American 757 diverted - smoke in cabin
 

Jan 30, 9:00pm MST

EWR to LAX, landed at KGJT (Walker Field, Grand Junction, Colorado) details slim but apparently no injuries...

More detail, ex Grand Junction News Sentinel via RockyMountainNews.com 11:54 p.m. 01/30/08

An American Airlines 757 carrying an estimated 103 passengers and 17,000 pounds of fuel was forced to land at Grand Junction Regional Airport Wednesday evening, due to reports of “smoke in the cabin.”

The flight — #119 which originated in Newark and bound for Los Angeles — made a safe emergency landing at the Grand Junction airport around 10:15 p.m. There were no injuries to passengers or flight crew members, and people were evacuated directly onto the tarmac as soon as the wheels came to a stop along the runway.

According to fire officials who responded to the scene, the smoke is thought to have started due to a fire that began at the back of the aircraft. Firefighters with the Grand Junction Fire Department conducted thermal imaging in an attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the fire.

Another AA 757 incident
 

Plane makes emergency landing in Fla. after smoke fills cockpit

Last Update: 5:21 am

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Smoke filled the cockpit of an American Airlines flight from Puerto Rico on Wednesday, forcing an emergency landing, an airport official said.

Several passengers were transported to the airport, but the injuries were not considered life threatening.

The plane had left San Juan for Philadelphia and landed safely at Palm Beach International Airport, said Casandra Davis, an airport spokeswoman.

American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said the captain reported smoke in the cockpit about two hours into the trip of Flight 1738. As the plane made its descent into the airport in Palm Beach, the inner window pane cracked and sprayed glass into the cockpit. The outer window pane was not damaged and the plane did not lose cabin pressure, she said.

She said a passenger and the first officer on the plane were taken to the hospital. Later, the captain and three flight attendants were also taken to the hospital.

The plane, a Boeing 757, carried 139 passengers and a crew of seven.

Fagan said another plane was being brought in from Fort Lauderdale to complete the flight to Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating

Copilot Breaks Out Windshield!
 

Local West Palm Beach TV news reported the copilot was injured trying to break out a cockpit window so they could see. Nice feat at 300 knots through a multi paned bird proof window.

New Smoke in Cockpit Checklist.

1 O2 mask on.
2. Break out cockpit windshield
.... etc.

Sad reporting. They later got the story straight. Probably a malfunction in the windshield heating element?

I hope all the passengers were transported to the airport! Or did they plan to jettison some enroute to reduce landing weight? :ugh:

Sadly, another example of incompetent journalism. You'd think that editors of these rags would learn their lesson after numerous botched reporting incidents concerning aviation. But, it's obvious that sensationalism is the goal, and not accurate and professional reporting.

It really doesn't matter if they dumped fuel or not, when you have something as serious as fire on board you will try to land ASAP.

What is really sad is that most of the posts here are complaing about the journalists and the way was reported than to comment about the fact of smoke......

Initial reports were that they were descending to land at PBI because of smoke in the cockpit when the inner pane failed on the fo's windshield so unless they had two simutaneous problems the window heat controller must have been smoking and subsequently caused the inner pane to fail.

I do wonder if the crew donned their protective gear? And if they did it quickly enough?

What protective gear? :)

Ideally yes. Swissair 111 was one of those cases where the straight shot to Halifax was delayed for a fuel dump. Its an interesting tradeoff I am sure for the crew:

1) land heavy. $$$ + reputation
2) dump fuel an play beat the clock

Air Canada DC9 in Cincinatti played beat the clock. This resulted in a loss of life. Expeditious descent and subsequent landing required at all times with reports of smoke. A simple SOP I hope you agree.

Protective gear for pilots in a smoke situation would include:

1. face mask or goggles
2. pressure fed oxygen/mask...

a face mask would have oxygen fed from a cockpit source... and is the more modern version, though seperate goggles and mask are still in use some places.

there is also a smoke hood that might be used for evacuation, but not likely in this case. the hood has a quick inflating oxygen charge and a longer lasting charge...even small LED lights to warn when the oxygen is running out.

as to dumping fuel, the 757 doesn't have fuel dumping capability. (correct me if I'm wrong). Fuel dumping starts with bigger planes and the easy to remember cutoff would be the 767...some have dumping, the early ones don't.

Since the Boeing 757 can not dump fuel, drop that subject. Just saw a video on TV showing the FO's windshield shattered. I have had two outer panes shatter but never an inner one letting glass in the cockpit. The outer panes have no restrictions, 250K max below 10,000. I guess if the FO's windshield is shattered it is simply the captains leg from there to landing. I am not sure why the 3 FA's and one passenger in back needed to go to the hospital with the cockpit crew. Glass can not get through a bullet proof door.

Why did the F/A's and pax have to go to the hospital? Frayed nerves. Very time consuming to stitch together. :ooh:

Why the fuss over a plane with smoke in the cockpit? UA had one a couple of days ago in SEA....it happens fairly frequently.

I didn't know they had frayed nerves doctors standing by at hospitals now days. Most people have to make an appointment for that.

Why all the fuss? It's a reportable occurrence, at least in our neck of the woods.