A RETURN LAND PERFORMED IN A DA90 FALCON 900 IN A NIGHT OP WHEN SMOKE IS DETECTED IN THE COCKPIT.

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WE MADE A NORMAL NIGHTTIME DEP FROM RDU. WE HAD JUST BEEN HANDED OFF TO ZDC; LEVEL AT 14000 FT MSL; WHEN I NOTICED A PECULIAR DISTORTED APPEARANCE TO THE INSTS. I SMELLED SMOKE AT THE SAME MOMENT THAT I WAS POINTING OUT THE WEIRDNESS TO THE COPLT. SMOKE IS NOT INSTANTLY VISIBLE IN A DARK COCKPIT. ATC WAS IMMEDIATELY ADVISED. THEY CLRED US DIRECT AND DOWN TO 12000 FT MSL. HE THEN SAID TO CONTACT RDU APCH. SO FAR SO GOOD. THEN I TOLD THE COPLT TO PUT ON HIS OXYGEN MASK AS I DONNED MINE. AS I DID THIS; I WIPED MY HEADSET OFF; BUT DIDN'T REALIZE IT. I SELECTED 'MASK' ON THE COM CONSOLE WHICH ALLOWED ME TO COMMUNICATE WITH ATC. MY COPLT CHANGED FREQS AND COMMUNICATED WITH RDU APCH. HE HEARD THEM CLR US TO 4000 FT MSL. I HEARD NOTHING. NO COPLT TALK; NO ATC. I THEN REMEMBERED THAT I NEEDED TO SELECT 'COCKPIT' ON THE COM CONSOLE SO THAT HE COULD HEAR ME BY WAY OF A 'HOT' MIKE SET-UP. I ASKED HIM IF WE HAD BEEN CLRED ANY LOWER. HE ANSWERED; BUT I COULDN'T HEAR HIM. I WAS ISOLATED AND FRUSTRATED. I PULLED MY MASK OFF AND TOLD HIM I COULDN'T HEAR HIM. HE PUNCHED ON HIS HOT MIKE ABOUT THE SAME TIME I REALIZED I NEEDED TO GO TO 'SPEAKER' TO HEAR ANYTHING. WE WERE BACK IN BUSINESS. THIS FLT DEPT IS NOW OPERATING ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE WILL LOSE OUR HEADSETS AND MUST GO TO SPEAKER IN A SIMILAR SIT. POSITIONAL AWARENESS WAS EXCELLENT. HOWEVER; THE FMS WAS CONFUSING. IT WOULD ACCEPT 'DIRECT' TO RDU BUT A SECOND LATER WOULD FLIP TO THE NEXT LEG WHICH WAS OF COURSE BEHIND US. I WENT TO SELECT RDU ON THE #1 NAV BUT IT WAS DEAD. (#1 NAV HAD FRIED INTERNALLY AND WAS THE SOURCE OF OUR SMOKE) #2 NAV DID THE TRICK. NOW I COULD SEE THE WELL LIT TERMINAL COMPLEX BUT NO RWYS. WE REQUESTED THAT THE TWR TURN UP THE RWY LIGHTS WHICH THEY DID AFTER A FEW SECONDS. IT WAS WONDERFUL. ORIENTATION WAS COMPLETE. ATC MIGHT WANT TO DO THIS AS A REGULAR PART OF NIGHT TIME EMER PROCS. THE USUAL LOW RWY LIGHTING IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PICK OUT AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF NORMAL CITY AND TERMINAL AREA LIGHTS. FINALLY; THE RDU CFR PERSONNEL WERE EXCELLENT IN HELPING US SAFELY EXPLORE WHAT HAD BURNED AND CONFIRMING THE PROB WAS OVER.