Narrative:

Upon taking my jumpseat 3L for landing, while strapping into the seat, I heard several call-light bells go off, directing my attention back over my left shoulder, observing several passengers out of their seats looking down into the area of seat xyz. My first thought was a medical emergency (at that point I saw no smoke or flame), I crossed to 3R and proceeded up the right hand side to the area of seat xyz. By that time, there was smoke, I inspected the area trying to find the source of the smoke, passengers told me and several other assembled flight attendant's, that sparks and flame had been observed from under the seat in the metal-covered electrical box. A flight attendant brought the halon, only smoke remained, but she sprayed halon on the box as a precaution to be sure the fire was out completely. We landed with slight smoke in the cabin. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the airplane was on approach and the flight attendant's were strapped into the jumpseats when call chimes went off. The reporter said, 'several flight attendant's including myself converged on people standing in the aisle where we discovered smoke, sparks and a flame coming from a under seat electronic box.' the reporter stated the box is used for passenger entertainment video and power port for laptop computers. The reporter stated the person sitting in the seat was removed before discharging the halon fire bottle and was not injured. The reporter stated no training on the new system was given and circuit breaker location is unknown.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A AIRBUS-300 ON APCH DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO A PAX SEAT ELECRONICS UNIT EMITTING SPARKS AND FLAME.

Narrative: UPON TAKING MY JUMPSEAT 3L FOR LNDG, WHILE STRAPPING INTO THE SEAT, I HEARD SEVERAL CALL-LIGHT BELLS GO OFF, DIRECTING MY ATTENTION BACK OVER MY LEFT SHOULDER, OBSERVING SEVERAL PAXS OUT OF THEIR SEATS LOOKING DOWN INTO THE AREA OF SEAT XYZ. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS A MEDICAL EMER (AT THAT POINT I SAW NO SMOKE OR FLAME), I CROSSED TO 3R AND PROCEEDED UP THE RIGHT HAND SIDE TO THE AREA OF SEAT XYZ. BY THAT TIME, THERE WAS SMOKE, I INSPECTED THE AREA TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE, PAXS TOLD ME AND SEVERAL OTHER ASSEMBLED FA'S, THAT SPARKS AND FLAME HAD BEEN OBSERVED FROM UNDER THE SEAT IN THE METAL-COVERED ELECTRICAL BOX. A FA BROUGHT THE HALON, ONLY SMOKE REMAINED, BUT SHE SPRAYED HALON ON THE BOX AS A PRECAUTION TO BE SURE THE FIRE WAS OUT COMPLETELY. WE LANDED WITH SLIGHT SMOKE IN THE CABIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS ON APCH AND THE FA'S WERE STRAPPED INTO THE JUMPSEATS WHEN CALL CHIMES WENT OFF. THE RPTR SAID, 'SEVERAL FA'S INCLUDING MYSELF CONVERGED ON PEOPLE STANDING IN THE AISLE WHERE WE DISCOVERED SMOKE, SPARKS AND A FLAME COMING FROM A UNDER SEAT ELECTRONIC BOX.' THE RPTR STATED THE BOX IS USED FOR PAX ENTERTAINMENT VIDEO AND PWR PORT FOR LAPTOP COMPUTERS. THE RPTR STATED THE PERSON SITTING IN THE SEAT WAS REMOVED BEFORE DISCHARGING THE HALON FIRE BOTTLE AND WAS NOT INJURED. THE RPTR STATED NO TRAINING ON THE NEW SYS WAS GIVEN AND CIRCUIT BREAKER LOCATION IS UNKNOWN.

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.