Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft
We had just taken off on the RNAV departure procedure and were in a left turn. The Captain was the pilot flying and while I was completing the after-takeoff checklist at around 1;200 FT AGL I noticed thick smoke billowing out of the air vents by our legs. It was white-to-gray in color and had a unique odor to it. It smelled most like a burning fluid or lubricant; such as oil. I brought it to the attention of the Captain who began an immediate left turn back towards the airport. Simultaneously; he had me declare an emergency with ATC and state our intention of landing as soon as possible. At first; there was a bit of confusion as to which runway we would be landing on. Ultimately however; the Tower asked if we could accept [the left] and we accepted. We also called our Flight Attendant at this time to notify her of the situation and assess the condition of the cabin. She informed us there was also smoke and a burning odor in the cabin. While setting up for a left downwind I began running through the memory items for smoke/fire in the cockpit or cabin. Turning off the recirculation fan seemed to help reduce the amount of smoke. There was insufficient time to pull out the QRH and complete the appropriate items; as we were turning base-to-final at this point and the Captain called for the landing checklist. Upon landing we stopped on a high-speed exit taxiway and were immediately met by fire trucks and rescue vehicles. We were in direct contact with the trucks while on the Tower frequency and were informed to shut down engine number 1 and open the main cabin door so the firefighters could access the condition of the aircraft. By this time we had determined an evacuation was not necessary as the smoke had cleared significantly. Upon inspection of the aircraft by the fire fighters; it was determined the aircraft would be safe to taxi to a gate; with the emergency vehicles following us as a precaution. I coordinated with Operations and we were assigned a gate. We were met by fire fighting and Maintenance personnel at the jetway and subsequently de-planed the passengers without further incident. There were no injuries. The immediate turn to the left after encountering the smoke put us in the departure path of [another runway]; however ATC informed us we would be clear of any incursions at our present altitude of about 1;200 feet AGL. Additionally; the late completion of the landing checklist temporarily caused the aircraft to be less than 1;000 FT AGL while not fully configured for landing. At no point was the aircraft in an unstable approach or landing state; and the landing checklist was completed prior to 500 FT AGL.
EMB-145 First Officer reports dense white smoke billowing out of the floor vents shortly after takeoff and an immediate return for landing is requested; with only the smoke memory items accomplished prior to landing. The landing checklist is not completed until 500 FT AGL.