A DC10 EXPERIENCES SMOKE IN THE CABIN AND COCKPIT SHORTLY AFTER TKOF FROM DTW. THE APU HAD BEEN MEL'ED AT DTW; MI.
Synopsis
A DC10 EXPERIENCES SMOKE IN THE CABIN AND COCKPIT SHORTLY AFTER TKOF FROM DTW. THE APU HAD BEEN MEL'ED AT DTW; MI.
Narrative
WE READIED THE ACFT FOR A ROUTINE DEP FOR A FLT FROM DTW TO LAS WITH 260 PAX. THE ACFT HAD THE APU ON MEL; WAS COVERED WITH FROST; AND WX WAS BELOW TKOF MINIMUMS. BACKGND: WE HAD FLOWN THIS ACFT INTO DTW THE PREVIOUS AFTERNOON WITH NO PROBS. THE ACFT OVERNIGHTED IN DTW. THE APU HAD BEEN PUT ON THE MEL OVERNIGHT BY MAINT. DURING THE NIGHT; ON THE GND IN DTW; IT HAD 'FILLED THE CABIN WITH SMOKE;' AND HAD TO BE 'SVCED WITH 8 QUARTS OF OIL.' WE CALLED DISPATCH TO OBTAIN A TKOF ALTERNATE -- MSP WAS SELECTED. THE ACFT WAS DEICED AND THE #2 ENG STARTED AT THE GATE. WE PUSHED BACK AT XA00 AND STARTED ENGS #1 AND #3. THE WX HAD INTERMITTENTLY IMPROVED TO TKOF MINIMUMS ON RWY 21R. WE TAXIED TO RWY 21R AND TOOK OFF AT XA20 WITH RVR 700/600/600. SHORTLY AFTER TKOF; SEVERAL FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED THE COCKPIT TO RPT 'SMOKE OR HAZE IN THE ENTIRE CABIN AND ALL LAVATORY SMOKE DETECTORS ACTIVATED.' AT THE SAME TIME WE SMELLED A VERY STRONG (CHEMICAL) ODOR OF ENG OIL AND/OR DEICING FLUID AND OBSERVED A FINE MIST OR HAZE IN THE COCKPIT AND CABIN. WE IMMEDIATELY DONNED OXYGEN MASKS AND THE FO STARTED THE APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS STARTING WITH 'AIR CONDITIONING SMOKE.' WE LEVELED OFF AT 12000 FT DEPARTING DTW ON OUR PLANNED DEP RTE HDG WBOUND. WE RULED OUT A CARGO FIRE BECAUSE THIS ACFT IS EQUIPPED WITH: CARGO FIRE; SMOKE AND HEAT DETECTION. THE FOLLOWING COCKPIT WARNING LIGHTS ARE INSTALLED; OF WHICH NONE ACTIVATED: 4 CARGO SMOKE DETECTORS; A HEAT DETECTOR; AND A 'CARGO FIRE' LIGHT ON THE FE CARGO FIRE/SMOKE DETECTION PANEL; PLUS 'CARGO FIRE' SUMMARY AND 'MASTER WARNING' LIGHTS ON THE PLT'S OVERHEAD PANEL AND GLARESHIELD. ALSO; THERE WAS NO SMELL OF FIRE OR BURNING! WE KEPT TRACK OF THE NEAREST ARPTS AND CONSIDERED DECLARING AN EMER; BUT FOUND THAT NOT TO BE A GOOD AND APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION. INSTEAD; WE STAYED ON OUR PLANNED (W DEP) RTE WHICH WAS ALREADY PROGRAMMED INTO THE NAV COMPUTERS; USING STANDARD PROCS AND PROFILES. THIS ALLOWED US TO CONCENTRATE OUR EFFORTS; KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY TO WORK THE PROB; WHILE HDG TOWARDS OUR TKOF ALTERNATE. WHILE IN LEVEL FLT (AT 12000 FT); AND AT THE SAME TIME WHEN SO HAD THE #2 PNEUMATIC SUPPLY/PACK DISABLED; THE CABIN HAD CLRED UP. WITH THE CABIN 'SMOKE' FREE; THE SO MADE A PERSONAL INSPECTION OF THE CABIN WHILE THE CAPT AND I STAYED ON OXYGEN. WE STARTED TO CLB (AT MAX CRUISE PWR). DURING THIS CLB; AND AFTER THE SO HAD RETURNED FROM THE CABIN; WE DISCUSSED OUR OPTIONS. WE JOINTLY ELECTED TO PROCEED TO THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT. AT THIS POINT; CHICAGO WAS FAIRLY CLOSE; AND IF THE WX WAS ABOVE MINIMUMS; IT SEEMED RATHER FOOLISH NOT TO LAND THE ACFT THERE -- ORD RPTED RVR 6000. WE DECIDED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT ORD. SO CONTACTED DISPATCH FOR COORD; WE DUMPED ABOUT 5000 LBS OF FUEL AND PROCEEDED TO LAND AT ORD. FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX WERE KEPT UP-TO-DATE REGULARLY AS TO OUR SIT; OPTIONS AND INTENTIONS. PLEASE NOTE THAT EACH AND EVERY PAX GOT BACK ON THE SAME AIRPLANE IN ORD AND FLEW WITH US TO LAS LATER THAT DAY. ALL CREW MEMBERS; DISPATCH; ATC; ORD GND CREW AND MECHS; ALL DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB. THIS POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS SIT WAS DEFUSED WITH GREAT SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE AND HANDLED WITH THE UTMOST PROFESSIONALISM BY ALL INVOLVED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FO STATED THAT THE DTW STATION WAS MANNED BY CONTRACT MAINT PERSONNEL AND THAT THE MAINT PROCS ARE LIMITED IN SCOPE. RPTR FELT THAT THERE WAS SOME ANOMALY THAT WAS NOT DEALT WITH OR RPTED TO THE CREW. AT ORD THE GND CREW FOUND THAT THE 'SOCK' (A CLOTH FILTER) THAT IS IN THE AIR CONDITIONING LINE WAS OIL SOAKED. THEY BELIEVED THAT THE APU HAD BEEN OVERSVCED AND OIL SEEPED INTO THE #2 AIR CONDITIONING SYS. THEY TOOK OUT THAT SOCK AND REPLACED IT WITH A CLEAN ONE; RAN THE ENGS AND SYS AND SIGNED IT OFF AS OK. RPTR SAID THIS WAS THE THIRD INCIDENT HE HAD HEARD OF REGARDING THE PRODUCTION OF SMOKE IN THE DC10.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.