Okay...I found this posted on an aviation discussion board today. I searched posts here on the 15th and 16th and didn't see it, so please excuse me if it has been posted and I've missed it. Also, sorry for the lack of a link. Maybe the whole thing is fiction. :(

"Finnair emergency landing in Zurich

Last Saturday (4/15/00) smoke/fire in the cockpit allegedly caused a Finnair plane (from Zurich to Helsinki) to return to Zurich soon after takeoff. There was an emergency evacuation upon landing."

The poster went on to say that some of her work colleagues were onboard the flight.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), April 18, 2000

Answers

"A Finnair MD82 from Z|rich to Helsinki 15APR00 with 60 pax had cabin smoke soon after takeoff, due to a faulty electrical lighting fixture in an overhead bin. The fire was put out with two halon bottles at FL90 and the aircraft returned safely to Z|rich after 11 mins in flight. No injuries reported."

http://www.dlc.fi/~andeli n/md80acci.htm

There was a note on Finnair website (4/16/00, only in Finnish):

http://www.finnair.fi/sisalto/lue_uutiset/tiedotteet/20000416.htm

The flight was code-shared with Swissair (flight number AY864/SR8592).

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), April 19, 2000.

Good detective work Rachel! Thank you for the post.

-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), April 19, 2000.