Narrative:

Cruise flight at FL370 50 NM southwest of NAS on br 55V the #1 flight attendant reported call system ringing continuously. Captain entered first class galley to investigate. The #1 flight attendant advised captain of a smoke warning in the lavatory by door 2L and that 3 flight attendants were investigating/fighting possible fire. #1 flight attendant then advised captain that back of aircraft is filling with smoke of an electrical nature, and that flight attendants in the back reported that it was heavy. Captain visually confirmed the presence of smoke. The view of the aft cabin was obscured. Flight declared an emergency, initiated an emergency descent, and diverted to NAS. The #1 flight attendant was conveyed the emergency procedures information by cockpit visit and told to prepare the cabin for an emergency landing and possible evacuate/evacuation. The first officer was preparing to run applicable hard card items, but with no cockpit warning lights or ECAM messages. Would have run the smoke removal. 2 successive updates from the #1 flight attendant told of conditions not worsening, then improving. Flight attendant was advised that evacuate/evacuation was now less likely, however, be alert for the signal. Note flight attendants and a pilot reported the smoke as electrical. The flight landed uneventfully at NAS with no ground evacuate/evacuation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: after receiving a call from the flight attendant that the chime system was stuck and ringing continuously, the captain went back to pull the circuit breaker to stop the chiming. When in the cabin, he was advised and confirmed visually that heavy smoke was filling the rear cabin. A deadheading pilot and flight attendants idented the smoke as electrical. The captain declared an emergency and diverted to nassau (NAS). The crew was briefed using the company emergency procedure which identifies type of emergency, if an evacuate/evacuation is expected, the signal for the brace position and the time available. There were no ECAM messages, so reporter captain discounted the smoke as coming from the air conditioning packs. Also, being 'electrical' they thought and searched to see if it was from a fluorescent light ballast. The smoke dissipated prior to landing and an uneventful landing ensued. Mechanics were flown in and checked the aircraft thoroughly and, not finding other malfunctions, changed the air conditioning pack 'coalescer bags' which remove the moisture from the packs. The aircraft was then ferried back to miami while another aircraft was flown in to take the passenger on to their destination. During the incident there were thunderstorms in the area with accompanying lighting. Thinking that the aircraft had been hit by lightning some of the passenger contacted the FAA faulting the captain. Consequently, the FAA did a follow-up investigation with no further action. The reporter captain checked the follow-up on the aircraft and found that the L2 lavatory had an electrical fault.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. ELECTRICAL SMOKE.

Narrative: CRUISE FLT AT FL370 50 NM SW OF NAS ON BR 55V THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT RPTED CALL SYS RINGING CONTINUOUSLY. CAPT ENTERED FIRST CLASS GALLEY TO INVESTIGATE. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED CAPT OF A SMOKE WARNING IN THE LAVATORY BY DOOR 2L AND THAT 3 FLT ATTENDANTS WERE INVESTIGATING/FIGHTING POSSIBLE FIRE. #1 FLT ATTENDANT THEN ADVISED CAPT THAT BACK OF ACFT IS FILLING WITH SMOKE OF AN ELECTRICAL NATURE, AND THAT FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK RPTED THAT IT WAS HVY. CAPT VISUALLY CONFIRMED THE PRESENCE OF SMOKE. THE VIEW OF THE AFT CABIN WAS OBSCURED. FLT DECLARED AN EMER, INITIATED AN EMER DSCNT, AND DIVERTED TO NAS. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT WAS CONVEYED THE EMER PROCS INFO BY COCKPIT VISIT AND TOLD TO PREPARE THE CABIN FOR AN EMER LNDG AND POSSIBLE EVAC. THE FO WAS PREPARING TO RUN APPLICABLE HARD CARD ITEMS, BUT WITH NO COCKPIT WARNING LIGHTS OR ECAM MESSAGES. WOULD HAVE RUN THE SMOKE REMOVAL. 2 SUCCESSIVE UPDATES FROM THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TOLD OF CONDITIONS NOT WORSENING, THEN IMPROVING. FLT ATTENDANT WAS ADVISED THAT EVAC WAS NOW LESS LIKELY, HOWEVER, BE ALERT FOR THE SIGNAL. NOTE FLT ATTENDANTS AND A PLT RPTED THE SMOKE AS ELECTRICAL. THE FLT LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AT NAS WITH NO GND EVAC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AFTER RECEIVING A CALL FROM THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT THE CHIME SYS WAS STUCK AND RINGING CONTINUOUSLY, THE CAPT WENT BACK TO PULL THE CIRCUIT BREAKER TO STOP THE CHIMING. WHEN IN THE CABIN, HE WAS ADVISED AND CONFIRMED VISUALLY THAT HVY SMOKE WAS FILLING THE REAR CABIN. A DEADHEADING PLT AND FLT ATTENDANTS IDENTED THE SMOKE AS ELECTRICAL. THE CAPT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED TO NASSAU (NAS). THE CREW WAS BRIEFED USING THE COMPANY EMER PROC WHICH IDENTIFIES TYPE OF EMER, IF AN EVAC IS EXPECTED, THE SIGNAL FOR THE BRACE POS AND THE TIME AVAILABLE. THERE WERE NO ECAM MESSAGES, SO RPTR CAPT DISCOUNTED THE SMOKE AS COMING FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING PACKS. ALSO, BEING 'ELECTRICAL' THEY THOUGHT AND SEARCHED TO SEE IF IT WAS FROM A FLUORESCENT LIGHT BALLAST. THE SMOKE DISSIPATED PRIOR TO LNDG AND AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG ENSUED. MECHS WERE FLOWN IN AND CHKED THE ACFT THOROUGHLY AND, NOT FINDING OTHER MALFUNCTIONS, CHANGED THE AIR CONDITIONING PACK 'COALESCER BAGS' WHICH REMOVE THE MOISTURE FROM THE PACKS. THE ACFT WAS THEN FERRIED BACK TO MIAMI WHILE ANOTHER ACFT WAS FLOWN IN TO TAKE THE PAX ON TO THEIR DEST. DURING THE INCIDENT THERE WERE TSTMS IN THE AREA WITH ACCOMPANYING LIGHTING. THINKING THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN HIT BY LIGHTNING SOME OF THE PAX CONTACTED THE FAA FAULTING THE CAPT. CONSEQUENTLY, THE FAA DID A FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION WITH NO FURTHER ACTION. THE RPTR CAPT CHKED THE FOLLOW-UP ON THE ACFT AND FOUND THAT THE L2 LAVATORY HAD AN ELECTRICAL FAULT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.