KLM 737, Smoke in cabin

[Scando]

Local news reporting a KLM 737 enroute AMS GOT, had to return to AMS due to "heavy" smoke in the cabin. Pax asked to put on O2 masks, and cabin attendants were patrolling the cabin with fire extinguishers.
Anybody on the inside who knows the cause of this incident?

Link in Norwegian:KLM 737 (http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=232199)

[alexban]

Not sure,but i remember pax oxigen masks on 737 are not to be used in case of heavy smoke,they mix the O2 with cabin air.

[galleygirlAPU]

exactly....the use of oxygen masks is "banned" in case of smoke because it gets mixed with smoke! pilots wear their quick donning masks with smoke goggles selected on "emergency" and crew might wear a pbe. pax are asked to lower their head and cover nose and mouth with a cloth. that's all..

[lomapaseo]

OK. call me curious but what really did happen:confused:

Did they have smoke in the cabin?

Or did the Pax simply see masks dropped because of pressurization problems?

It seems odd that the news reporter would make up the story about O2 masks being dropped

[Scando]

From the article: You are thinking a lot of strange thoughts when you are sitting with an oxygen mask on in a smoke filled aircraft (quote from one of the passengers).
And: There was so much smoke that all the passengers had to put on the oxygen masks...

My guess is they may have used the masks as a means to calm down the passengers.

A spokesman from KLM downplayed the incident, saying, yes, there was smoke in the cabin, but the aircraft returned safely to AMS.

No info as to the type of 737.

[msi]

A journalist onboard took a photo with his mobile phone:
http://www.expressen.se/content/1/c6/15/08/07/1d4ba849.jpg

[pilotwolf]

Doesn't look very smokey in that photo...

Also looks like vegetation outside the window...

Or am I too cynical?

PW

[catchup]

Seems like the annual emergency training;)

[Scando]

Quite possibly the picture was taken after landing.
The Swedish article is taking about a fire, followed very rapid descent which "put the fire out".
Again it states the CA's were running around with fire extinguishers during the incident.
A number of passengers were crying after disembarkation, so I doubt they had an amusing time...

[TheFatMan]

The photo was taken with a mobile camera so the quality is not that good. Some friends of mine were onboard that flight and they say that they did not recieve much info from the crew. So we will just have to wait for some info from KLM if it was depressurization or a fire.

[Daysleeper]

A journalist onboard took a photo with his mobile phone:
Arrest him for using his phone onboard the aircraft!
Besides the 2 guys in the picture dont look very stressed. Look like they are laughing behind the masks.

[PPRuNeUser0171]

Arrest him for using his phone onboard the aircraft!


Why?

Most phones these days and I know the P800, P900 and Nokia 6600 have a flight mode that turns the power OFF to all radio devices. This allows things like the PDA and camera functions to work without sending out any radio energy.

--
Gary.

[simfly]

However.... can people be trusted to use such function on a mobile phone???? I think not. There was an incident in shetland recently where an offshore pax was seen by groundstaff walking away from a helicopter, pressing buttons on his mobile, and information circulating round about a passenger using his mobile while landing at Aberdeen on a Super Puma L2, and it caused the PFD and nav display to dissapear...... If i were crew or pax for that matter, and saw someone using their mobile, I would be concerned as i know many people who hardly know how to use them for calls, let alone finding out how to switch off all it's radio devices.

[PPRuNeUser0171]

Some of us DO know how to use such functions on a mobile phone, please don't tar us all with the same brush!

Also, What about the proliferation of wireless devices on laptops? The HP/Compaq NC4000 has bluetooth and 802.11x embedded in the monitor frame.
It's impossible to tell if the wireless parts are on or off unless you know where to look.

Does this mean all electronic equipment should be banned?

--
Gary.

[Daysleeper]

Use of electonic devices is banned during take off and landing AND during emergancies. You have to be some sort of nut to be snapping away with a camera phone during a smoke incident, think the crew dont have enough to do already?
Of course we dont know that there was any smoke and it could be that the whole thing has been caused by this gits phone disrupting the smoke detectors.

[PPRuNeUser0171]

Daysleeper , Agreed completly!!!

What I'm getting at is this insane thought that just because someone is using a mobile phone it must be pumping out huge volumes of radio energy yet the guy sitting next to me with his laptop is unaware of the built in 2.4ghz wireless connection!

--
Gary.

[SyllogismCheck]

Not to create more discussion on this since it is not really the point in case... However lets assume there was some kind of incident, no smoke without fire, bad pun I know but it validates my point. The very last thing the flight deck need, even if no worse is 'dit...ditty...dit...dit....dit...ditty...dit...dit' cutting across thier (possibly emergency (no drama intended)) RT.
Quite right and reasonable to point out the flight mode feature, however its is only valid if the device were already set to this mode BEFORE departure otherwise it would have to be switched on and would then try to 'touch base' with a cell before the new mode could be selected.
The rules are still the rules and in almost all cases say NO MOBILE PHONES, 'flight mode' or not!

[alexban]

We were talking about KLM flight. Any news?

[SLFguy]

and information circulating round about a passenger using his mobile while landing at Aberdeen on a Super Puma L2, and it caused the PFD and nav display to dissapear......


Bulldung!!!