Smoke in aircraft mandates a return and land for air carrier large transport.

Attributes
ACN	206023
Time
Date	199203
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : bos
State Reference	MA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 5000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : bos
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude descent other other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 4500 flight time type : 800
ASRS Report	206023
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 6000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	206668
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

After returning to gate because of smoke in cabin, flight was cancelled. Maintenance then cleared aircraft for return to service by placarding 1 air conditioning pack inoperative. We were then scheduled to ferry the aircraft to mia. During climb, smoke again entered cabin. Aircraft was depressurized to aid in smoke removal and emergency descent and landing was completed. Flight taxied to gate normally (most of the smoke had dissipated). The descent was very hurried because of the many checklists that had to be completed -- but all went well. It turned out after talking to maintenance that this was the fifth time (5) that the aircraft had been evacuated for smoke in the cabin in the last month. Had maintenance had more time and less pressure to get the aircraft returned to service, the emergency descent and landing might not have been required, and the trend and history of the problem might have been discovered and corrected sooner.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMOKE IN ACFT MANDATES A RETURN AND LAND FOR ACR LGT.

Narrative: AFTER RETURNING TO GATE BECAUSE OF SMOKE IN CABIN, FLT WAS CANCELLED. MAINT THEN CLRED ACFT FOR RETURN TO SVC BY PLACARDING 1 AIR CONDITIONING PACK INOP. WE WERE THEN SCHEDULED TO FERRY THE ACFT TO MIA. DURING CLB, SMOKE AGAIN ENTERED CABIN. ACFT WAS DEPRESSURIZED TO AID IN SMOKE REMOVAL AND EMER DSCNT AND LNDG WAS COMPLETED. FLT TAXIED TO GATE NORMALLY (MOST OF THE SMOKE HAD DISSIPATED). THE DSCNT WAS VERY HURRIED BECAUSE OF THE MANY CHKLISTS THAT HAD TO BE COMPLETED -- BUT ALL WENT WELL. IT TURNED OUT AFTER TALKING TO MAINT THAT THIS WAS THE FIFTH TIME (5) THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN EVACUATED FOR SMOKE IN THE CABIN IN THE LAST MONTH. HAD MAINT HAD MORE TIME AND LESS PRESSURE TO GET THE ACFT RETURNED TO SVC, THE EMER DSCNT AND LNDG MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN REQUIRED, AND THE TREND AND HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM MIGHT HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AND CORRECTED SOONER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.