Narrative:

I, flight attendant #5, was getting the service of cookies ready when a passenger from seat xx came into the galley complaining of a burning smell. I immediately checked the cookies in the oven, when the call lights started to chime in first class. I went to answer the call light and immediately smelled an electrical burning smell in the first class cabin. I immediately told the #1 purser and the #6 flight attendants of the smell, and they went to find the source. I went to the cockpit to tell the captain that seat xy in the first class cabin had red, glowing wires in the center armrest due to a faulty wiring of the video system. The seat was smoking. The passenger was moved. I and the #1 flight attendant checked our manuals for malfunctions on the video system for personal use. There was no procedure for a circuit breaker or anything on this particular malfunction. The cockpit did not have anything in their manuals. Also, they called air carrier mechanics and they didn't know either. The smell got worse. The wires continued to glow and smoke, so after many tries of disconnecting the power to the seat, we had to divert to phx. We landed without incident. The mechanics pulled 3 plugs for 'one seat' and did something in the belly of the plane, and we took off to lax again. Corrective actions would be: to connect some sort of circuit breaker to these seats and provide training and revisions to the manuals on the malfunctions of these seats. The seats have become so technical that we had to land the plane and not be able to correct the problem in the air. The power could not be cut off to the seat and the seats need to be re-done for this reason.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, B767-200, JFK-LAX, ENTERTAINMENT UNIT IN FIRST CLASS, ELECTRICAL SMOKE FIRE. DIVERT TO PHX FOR MAINT.

Narrative: I, FLT ATTENDANT #5, WAS GETTING THE SVC OF COOKIES READY WHEN A PAX FROM SEAT XX CAME INTO THE GALLEY COMPLAINING OF A BURNING SMELL. I IMMEDIATELY CHKED THE COOKIES IN THE OVEN, WHEN THE CALL LIGHTS STARTED TO CHIME IN FIRST CLASS. I WENT TO ANSWER THE CALL LIGHT AND IMMEDIATELY SMELLED AN ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL IN THE FIRST CLASS CABIN. I IMMEDIATELY TOLD THE #1 PURSER AND THE #6 FLT ATTENDANTS OF THE SMELL, AND THEY WENT TO FIND THE SOURCE. I WENT TO THE COCKPIT TO TELL THE CAPT THAT SEAT XY IN THE FIRST CLASS CABIN HAD RED, GLOWING WIRES IN THE CTR ARMREST DUE TO A FAULTY WIRING OF THE VIDEO SYS. THE SEAT WAS SMOKING. THE PAX WAS MOVED. I AND THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT CHKED OUR MANUALS FOR MALFUNCTIONS ON THE VIDEO SYS FOR PERSONAL USE. THERE WAS NO PROC FOR A CIRCUIT BREAKER OR ANYTHING ON THIS PARTICULAR MALFUNCTION. THE COCKPIT DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING IN THEIR MANUALS. ALSO, THEY CALLED ACR MECHS AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW EITHER. THE SMELL GOT WORSE. THE WIRES CONTINUED TO GLOW AND SMOKE, SO AFTER MANY TRIES OF DISCONNECTING THE PWR TO THE SEAT, WE HAD TO DIVERT TO PHX. WE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE MECHS PULLED 3 PLUGS FOR 'ONE SEAT' AND DID SOMETHING IN THE BELLY OF THE PLANE, AND WE TOOK OFF TO LAX AGAIN. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WOULD BE: TO CONNECT SOME SORT OF CIRCUIT BREAKER TO THESE SEATS AND PROVIDE TRAINING AND REVISIONS TO THE MANUALS ON THE MALFUNCTIONS OF THESE SEATS. THE SEATS HAVE BECOME SO TECHNICAL THAT WE HAD TO LAND THE PLANE AND NOT BE ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROB IN THE AIR. THE PWR COULD NOT BE CUT OFF TO THE SEAT AND THE SEATS NEED TO BE RE-DONE FOR THIS REASON.

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.