Narrative:

While descending through roughly 20000 ft I received a call from the flight attendant that there was a very strong odor of what was described as 'electrical or burning/melting hairspray and plastic.' earlier in the flight the flight attendant had reported that the lav lights had gone out (a common occurrence nowadays). I asked the flight attendant to monitor the situation and report back if the smell got worse or he saw smoke. Shortly thereafter while the first officer and I began our preparations the flight attendant reported that the smell was getting worse but there still was no sign of smoke. The flight attendant then began to move the passengers forward away from the affected area and he prepared the cabin for an emergency landing. After receiving the notification from the flight attendant about increased burning/melting smell I declared an emergency and began to run the QRH for cabin smoke or fire. In hindsight the better checklist to run would have been electrical smoke or fire; however at the time I was distracted by trying to coordinate with the ATC on a safe and suitable landing strip as we were in an unfamiliar area at night and accidentally passed up that checklist. After running the checklist and increasing the cabin altitude the smell dissipated. Since the smell had begun to noticeably dissipate and there was no sign of smoke or fire; the decision was made to continue to ZZZ and land there since we were about 12 mins out and landing at an unknown field with unknown crash and fire rescue at night seemed to be more dangerous than continuing. During this time the first officer did a great job flying the aircraft and getting us on the ground expeditiously. The passengers were notified of the impending emergency landing and remained calm in no small part due to the outstanding effort of the flight attendant who did everything according to the book in a safe an expeditious manner. Upon landing we stopped the aircraft on the runway and asked the flight attendant to check and see if the smell persisted. Since it was still dissipated we decided to taxi to the gate with crash and fire rescue following us in. After parking the aircraft and opening the flight deck door I began to smell the same burning type smell that the flight attendant and many passengers had described. Up until that point neither I nor the first officer had smelled anything. The passengers deplaned and I shut the aircraft down. The fire department then came onboard and looked around with their thermal imaging and found no hotspots out of the ordinary.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CRJ-200 FLT CREW HAS FUMES IN THE CABIN; DECLARES EMER AND LANDS.

Narrative: WHILE DESCENDING THROUGH ROUGHLY 20000 FT I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT THERE WAS A VERY STRONG ODOR OF WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS 'ELECTRICAL OR BURNING/MELTING HAIRSPRAY AND PLASTIC.' EARLIER IN THE FLIGHT THE FLT ATTENDANT HAD REPORTED THAT THE LAV LIGHTS HAD GONE OUT (A COMMON OCCURRENCE NOWADAYS). I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO MONITOR THE SITUATION AND REPORT BACK IF THE SMELL GOT WORSE OR HE SAW SMOKE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WHILE THE FO AND I BEGAN OUR PREPARATIONS THE FLT ATTENDANT REPORTED THAT THE SMELL WAS GETTING WORSE BUT THERE STILL WAS NO SIGN OF SMOKE. THE FLT ATTENDANT THEN BEGAN TO MOVE THE PASSENGERS FORWARD AWAY FROM THE AFFECTED AREA AND HE PREPARED THE CABIN FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. AFTER RECEIVING THE NOTIFICATION FROM THE FLT ATTENDANT ABOUT INCREASED BURNING/MELTING SMELL I DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND BEGAN TO RUN THE QRH FOR CABIN SMOKE OR FIRE. IN HINDSIGHT THE BETTER CHECKLIST TO RUN WOULD HAVE BEEN ELECTRICAL SMOKE OR FIRE; HOWEVER AT THE TIME I WAS DISTRACTED BY TRYING TO COORDINATE WITH THE ATC ON A SAFE AND SUITABLE LANDING STRIP AS WE WERE IN AN UNFAMILIAR AREA AT NIGHT AND ACCIDENTALLY PASSED UP THAT CHECKLIST. AFTER RUNNING THE CHECKLIST AND INCREASING THE CABIN ALTITUDE THE SMELL DISSIPATED. SINCE THE SMELL HAD BEGUN TO NOTICEABLY DISSIPATE AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF SMOKE OR FIRE; THE DECISION WAS MADE TO CONTINUE TO ZZZ AND LAND THERE SINCE WE WERE ABOUT 12 MINS OUT AND LANDING AT AN UNKNOWN FIELD WITH UNKNOWN CRASH AND FIRE RESCUE AT NIGHT SEEMED TO BE MORE DANGEROUS THAN CONTINUING. DURING THIS TIME THE FO DID A GREAT JOB FLYING THE AIRCRAFT AND GETTING US ON THE GROUND EXPEDITIOUSLY. THE PASSENGERS WERE NOTIFIED OF THE IMPENDING EMERGENCY LANDING AND REMAINED CALM IN NO SMALL PART DUE TO THE OUTSTANDING EFFORT OF THE FLT ATTENDANT WHO DID EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO THE BOOK IN A SAFE AN EXPEDITIOUS MANNER. UPON LANDING WE STOPPED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY AND ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO CHECK AND SEE IF THE SMELL PERSISTED. SINCE IT WAS STILL DISSIPATED WE DECIDED TO TAXI TO THE GATE WITH CRASH AND FIRE RESCUE FOLLOWING US IN. AFTER PARKING THE AIRCRAFT AND OPENING THE FLIGHT DECK DOOR I BEGAN TO SMELL THE SAME BURNING TYPE SMELL THAT THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND MANY PASSENGERS HAD DESCRIBED. UP UNTIL THAT POINT NEITHER I NOR THE FO HAD SMELLED ANYTHING. THE PASSENGERS DEPLANED AND I SHUT THE AIRCRAFT DOWN. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THEN CAME ONBOARD AND LOOKED AROUND WITH THEIR THERMAL IMAGING AND FOUND NO HOTSPOTS OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

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.