MD88 WAS RETURNING TO LAND AS A RESULT OF SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AND CABIN. WHILE INTERCEPTING THE LOC THE FLC RECEIVED A TCASII RA.

Narrative

WE TOOK OFF FROM ATL ENRTE TO GSO. ON CLBOUT THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT CALLED US ON THE CABIN INTERPHONE AND ADVISED US THAT THE SMOKE ALARMS WERE GOING OFF IN THE REAR LAVATORIES AND THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR IN THE CABIN. WE WENT THROUGH THE ABNORMAL PROCS AND ASKED FOR A CLRNC BACK TO ATL. ZTL HANDED US OFF TO ATL APCH CTL. WE DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER BUT WE WANTED TO LAND IN ATL. WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR AN ILS RWY 26R APCH AND CLRED TO 6000 FT AND TO INTERCEPT RWY 26R LOC. INBOUND ON THE RWY 26R LOC AT 6000 FT; APPROX 15 MI E OF THE ATL ARPT; THERE WAS HVY VOICE TFC AND BLOCKED XMISSIONS. WE RECEIVED A TCASII ADVISORY AND THEN A RESOLUTION OF 'DSND; XING; DSND.' WE BOTH SAW THE CONFLICTING TFC AT 1 O'CLOCK TURNING IN FRONT OF US AND DSNDING. RADIO XMISSIONS WERE BEING BLOCKED AND WE TOOK EVASIVE ACTION TURNING R AND DSNDING. FINALLY APCH CTL GOT IN TOUCH WITH US AND TOLD US TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION THEN TO MAINTAIN 5000 FT AND TURN R TO 180 DEGS FOR VECTORS BACK TO RWY 26R ILS FOR AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 322426: AT 15 MI; OTHER ACFT WAS VECTORED FROM BASE TO FINAL ON AN INTERCEPT COURSE WITH OUR ACFT. ACFT IN AREA WERE ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT FREQS AND XMISSION CONGESTION PRECLUDED ATC FROM ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS TO US. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR OF ACN 322426 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE TCASII RA TFC (AT THE SAME ALT AND APPROX 500 FT HORIZLY) WAS ON ANOTHER FREQ. FLC HAD TFC IN SIGHT AND MANEUVERED TO AVOID THE TFC. RPTR STATES THAT SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AND CABIN WAS ENTERING THROUGH THE AIR-CONDITIONING SYS; BUT CAUSE OF SMOKE IS UNKNOWN.