Narrative:

We were in a block of airspace 370-390 at FL380 approximately 6 hours 20 mins into a planned 8 hour 27 min flight northeast of sept iles (yzv). A flight attendant entered the cockpit and announced that first officer #2, who was in the cabin on break, had responded to a request for help from a flight attendant with control panel screen at door 2L. Flight attendant #1 had notified the first officer because there had been smoke coming from the screen. The first extinguisher was used when smoke was coming out of the top of the screen and the second when smoke started again from the bottom of the screen. At this point I was notified of the problem. The smoking had ceased, but the screen was still hot. We called comrdo and were connected to maintenance. First officer #1 was flying and I was coordinating. Advised us to enter the electronics bay at door 1L and pull a circuit breaker at P110-A16. I asked first officer #2 to do this. While he was in the electronics bay maintenance advised us to pull circuit breaker P210-D9 instead of P110-A16 which was accomplished. The screen began to cool and there was no more smoke, pulling the circuit breaker appeared to solve the problem. First officer #2 inspected the area carefully and found no other problems. We advised dispatch by ACARS, requested possible alternates if the problem recurred. I advised the chief purser to designate 1 flight attendant to continuously monitor the screen for any recurring problem. Maintenance advised us of the nonoperating and nonctlable equipment resulting from deactivating this circuit breaker. The items affected were some lighting, temperature controls and some music which would not be able to be adjusted, but would operate in their present confign. Flight attendant #1 found the problem and helped professionally throughout. First officer #2 did the work and kept us advised on the condition of the system. First officer #1 aided in flying and communications. Possible contributing factors: 1) during our layover in amsterdam the gpu ran out of fuel causing a loss of power until the APU was started and on-line. This caused a number of electrical anomalies. A number of system were depwred and repwred to get proper indications. 2) screen at 2L had been deferred inoperative -- but not depwred. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter's concern is centered around the fact that there is no way for the flight crew to isolate an electrical system on the B777 without getting the information by radio from their maintenance base. He stated that, if push came to shove, he could attempt to isolate the problem by turning off one or the other generator. But, he worried that such action might cause many more problems than he could solve. He added that he thought the smoking equipment had to be cooled and the halon extinguishers available to the crew do not cool the overheating equipment.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B777 HAD CABIN CTL PANEL SCREEN EMITTING SMOKE.

Narrative: WE WERE IN A BLOCK OF AIRSPACE 370-390 AT FL380 APPROX 6 HRS 20 MINS INTO A PLANNED 8 HR 27 MIN FLT NE OF SEPT ILES (YZV). A FLT ATTENDANT ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND ANNOUNCED THAT FO #2, WHO WAS IN THE CABIN ON BREAK, HAD RESPONDED TO A REQUEST FOR HELP FROM A FLT ATTENDANT WITH CTL PANEL SCREEN AT DOOR 2L. FLT ATTENDANT #1 HAD NOTIFIED THE FO BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN SMOKE COMING FROM THE SCREEN. THE FIRST EXTINGUISHER WAS USED WHEN SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE TOP OF THE SCREEN AND THE SECOND WHEN SMOKE STARTED AGAIN FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN. AT THIS POINT I WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROB. THE SMOKING HAD CEASED, BUT THE SCREEN WAS STILL HOT. WE CALLED COMRDO AND WERE CONNECTED TO MAINT. FO #1 WAS FLYING AND I WAS COORDINATING. ADVISED US TO ENTER THE ELECTRONICS BAY AT DOOR 1L AND PULL A CIRCUIT BREAKER AT P110-A16. I ASKED FO #2 TO DO THIS. WHILE HE WAS IN THE ELECTRONICS BAY MAINT ADVISED US TO PULL CIRCUIT BREAKER P210-D9 INSTEAD OF P110-A16 WHICH WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE SCREEN BEGAN TO COOL AND THERE WAS NO MORE SMOKE, PULLING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER APPEARED TO SOLVE THE PROB. FO #2 INSPECTED THE AREA CAREFULLY AND FOUND NO OTHER PROBS. WE ADVISED DISPATCH BY ACARS, REQUESTED POSSIBLE ALTERNATES IF THE PROB RECURRED. I ADVISED THE CHIEF PURSER TO DESIGNATE 1 FLT ATTENDANT TO CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR THE SCREEN FOR ANY RECURRING PROB. MAINT ADVISED US OF THE NONOPERATING AND NONCTLABLE EQUIP RESULTING FROM DEACTIVATING THIS CIRCUIT BREAKER. THE ITEMS AFFECTED WERE SOME LIGHTING, TEMP CTLS AND SOME MUSIC WHICH WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE ADJUSTED, BUT WOULD OPERATE IN THEIR PRESENT CONFIGN. FLT ATTENDANT #1 FOUND THE PROB AND HELPED PROFESSIONALLY THROUGHOUT. FO #2 DID THE WORK AND KEPT US ADVISED ON THE CONDITION OF THE SYS. FO #1 AIDED IN FLYING AND COMS. POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) DURING OUR LAYOVER IN AMSTERDAM THE GPU RAN OUT OF FUEL CAUSING A LOSS OF PWR UNTIL THE APU WAS STARTED AND ON-LINE. THIS CAUSED A NUMBER OF ELECTRICAL ANOMALIES. A NUMBER OF SYS WERE DEPWRED AND REPWRED TO GET PROPER INDICATIONS. 2) SCREEN AT 2L HAD BEEN DEFERRED INOP -- BUT NOT DEPWRED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR'S CONCERN IS CTRED AROUND THE FACT THAT THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE FLC TO ISOLATE AN ELECTRICAL SYS ON THE B777 WITHOUT GETTING THE INFO BY RADIO FROM THEIR MAINT BASE. HE STATED THAT, IF PUSH CAME TO SHOVE, HE COULD ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE THE PROB BY TURNING OFF ONE OR THE OTHER GENERATOR. BUT, HE WORRIED THAT SUCH ACTION MIGHT CAUSE MANY MORE PROBS THAN HE COULD SOLVE. HE ADDED THAT HE THOUGHT THE SMOKING EQUIP HAD TO BE COOLED AND THE HALON EXTINGUISHERS AVAILABLE TO THE CREW DO NOT COOL THE OVERHEATING EQUIP.

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.