Narrative:

After about 1 hour in cruise and just prior to oceanic coast out; the captain and I both noticed an electrical burning odor in the cockpit. After executing the proper procedure in the QRH; the relief pilot and #1 flight attendant called the cockpit to advise of a motor noise in the forward galley. After declaring an emergency and turning the aircraft around; the odor and noise both seemed to dissipate. A short time later the #1 flight attendant called again to tell us that the reading lights in the cabin were all flashing on and off. At this point; we were very concerned with the electrical deterioration of our aircraft. While dumping fuel; all three pilots were in the flight deck running checklists; talking to dispatch; coordinating with our flight attendants; coordinating with ATC; and planning a divert to the nearest airport. Fuel was dumped down to about 14;000 ft and radar vectors commenced with a flawless arrival and overweight landing. We cleared the runway and had airfield rescue and firefighter looks us over. After given an all clear; we taxied to an open gate for deplaning. I would like to commend both the captain and relief pilot for their outstanding teamwork and procedures in handling this emergency. Maintenance discovered the exhaust fan in the east&east compartment overheated when the bearings failed. The flashing reading lights was a result of that overheat in a common bus. An alarm/sensor in the east&east compartment in that area would help to alert the pilots and possibly prevent a tragedy in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300 E&E Compartment exhaust fan failed in flight causing an electrical burning smell and the coach reading lights to flicker so an emergency was declared and the flight diverted to a nearby international airport.

Narrative: After about 1 hour in cruise and just prior to oceanic coast out; the Captain and I both noticed an electrical burning odor in the cockpit. After executing the proper procedure in the QRH; the Relief Pilot and #1 Flight Attendant called the cockpit to advise of a motor noise in the forward galley. After declaring an emergency and turning the aircraft around; the odor and noise both seemed to dissipate. A short time later the #1 Flight Attendant called again to tell us that the reading lights in the cabin were all flashing on and off. At this point; we were very concerned with the electrical deterioration of our aircraft. While dumping fuel; all three pilots were in the flight deck running checklists; talking to Dispatch; coordinating with our flight attendants; coordinating with ATC; and planning a divert to the nearest airport. Fuel was dumped down to about 14;000 FT and radar vectors commenced with a flawless arrival and overweight landing. We cleared the runway and had Airfield Rescue and Firefighter looks us over. After given an all clear; we taxied to an open gate for deplaning. I would like to commend both the Captain and Relief Pilot for their outstanding teamwork and procedures in handling this emergency. Maintenance discovered the exhaust fan in the E&E compartment overheated when the bearings failed. The flashing reading lights was a result of that overheat in a common bus. An alarm/sensor in the E&E compartment in that area would help to alert the pilots and possibly prevent a tragedy in the future.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.