlines departed from Gdańsk Airport (EPGD) bound for Copenhagen (EKCH). Shortly after the aircraft became airborne, smoke was detected within the cockpit. In response to the situation, the flight crew decided to abort the flight and return to Gdańsk.
The aircraft landed safely on the runway without incident. Following the landing, all 93 passengers and the crew evacuated the aircraft using emergency slides. No injuries were reported among the occupants.
The investigation
The investigation examined the technical state of the aircraft and the environmental conditions at the time of the event. Technical services and the airport fire brigade inspected the aircraft upon its return to the gate. The inspection confirmed that there was no active fire on board the aircraft. The investigation also determined that the prevailing meteorological conditions did not contribute to the occurrence.
Findings
The investigation established that the smoke entered the cockpit through the air conditioning system. This was caused by an oil leak into a damaged air exchange unit, which allowed smoke to penetrate the flight deck.