B737-700
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 176; Flight Crew Type 16000
Situational Awareness; Distraction
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Aircraft Equipment Problem Dissipated; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Aircraft; Company Policy; Procedure; Weather
Departed with bleeds off and APU bleed feeding left pack due to desire to maximize stopping margin on a slick runway. Moderate snow falling and aircraft was deiced with Type IV fluid. All procedures were followed slowly and carefully. Just past V1 (109 KIAS); the cockpit began to fill with massive amounts of smoke. I rotated at VR and called for the gear. Within a second or two; it was becoming very difficult to see the flight instruments. I engaged the autopilot at 400 FT AGL; removed my headset; and donned my oxygen mask as did my First Officer. We established communication and I told him to check with the flight attendants to see if they had smoke in the cabin and where it might be coming from. About then; I began to suspect that the smoke was coming from deice fluid being ingested into the APU compressor. The smoke had become extremely thick and I was planning to divert; but out of about 2;000 FT MSL it began to dissipate. I removed my O2 mask and could then easily confirm that the smell was deice fluid. We were level at 3;000 FT MSL with the flaps still at takeoff setting on the Tower-assigned heading of 250 at V2. I twisted the Speed bug to the flaps up maneuvering speed and cleaned the airplane up on schedule. After a short period while we were climbing; we realized we had not yet switched the bleeds. We did so and the rest of the flight was normal. I am quite sure that the fuselage was deiced with Type IV fluid and the fluid sheered off just past V1 and entered the APU inlet. Make certain that Type IV fluid is not used on the fuselage if a bleeds off departure is planned.
Captain began takeoff after a two-step de-ice ant-ice. Weather was 1/2 SM and SN configuration was bleeds off flaps 25. After I called V1 (109); the cockpit began to fill with smoke-like fog. It was immediately apparent from the smell; the fog was associated with the Type IV anti-ice fluid. Rotation and takeoff were normal as cockpit visibility reduced to approximately 40-50% of normal. After the landing gear was retracted and the O2 masks were put on by the Captain and me; the Captain engaged the autopilot early below 1;000 FT and communication was established. Tower handed us off to Departure. I responded; however; the communication made a loud squeal over the speaker after flipping the com switch to Departure. I checked in. At this point communications sounded normal and further climb instructions were issued; 'Climb and maintain 12;000 FT expedite through 9;000 FT.' There was a delay in cleaning up the aircraft until approximately climbing through 2;700 FT due to the crew droning O2 mask and establishing communication. The smoke/fog in the cabin began to dissipate around 3;000 FT. Due to the high workload; the pressurization was not reconfigured until somewhere between 7;500 FT and 9;000 FT. Communication was established with the flight attendants climbing through 5;000 FT and they reported the antifreeze type odor but no smoke or fog in the cabin. The only thing that is not routine is a flaps 25 bleeds off departure after Type I and IV deicing. Maybe the takeoff configuration facilitated the Type IV fluid being ingested into the APU inlet. I have more questions than answers at this point.
B737 flight crew experiences a smoke filled cockpit just at rotation caused by deice fluid being ingested into the APU during a bleeds off takeoff. Oxygen masks are donned and the autopilot engaged at 400 FT AGL and as the aircraft begins to level at 2;000 FT on assigned heading at V2 the smoke begins to clear. After clean up and bleed reconfiguration; the flight continues to destination.