LJ60 makes an emergency descent and diverts to a nearby airport when smoke fills cabin.

Attributes
ACN	803523
Time
Date	200809
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	msl single value : 40000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zzz.artcc tower : zzz.tower
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	Learjet 60
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 70 flight time total : 4400 flight time type : 1300
ASRS Report	803523
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude other anomaly
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	aircraft : equipment problem dissipated controller : provided flight assist flight crew : landed in emergency condition flight crew : diverted to another airport flight crew : declared emergency
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Reaching our cruise altitude of FL400 my copilot and I both smelled smoke. We looked behind us and saw white smoke building in the aft area of the cabin. We immediately began to do the memory item for the smoke in the cabin checklist. The first officer was the PF and I instructed him to begin an immediate descent while I continued to go through the checklist and declared the emergency to center. There was a slight delay in communicating with ATC due to frequency congestion. We were approximately 1500 ft off of our assigned altitude before we could report it to ATC. Center immediately cleared us to a lower altitude and began working with us to expedite our diversion/emergency landing at ZZZ. Through approximately FL250 the smoke had subsided and the landing at ZZZ was uneventful. Inspection found that the smoke was caused by a faulty cabin fan blower component located in the aft baggage area of the aircraft.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LJ60 MAKES AN EMERGENCY DESCENT AND DIVERTS TO A NEARBY ARPT WHEN SMOKE FILLS CABIN.

Narrative: REACHING OUR CRUISE ALT OF FL400 MY COPLT AND I BOTH SMELLED SMOKE. WE LOOKED BEHIND US AND SAW WHITE SMOKE BUILDING IN THE AFT AREA OF THE CABIN. WE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO DO THE MEMORY ITEM FOR THE SMOKE IN THE CABIN CHKLIST. THE FO WAS THE PF AND I INSTRUCTED HIM TO BEGIN AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT WHILE I CONTINUED TO GO THROUGH THE CHKLIST AND DECLARED THE EMER TO CTR. THERE WAS A SLIGHT DELAY IN COMMUNICATING WITH ATC DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION. WE WERE APPROX 1500 FT OFF OF OUR ASSIGNED ALT BEFORE WE COULD RPT IT TO ATC. CTR IMMEDIATELY CLRED US TO A LOWER ALT AND BEGAN WORKING WITH US TO EXPEDITE OUR DIVERSION/EMER LNDG AT ZZZ. THROUGH APPROX FL250 THE SMOKE HAD SUBSIDED AND THE LNDG AT ZZZ WAS UNEVENTFUL. INSPECTION FOUND THAT THE SMOKE WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY CABIN FAN BLOWER COMPONENT LOCATED IN THE AFT BAGGAGE AREA OF THE ACFT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.