SAS MD80 returns to CPH

[teleport]

SAS MD80 returns to CPH after smoke in cockpit. According to politiken.dk the Athens bound plane diverted about 10 minutes into the flight. Textbook stuff, everyone safe and sound.

[Short Approach?]

Non event. Plane evacuated on taxiway. No fire/smoke found by firedep. upon investigation.

[Few Cloudy]

Non event eh?

I wonder if the crew would agree with you there! Why then did they evacuate? Smoke is about the worst thing you can have on a flight - except out and out fire. To get down quick is the best thing you can do - if you get down before it becomes an "event", you did it right.

FC.

[Short Approach?]

Yeah well, allow me to refraise then: We all got scared for a moment in the tower as well as in the cockpit/cabin. Safely on the ground in less than 2 minutes, the crew took no chance and evacuated the aircarft on the taxiway. Afterwards we all learned that nothing had been on fire, but some electrics had given a strange "heat" smell, enough to scare anyone in that position.

The end.

[019360]

Well done. There is just no point messing about if there is any doubt. I came across this quote the other day from US Admiral Nimitz:
"Nothing is more dangerous than for a seaman to be grudging in taking precautions lest they turn out to have been unnecessary. Safety at sea for a thousand years has depended on exactly the opposite philosophy"
Ourpassengers deserve nothing less than this. Once again, well done.

[Few Cloudy]

As it happens I was involved in the investgation of a Swissair MD-80 which had had smoke in the cockpit. It came from a short in the emergency power switch - directly fed from the battery through an inaccessible (in the cellar) 80AH circuit breaker - which didn't pop.

After a light start, the smoke built up so fast, that they couldn't read the check list - couldn't see to depressurise and open a panel (the removal procedure) and just about got it down in MUC by waving the smoke away with the checklist.

They then saw that the windows were covered in quite thick ash inside.
I hope that SAS ship gets a good long check over before they let it fly again.

FC.

[tdc]

I was a passenger on that plane and I have sent several emails to sas regarding this incident asking them to inform me about what went wrong but I have received absolutely no answer from them. What can I do in order to get an answer or find out what actually happened and how dangerous the incident was?

[Short Approach?]

What can I do in order to get an answer or find out what actually happened and how dangerous the incident was?

You can wait for the report on http://www.hcl.dk like everyone else.

[F4F]

Few Cloudy... remember that one pretty well... and reading the crew's report, that was a pretty close one too... good 'ol times...
Regards, F4F

[tdc]

Thank you for the link Short Approach. SAS could at least have had the courtesy to inform me about http://www.hcl.dk after the fright we went through. If anyone knows any details on the incident please share with me (by pm if neccessary).

[Ladusvala]

tdc,
Were you not debriefed by the crew?
SAS and the authorities are investigating and you will probably not get any reply before the report is published because that would be pure speculation.

The crew took good care of you by not taking any chances, i.e. following the principle of better safe than sorry. You should thank them.

[tdc]

The crew of the plane were very proffesional in handling the situation and I do thank them! Yes we were debriefed by the pilot (special thanks to him) but he could of course not offer any explanation as to why this incident occured. The only interesting information we got was that the aircraft had been in the hangar for three days and it was it's first flight after that. What I am upset about is the fact that I have made sevral attempts to contact sas on the incident and have not had a single respond even of the kind "we are investigating it and you will have an answer when the technical report is complete". Nothing, not a word from them. I will be checking out http://www.hcl.dk/ as Short Approach suggested! How long does it usually take before a report is posted there?

[Few Cloudy]

TDC, in the case of the Swissair MD-80, MDC as then was, put a of of effort into the investigation - even to the extent of having the emergency power switch manufacturer build a rig on which three switches (they are very long units with several layers) were continuously worked for some months, to try to replicate the case.

In the meantime crew testing of the switch was reduced to a minimum (once a day) to reduce wear.

At the same time all other systems in the associated area of the overhead panel (windshield heating was one) were carefully looked at in case the emergency power switch (which had been pretty much charred out of recognition) had not been the root of the problem.

Finally an improved Emergency Power switch was constructed and issued.

I don't want to drag a red herring through the SAS case - there are many possible causes for smoke - some of them non electric - but just want to illustrate that an investigation takes time, that while it is going on certain precautions are usually taken and finally, long after everybody has forgotten the incident, the result becomes known.

It is frustrating, especially if you were involved but this painstaking approach has to be used.

F4F - you've got me thinking??

[tdc]

Thank you for your response Few Cloudy and for pointing out that an investigation can be complicated and time consuming. I am not familiar with the procedures involved in the investigation of such incidents and maybe I am a bit too impatient. I guess I will just have to wait... Thanks again!

[tdc]

After all these months and nothing about the incident on www.hcl.dk...
Will a report ever be available or has the incident "dissappeared"?

[Major Attack]

Be patient,

investigations takes more than a couple of month, sometimes up to 2 years. I don't think it's being "buried", but thorough investigations takes time - a lot of time.

Best Regards,

Major Attack

[forget]

tdc, You need to understand the effort that goes into any air-safety investigation.

Here's an interim report as an example. The Danes will be equally as thorough.

http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/cms_resou...7%20N786UA.pdf

[tdc]

Well, ok... Three months after the incident I thought there should be something on it - even an interim report as forget mentioned. I will keep waiting. Thanks!