Narrative:

After deplaning with crew and discussing an unruly passenger incident with local leo's, I was informed by one of the leo's (via her radio) that there was a burning smell aboard our aircraft. Upon entering the jetway, a strong burning smell was detected. Upon entering the aircraft at door 2L, I observed heavy white/gray smoke in the main cabin. Smoke of lighter intensity was observed in the 1ST class section. I proceeded to the cockpit to shut down the APU and all electrical power and was met by a local mechanic leaving the cockpit. He advised the APU had been shut down and all electrical power removed. We both exited the aircraft via door 2L and the jetway. I asked the local leo to immediately call arff. Arff responded immediately and with the assistance of the local mechanic, they determined that the source of the smoke was an overheated and burning aft cargo heater. Smoke started to dissipate once electrical power was removed from the aircraft and the cabin doors were opened. I inspected the cockpit and found no circuit breakers to be popped. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated on entering the main cabin through door 2L the smoke was so thick the aft galley could not be seen. The reporter said after shutting down ground power and the auxiliary power unit the circuit breaker panel was checked for tripped breakers in the cockpit. None were found. The reporter stated maintenance later advised the heater breaker was tripped, but was located in a lower compartment. The reporter said compartment heat is controlled from the cockpit utility bus control and no cargo compartment fire warning was activated due to the aft cargo door being open.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 AFTER PARKING AND DEPLANING HAD A BURNING SMELL RPTED ABOARD THE ACFT WITH HEAVY WHITE/GRAY SMOKE IN THE MAIN CABIN. CAUSED BY AN OVERHEATED AND BURNING AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT HEATER.

Narrative: AFTER DEPLANING WITH CREW AND DISCUSSING AN UNRULY PAX INCIDENT WITH LCL LEO'S, I WAS INFORMED BY ONE OF THE LEO'S (VIA HER RADIO) THAT THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL ABOARD OUR ACFT. UPON ENTERING THE JETWAY, A STRONG BURNING SMELL WAS DETECTED. UPON ENTERING THE ACFT AT DOOR 2L, I OBSERVED HEAVY WHITE/GRAY SMOKE IN THE MAIN CABIN. SMOKE OF LIGHTER INTENSITY WAS OBSERVED IN THE 1ST CLASS SECTION. I PROCEEDED TO THE COCKPIT TO SHUT DOWN THE APU AND ALL ELECTRICAL PWR AND WAS MET BY A LCL MECHANIC LEAVING THE COCKPIT. HE ADVISED THE APU HAD BEEN SHUT DOWN AND ALL ELECTRICAL PWR REMOVED. WE BOTH EXITED THE ACFT VIA DOOR 2L AND THE JETWAY. I ASKED THE LCL LEO TO IMMEDIATELY CALL ARFF. ARFF RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY AND WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE LCL MECHANIC, THEY DETERMINED THAT THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE WAS AN OVERHEATED AND BURNING AFT CARGO HEATER. SMOKE STARTED TO DISSIPATE ONCE ELECTRICAL PWR WAS REMOVED FROM THE ACFT AND THE CABIN DOORS WERE OPENED. I INSPECTED THE COCKPIT AND FOUND NO CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO BE POPPED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED ON ENTERING THE MAIN CABIN THROUGH DOOR 2L THE SMOKE WAS SO THICK THE AFT GALLEY COULD NOT BE SEEN. THE RPTR SAID AFTER SHUTTING DOWN GND PWR AND THE AUXILIARY PWR UNIT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL WAS CHKED FOR TRIPPED BREAKERS IN THE COCKPIT. NONE WERE FOUND. THE RPTR STATED MAINT LATER ADVISED THE HEATER BREAKER WAS TRIPPED, BUT WAS LOCATED IN A LOWER COMPARTMENT. THE RPTR SAID COMPARTMENT HEAT IS CONTROLLED FROM THE COCKPIT UTILITY BUS CTL AND NO CARGO COMPARTMENT FIRE WARNING WAS ACTIVATED DUE TO THE AFT CARGO DOOR BEING OPEN.

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.