Narrative:

While en route at FL370, the flight attendants and a few passenger smelled a rubber odor aft of row 31. Captain had the flight attendants pull the circuit breakers for the rear coffee makers and the cockpit crew decreased the cabin temperature. The flight attendants reported back that the smell had gone away. Some time later en route the flight attendants told the cockpit crew that the odor was noticeable once again. The captain walked back and verified the odor. A few mins after the captain returned to the cockpit the flight attendants reported that the odor was increasing in intensity. While still on the intercom the flight attendants reported smoke from the left floor area and then 'fire' we have a fire onboard the aircraft. We immediately began an emergency descent, notified ATC and requested vectors to the nearest airport with emergency facilities. A safe landing was made at huf with no passenger injuries. The cause of the emergency was a shorted audio system wire behind the window panel at rows 25 and 26 left. We, the crew, found out after the event that this has been a continuing problem on B757's. I believe that boeing should have alerted B757 operator's of this potentially hazardous condition. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: once the flight attendants reported a fire to the flight crew they declared an emergency and started a descent. The ARTCC controller gave them a vector toward the nearest suitable airport, huf. 11 mins elapsed between the start of the descent and the time the first passenger left the aircraft. The reporter said that when the smoke became visible to the passenger they quickly reported this to the flight attendants as they moved out of that row. The flight attendants reported the passenger's comments as they were given although the flight attendants never saw any flame. The flight attendants discharged 2 halon fire extinguishers into the vent and the window area and this stopped all appearance of smoke or odor. Based on these updates from the flight attendants, the flight crew decided to not conduct an evacuate/evacuation. Instead they were escorted to the terminal by the crash fire rescue equipment vehicles and the passenger were deplaned there without injury. The reporter was told the next day that the audio system wiring had shorted out against the window trim panel and caused this problem. He was further told that this had happened 5 or 6 times in the recent past and that his company was removing power from the audio system. He was also told that boeing was going to rerte the wiring and that would eliminate the problem. That work is now complete.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR FLC HAS THE AUDIO ENTERTAINMENT SYS WIRING SHORT OUT, WITH SMOKE AND FUMES, BEHIND THE WINDOW FRAME MOLDING IN THE VICINITY OF ROWS 25 AND 26 ON THE L HAND SIDE OF THE ACFT. THEY DECLARED AN EMER AND WERE VECTORED AND DSNDED TO THE NEAREST AVAILABLE ARPT WHERE THE PAX WERE DEPLANED AT THE GATE BECAUSE THE SMOKE AND FUMES HAD DISSIPATED. B757-200.

Narrative: WHILE ENRTE AT FL370, THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND A FEW PAX SMELLED A RUBBER ODOR AFT OF ROW 31. CAPT HAD THE FLT ATTENDANTS PULL THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS FOR THE REAR COFFEE MAKERS AND THE COCKPIT CREW DECREASED THE CABIN TEMP. THE FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED BACK THAT THE SMELL HAD GONE AWAY. SOME TIME LATER ENRTE THE FLT ATTENDANTS TOLD THE COCKPIT CREW THAT THE ODOR WAS NOTICEABLE ONCE AGAIN. THE CAPT WALKED BACK AND VERIFIED THE ODOR. A FEW MINS AFTER THE CAPT RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT THE FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED THAT THE ODOR WAS INCREASING IN INTENSITY. WHILE STILL ON THE INTERCOM THE FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED SMOKE FROM THE L FLOOR AREA AND THEN 'FIRE' WE HAVE A FIRE ONBOARD THE ACFT. WE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN AN EMER DSCNT, NOTIFIED ATC AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT WITH EMER FACILITIES. A SAFE LNDG WAS MADE AT HUF WITH NO PAX INJURIES. THE CAUSE OF THE EMER WAS A SHORTED AUDIO SYS WIRE BEHIND THE WINDOW PANEL AT ROWS 25 AND 26 L. WE, THE CREW, FOUND OUT AFTER THE EVENT THAT THIS HAS BEEN A CONTINUING PROB ON B757'S. I BELIEVE THAT BOEING SHOULD HAVE ALERTED B757 OPERATOR'S OF THIS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS CONDITION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: ONCE THE FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED A FIRE TO THE FLC THEY DECLARED AN EMER AND STARTED A DSCNT. THE ARTCC CTLR GAVE THEM A VECTOR TOWARD THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT, HUF. 11 MINS ELAPSED BTWN THE START OF THE DSCNT AND THE TIME THE FIRST PAX LEFT THE ACFT. THE RPTR SAID THAT WHEN THE SMOKE BECAME VISIBLE TO THE PAX THEY QUICKLY RPTED THIS TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS AS THEY MOVED OUT OF THAT ROW. THE FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED THE PAX'S COMMENTS AS THEY WERE GIVEN ALTHOUGH THE FLT ATTENDANTS NEVER SAW ANY FLAME. THE FLT ATTENDANTS DISCHARGED 2 HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHERS INTO THE VENT AND THE WINDOW AREA AND THIS STOPPED ALL APPEARANCE OF SMOKE OR ODOR. BASED ON THESE UPDATES FROM THE FLT ATTENDANTS, THE FLC DECIDED TO NOT CONDUCT AN EVAC. INSTEAD THEY WERE ESCORTED TO THE TERMINAL BY THE CFR VEHICLES AND THE PAX WERE DEPLANED THERE WITHOUT INJURY. THE RPTR WAS TOLD THE NEXT DAY THAT THE AUDIO SYS WIRING HAD SHORTED OUT AGAINST THE WINDOW TRIM PANEL AND CAUSED THIS PROB. HE WAS FURTHER TOLD THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED 5 OR 6 TIMES IN THE RECENT PAST AND THAT HIS COMPANY WAS REMOVING PWR FROM THE AUDIO SYS. HE WAS ALSO TOLD THAT BOEING WAS GOING TO RERTE THE WIRING AND THAT WOULD ELIMINATE THE PROB. THAT WORK IS NOW COMPLETE.

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.