Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8, G-ECOF, 21 July 2011
Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8, G-ECOF
Summary:
In the cruise at FL240, the aircraft generated a spurious smoke warning from the forward baggage compartment. The crew assumed the warning was valid and carried out checklist actions designed to tackle fire or smoke from an unknown source. This resulted in power being removed from the co-pilot’s flight displays, the autopilot, the Instrument Landing System (ILS), the transponder, the CVR and FDR, and caused the aircraft to begin to depressurise. The aircraft landed safely at Edinburgh following a Surveillance Radar Approach (SRA), vacated the runway and the passengers were evacuated onto a taxiway.
The investigation indicated that the spurious warning was probably caused by an intermittent short-circuit in a smoke detector connector as a result of moisture ingress.
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