Narrative:

At FL310, approaching retack, talking to santo domingo control, we got an intermittent ECAM warning. It appeared to be a forward cargo door open in-flight warning. The forward cargo door was on an MEL item, and had been verified closed by maintenance prior to our departure. We ensured the plane was properly maintaining pressurization and were satisfied it was the warning that was listed in the logbook. The warning came back a couple of times, but we realized what was happening was we were getting an intermittent minimum equipment bay smoke warning for a very short period of time, it was clearing itself, and that was causing the door warning to come up on the ECAM. I then carefully watched the red smoke light on the overhead circuit breaker panel flash on for a very short time. The captain got out the procedure, and I operated the sniffer. The light stayed out and we got no further indications of smoke, but we decided that a divert was the best course of action since mtpp was only 80 mi away and we didn't want to get a real smoke warning when we were nowhere near any airport. We told ATC we would like to make a precautionary landing, and we rapidly descended, saw the airport and landed visually. Periodically I operated the sniffer and never smelled smoke at all. We had maintenance check out our problem, and he discovered that he could smell something, so we had all the passenger deplane. The captain was inside talking to dispatch when the mechanic discovered a very slight odor and he also detected that something was hot. I told the lead flight attendant to have all the passenger get off the airplane by the stairs. The passenger started to grab bags, and I told her to make a second PA to the passenger to leave all their bags on the plane. We also arranged to get a second set of stairs for the back of the plane. The deplaning went smoothly and fairly quickly. I had the purser also make sure the flight attendants in back were near their doors in case it became an evacuate/evacuation, which was never necessary. The mechanic discovered that the problem was that the wiring on the left runway turnoff light was faulty. The reason the smoke light had not stayed on for any significant duration was that the light had been turned off as we climbed through 18000 ft, so it was not overheating anymore when we got the intermittent warning. On descent, we had no reason to suspect that the light was malfunctioning, so we turned it on. That is why eventually it started to heat up again, and why a precautionary deplaning was necessary. The mechanic collared the circuit breaker, placarded the light and we continued our flight with no further incidence.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A300-600 CREW DIVERTED TO THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT WITH AN INTERMITTENT EQUIP BAY SMOKE WARNING.

Narrative: AT FL310, APCHING RETACK, TALKING TO SANTO DOMINGO CTL, WE GOT AN INTERMITTENT ECAM WARNING. IT APPEARED TO BE A FORWARD CARGO DOOR OPEN INFLT WARNING. THE FORWARD CARGO DOOR WAS ON AN MEL ITEM, AND HAD BEEN VERIFIED CLOSED BY MAINT PRIOR TO OUR DEP. WE ENSURED THE PLANE WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINING PRESSURIZATION AND WERE SATISFIED IT WAS THE WARNING THAT WAS LISTED IN THE LOGBOOK. THE WARNING CAME BACK A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT WE REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING WAS WE WERE GETTING AN INTERMITTENT MINIMUM EQUIP BAY SMOKE WARNING FOR A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, IT WAS CLRING ITSELF, AND THAT WAS CAUSING THE DOOR WARNING TO COME UP ON THE ECAM. I THEN CAREFULLY WATCHED THE RED SMOKE LIGHT ON THE OVERHEAD CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL FLASH ON FOR A VERY SHORT TIME. THE CAPT GOT OUT THE PROC, AND I OPERATED THE SNIFFER. THE LIGHT STAYED OUT AND WE GOT NO FURTHER INDICATIONS OF SMOKE, BUT WE DECIDED THAT A DIVERT WAS THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION SINCE MTPP WAS ONLY 80 MI AWAY AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO GET A REAL SMOKE WARNING WHEN WE WERE NOWHERE NEAR ANY ARPT. WE TOLD ATC WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG, AND WE RAPIDLY DSNDED, SAW THE ARPT AND LANDED VISUALLY. PERIODICALLY I OPERATED THE SNIFFER AND NEVER SMELLED SMOKE AT ALL. WE HAD MAINT CHK OUT OUR PROB, AND HE DISCOVERED THAT HE COULD SMELL SOMETHING, SO WE HAD ALL THE PAX DEPLANE. THE CAPT WAS INSIDE TALKING TO DISPATCH WHEN THE MECH DISCOVERED A VERY SLIGHT ODOR AND HE ALSO DETECTED THAT SOMETHING WAS HOT. I TOLD THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT TO HAVE ALL THE PAX GET OFF THE AIRPLANE BY THE STAIRS. THE PAX STARTED TO GRAB BAGS, AND I TOLD HER TO MAKE A SECOND PA TO THE PAX TO LEAVE ALL THEIR BAGS ON THE PLANE. WE ALSO ARRANGED TO GET A SECOND SET OF STAIRS FOR THE BACK OF THE PLANE. THE DEPLANING WENT SMOOTHLY AND FAIRLY QUICKLY. I HAD THE PURSER ALSO MAKE SURE THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN BACK WERE NEAR THEIR DOORS IN CASE IT BECAME AN EVAC, WHICH WAS NEVER NECESSARY. THE MECH DISCOVERED THAT THE PROB WAS THAT THE WIRING ON THE L RWY TURNOFF LIGHT WAS FAULTY. THE REASON THE SMOKE LIGHT HAD NOT STAYED ON FOR ANY SIGNIFICANT DURATION WAS THAT THE LIGHT HAD BEEN TURNED OFF AS WE CLBED THROUGH 18000 FT, SO IT WAS NOT OVERHEATING ANYMORE WHEN WE GOT THE INTERMITTENT WARNING. ON DSCNT, WE HAD NO REASON TO SUSPECT THAT THE LIGHT WAS MALFUNCTIONING, SO WE TURNED IT ON. THAT IS WHY EVENTUALLY IT STARTED TO HEAT UP AGAIN, AND WHY A PRECAUTIONARY DEPLANING WAS NECESSARY. THE MECH COLLARED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER, PLACARDED THE LIGHT AND WE CONTINUED OUR FLT WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENCE.

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.