AN MD80; IN CLB AT 500 FT; CREW NOTED A SLIGHT BURNING OIL SMELL. AT 2000 FT; FLT ATTENDANT RPTED SMOKY HAZE AND BURNING OIL SMELL. FLT RETURNED TO DEP STATION.

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JUST PRIOR TO PUSHBACK; RAMP NOTICED WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN OIL LEAK ON THE L SIDE TAIL SECTION OF THE ACFT. I CALLED MAINT AND SHUT DOWN THE APU. MAINT DETERMINED THAT THE APU HAD BEEN OVER-SVCED AND CORRECTED THE PROB. TAXI AND TKOF WERE NORMAL. ABOUT 500 FT WE NOTICED A SLIGHT BURNING OIL SMELL. AT 2000 FT THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND SAID THERE WAS A SMOKY HAZE IN THE CABIN AND IT SMELLED LIKE BURNING OIL. SHE ALSO SAID THE PAX WERE VERY CONCERNED. AT THAT TIME; THE CAPT DECIDED TO RETURN TO ZZZ. THE CAPT FLEW THE ACFT AND TALKED TO ATC WHILE I PULLED OUT THE EMER CHKLIST. I CALLED BACK TO THE CABIN TO SEE IF THE PROB WAS BETTER OR WORSE. THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID THE SMOKE WAS DISSIPATING BUT THE PAX WERE STILL CONCERNED. WE CONTINUED TO ZZZ AS A PRECAUTION. I WAS FINISHING UP THE CHKLISTS AND REVIEWING THE OVERWT LNDG PORTION OF THE QRH WHEN TWR ASKED IF WE WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER (I THOUGHT THE CAPT ALREADY HAD). THE CAPT ANSWERED THE CALL AND SAID NO; THE PROB WAS RESOLVED; ALL INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL AND THAT THE RETURN TO LAND WAS PRECAUTIONARY. WE LANDED NORMALLY ABOUT 30 SECONDS OR SO LATER. ON THE TAXI IN; WITH MORE TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT; WE DISCUSSED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THOUGHT THAT AN EMER SHOULD HAVE BEEN DECLARED JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE. TAXI WAS NORMAL AND MAINT TOOK THE ACFT OTS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 653944: JUST PRIOR TO PUSHBACK; AFTER BRAKE RELEASE; A WING WALKER NOTICED OIL DRIPPING FROM THE TAIL OF THE ACFT. WE TERMINATED THE PUSH AND CANCELED CLRNC FOR PUSH WITH GND. MAINT ARRIVED AT THE ACFT AND DETERMINED APU OIL WAS OVER-SVCED AND DRAINING FROM MAST AND OTHER PLACES. MAINT DRAINED EXCESS OIL AND HAD US START THE APU; IT OPS CHKED NORMAL. I WAS FAIRLY CERTAIN THE SMELL AND SMOKE/HAZE WERE DUE TO THE APU OIL OVERFLOW BEING INGESTED BY THE AIR CONDITIONING PACKS. HOWEVER; THE DECISION TO CONTINUE THE APCH AND LNDG AT ZZZ AS A PRECAUTION WAS THE PRUDENT COURSE OF ACTION.