Narrative:

Flying to chicago, we were contacted by the flight attendant in the aft cabin approximately 100 mi east of ord. She told us that the coffee warmer in the aft galley was sparking. I told her to pull all of the circuit breakers in the galley. I then told the #1 flight attendant that there was a problem in the aft galley and that we would be turning off all galley power with the cockpit switch. She acknowledged. After turning off the galley power in the cockpit, I noticed that my (the captain's) CDU display was completely blank. The first officer's display was still working and all aircraft navigation system seemed to be working in spite of the blank captain's CDU. We looked for popped circuit breakers and found none. We didn't find any checklist regarding a blank CDU. I recalled other aircraft sits with unrelated electrical problems. I was concerned that there could possibly be an undetected fire aboard causing these problems. I elected to continue to ord since it was only 80 mi away and there was no confirmation of a fire. I notified ATC that we were declaring an emergency (about 80 mi from ord) and asked for expeditious routing to ord. I then tried to contact dispatch on the ACARS with no response. The ACARS appeared to be working but I was concerned that since I hadn't received a response from dispatch that VHF #3 may be inoperative. I then sent a 7700 message to dispatch through ACARS. No response. I asked ATC to relay to dispatch that we needed a frequency to contact them. I then received an ACARS message with a dispatch frequency. In the meantime I alerted the flight attendants with a cabin advisory. After finally contacting dispatch with maintenance on the frequency, we decided that there was nothing else that could be done at that time and they agreed with the decision to continue to ord. I asked ATC to have the fire trucks check the aircraft with their heat sensors after landing, which they did. The landing was uneventful and the fire department did not detect any extraordinary hot spots on the aircraft. We then taxied to the gate.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-500 CABIN ATTENDANT NOTICES THE COFFEE MAKER SPARKING. THE FLT CREW TURNS OFF THE GALLEY PWR. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT'S CDU WENT BLANK FOR AN UNRELATED PROB.

Narrative: FLYING TO CHICAGO, WE WERE CONTACTED BY THE FLT ATTENDANT IN THE AFT CABIN APPROX 100 MI E OF ORD. SHE TOLD US THAT THE COFFEE WARMER IN THE AFT GALLEY WAS SPARKING. I TOLD HER TO PULL ALL OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS IN THE GALLEY. I THEN TOLD THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT THAT THERE WAS A PROB IN THE AFT GALLEY AND THAT WE WOULD BE TURNING OFF ALL GALLEY PWR WITH THE COCKPIT SWITCH. SHE ACKNOWLEDGED. AFTER TURNING OFF THE GALLEY PWR IN THE COCKPIT, I NOTICED THAT MY (THE CAPT'S) CDU DISPLAY WAS COMPLETELY BLANK. THE FO'S DISPLAY WAS STILL WORKING AND ALL ACFT NAV SYS SEEMED TO BE WORKING IN SPITE OF THE BLANK CAPT'S CDU. WE LOOKED FOR POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND FOUND NONE. WE DIDN'T FIND ANY CHKLIST REGARDING A BLANK CDU. I RECALLED OTHER ACFT SITS WITH UNRELATED ELECTRICAL PROBS. I WAS CONCERNED THAT THERE COULD POSSIBLY BE AN UNDETECTED FIRE ABOARD CAUSING THESE PROBS. I ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO ORD SINCE IT WAS ONLY 80 MI AWAY AND THERE WAS NO CONFIRMATION OF A FIRE. I NOTIFIED ATC THAT WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER (ABOUT 80 MI FROM ORD) AND ASKED FOR EXPEDITIOUS ROUTING TO ORD. I THEN TRIED TO CONTACT DISPATCH ON THE ACARS WITH NO RESPONSE. THE ACARS APPEARED TO BE WORKING BUT I WAS CONCERNED THAT SINCE I HADN'T RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM DISPATCH THAT VHF #3 MAY BE INOP. I THEN SENT A 7700 MESSAGE TO DISPATCH THROUGH ACARS. NO RESPONSE. I ASKED ATC TO RELAY TO DISPATCH THAT WE NEEDED A FREQ TO CONTACT THEM. I THEN RECEIVED AN ACARS MESSAGE WITH A DISPATCH FREQ. IN THE MEANTIME I ALERTED THE FLT ATTENDANTS WITH A CABIN ADVISORY. AFTER FINALLY CONTACTING DISPATCH WITH MAINT ON THE FREQ, WE DECIDED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THAT COULD BE DONE AT THAT TIME AND THEY AGREED WITH THE DECISION TO CONTINUE TO ORD. I ASKED ATC TO HAVE THE FIRE TRUCKS CHK THE ACFT WITH THEIR HEAT SENSORS AFTER LNDG, WHICH THEY DID. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND THE FIRE DEPT DID NOT DETECT ANY EXTRAORDINARY HOT SPOTS ON THE ACFT. WE THEN TAXIED TO THE GATE.

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.