Narrative:

Due to the length of the flight; two full cockpit crews were onboard. I was the 'aircraft commander' but occupied the flight deck jumpseat for takeoff; climb and initial cruise. I then went into crew rest in the upper crew rest compartment. Approximately 3 hours after takeoff in the vicinity of YYYY VOR; the on-duty flight deck crew observed fire and smoke coming from the lower right corner of the first officer windscreen. The first officer turned the window heat 'off' for that pane while the captain grabbed the halon fire extinguisher. The flames subsided and it was not necessary to discharge the extinguisher. Full face oxygen masks were donned and crew communications was established. Residual smoke penetrated all areas of the cabin; crew rest areas and cockpit. I was notified of the event by the 'flight leader' (flight attendant in charge); and was told we were diverting. My copilot and I entered the cockpit and put on our full face oxygen mask/goggles. My copilot sat on the jumpseat between the captain and first officer (normal position) and established communications with the crew. I sat on the far right jumpseat. That particular jumpseat has no transmit communications capability and became a safety liability. While I was on oxygen; I was unable to communicate and assist the flying crew. When I entered the cockpit; we were descending through FL200 and were located 70 miles northwest of ZZZZ. My first officer and I started fuel dumping and notified our company of the situation via sat-phone. ZZZZ radar is unavailable at night but it was VFR. We entered a right downwind for runway 32 and made a visual approach. In spite of fuel dumping; we still were 90000 pounds over maximum landing weight. Maximum automatic brakes were selected for landing at the 8300 ft long runway. A normal landing was made with minimum sink rate. The flight cleared the runway on extremely narrow txwys. The brake energy charts were consulted and we elected to park on a remote pad. Fuse plugs did not melt and the emergency was terminated after brake temperatures started to decrease. 1) it was later determined that a window heat controller had malfunctioned and shorted to ground causing the brief fire and smoke. Circuit breakers 'did not' trip. 2) sitting on the jumpseat with no communications capability was a huge safety issue. While using the full face mask; I was unable to contribute or assist in any way. 3) the cabin did not prepare for emergency evacuation because the smoke had dissipated and was largely gone by the time we landed. An electrical smoke smell remained.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter indicates emergency was declared. Analyst asked what other airports are close by; since ZZZZ didn't seem exactly optimum with no radar coverage and at night. Reporter states ZZZZ1 was only 40 miles further away; so the captain flying chose literally the nearest suitable airport.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B777 ON AN INTL FLT EXPERIENCED SMOKE AND FIRE FROM A COCKPIT WINDOW HEAT CTLR. THEY DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED TO NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT; LNDG 90000 LBS OVER MAX GROSS LNDG WT.

Narrative: DUE TO THE LENGTH OF THE FLT; TWO FULL COCKPIT CREWS WERE ONBOARD. I WAS THE 'ACFT COMMANDER' BUT OCCUPIED THE FLT DECK JUMPSEAT FOR TKOF; CLB AND INITIAL CRUISE. I THEN WENT INTO CREW REST IN THE UPPER CREW REST COMPARTMENT. APPROX 3 HOURS AFTER TKOF IN THE VICINITY OF YYYY VOR; THE ON-DUTY FLT DECK CREW OBSERVED FIRE AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER OF THE FO WINDSCREEN. THE FO TURNED THE WINDOW HEAT 'OFF' FOR THAT PANE WHILE THE CAPT GRABBED THE HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE FLAMES SUBSIDED AND IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO DISCHARGE THE EXTINGUISHER. FULL FACE OXYGEN MASKS WERE DONNED AND CREW COMMUNICATIONS WAS ESTABLISHED. RESIDUAL SMOKE PENETRATED ALL AREAS OF THE CABIN; CREW REST AREAS AND COCKPIT. I WAS NOTIFIED OF THE EVENT BY THE 'FLT LEADER' (FLT ATTENDANT IN CHARGE); AND WAS TOLD WE WERE DIVERTING. MY COPLT AND I ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND PUT ON OUR FULL FACE OXYGEN MASK/GOGGLES. MY COPLT SAT ON THE JUMPSEAT BETWEEN THE CAPT AND FO (NORMAL POSITION) AND ESTABLISHED COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CREW. I SAT ON THE FAR RIGHT JUMPSEAT. THAT PARTICULAR JUMPSEAT HAS NO TRANSMIT COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY AND BECAME A SAFETY LIABILITY. WHILE I WAS ON OXYGEN; I WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE AND ASSIST THE FLYING CREW. WHEN I ENTERED THE COCKPIT; WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH FL200 AND WERE LOCATED 70 MILES NW OF ZZZZ. MY FO AND I STARTED FUEL DUMPING AND NOTIFIED OUR COMPANY OF THE SITUATION VIA SAT-PHONE. ZZZZ RADAR IS UNAVAILABLE AT NIGHT BUT IT WAS VFR. WE ENTERED A RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 32 AND MADE A VISUAL APCH. IN SPITE OF FUEL DUMPING; WE STILL WERE 90000 LBS OVER MAX LNDG WT. MAX AUTO BRAKES WERE SELECTED FOR LNDG AT THE 8300 FT LONG RWY. A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE WITH MINIMUM SINK RATE. THE FLT CLRED THE RWY ON EXTREMELY NARROW TXWYS. THE BRAKE ENERGY CHARTS WERE CONSULTED AND WE ELECTED TO PARK ON A REMOTE PAD. FUSE PLUGS DID NOT MELT AND THE EMER WAS TERMINATED AFTER BRAKE TEMPS STARTED TO DECREASE. 1) IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THAT A WINDOW HEAT CTLR HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND SHORTED TO GND CAUSING THE BRIEF FIRE AND SMOKE. CIRCUIT BREAKERS 'DID NOT' TRIP. 2) SITTING ON THE JUMPSEAT WITH NO COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY WAS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. WHILE USING THE FULL FACE MASK; I WAS UNABLE TO CONTRIBUTE OR ASSIST IN ANY WAY. 3) THE CABIN DID NOT PREPARE FOR EMER EVACUATION BECAUSE THE SMOKE HAD DISSIPATED AND WAS LARGELY GONE BY THE TIME WE LANDED. AN ELECTRICAL SMOKE SMELL REMAINED.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATES EMER WAS DECLARED. ANALYST ASKED WHAT OTHER ARPTS ARE CLOSE BY; SINCE ZZZZ DIDN'T SEEM EXACTLY OPTIMUM WITH NO RADAR COVERAGE AND AT NIGHT. RPTR STATES ZZZZ1 WAS ONLY 40 MILES FURTHER AWAY; SO THE CAPT FLYING CHOSE LITERALLY THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.