Narrative:

During a flight to europe I was monitoring the flight as a 3rd crewmember from the jump seat area. Less than 2 hrs into the flight I sensed a burning smell; looked into the (forward) galley and noticed the flight attendant (flight attendant) reaching for one of the fire extinguishers and squirting 2 quick bursts into the galley oven; which had produced some smoke. I quickly moved back to investigate and together (with the flight attendant) we secured the oven power by switching it off and pulling the oven circuit breaker. We briefly discussed the probable cause (an overheating top heater element) and then proceeded to brief the captain (non flying pilot) on the situation. The pilot flying at this point had donned his O2 mask as a preventative measure. I then briefed the cabin passengers. We proceeded by venting the cabin by use of the outflow valve and quickly removed the smell from the cabin and galley. We then discussed an appropriate follow up action; and as a crew we determined that the situation was contained and under control. Furthermore; we also agreed to leave the oven door closed as not to introduce any O2 into the oven and to re-assess prior to coast out. About 30 mins later; both the flight attendant and myself did a physical and visual inspection of the oven and determined that there was no reoccurrence and the oven was cooling down as expected. The flight continued without further problems. After flight; upon closer examination; we determined the following: although the top tray of the oven was left empty; the food tray covers had heated up to the point of combustion. What appeared to be heavy aluminum foil was actually card board with a thin aluminum cover. Furthermore; 2 of these covers were placed back-to-back on each food tray and therefore not easily identifiable as paper based. Also the doubling of these covers may have prevented proper venting.as a preventative action to avoid future occurrence we have discussed and propose the following:- closely examining vendor supplied packaging. If needed; place in oven-safe dish. - Use oven at a lower temperature. - Ensure proper circulation by placing less items evenly spaced in the oven.the quick identification and action of the flight attendant in this situation cannot be understated.the aircraft's QRH and aircraft flight manual (afm) states 'serious consideration should be given to landing the aircraft at the nearest suitable field without delay'. The crew determined that the source of smoke was identified; controlled and contained and a diversion not required. We also continued to monitor the galley oven and determined that re-occurrence was unlikely.a contributing factor was the fact that the flight had been moved up the schedule by 3 hrs. The catering company was unaware of this change and the food therefore arrived at the same time as the passengers. The food items to be heated were directly placed into the (cold) oven (limited storage space).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A G-V oven produced a large amount of smoke inflight which the Flight Attendant and Relief Pilot controlled. The flight continued and it was determined that unnoticed paper with the food tray caught fire.

Narrative: During a flight to Europe I was monitoring the flight as a 3rd crewmember from the jump seat area. Less than 2 hrs into the flight I sensed a burning smell; looked into the (forward) galley and noticed the Flight Attendant (FA) reaching for one of the fire extinguishers and squirting 2 quick bursts into the galley oven; which had produced some smoke. I quickly moved back to investigate and together (with the FA) we secured the oven power by switching it off and pulling the oven CB. We briefly discussed the probable cause (an overheating top heater element) and then proceeded to brief the captain (Non Flying Pilot) on the situation. The Pilot Flying at this point had donned his O2 mask as a preventative measure. I then briefed the cabin passengers. We proceeded by venting the cabin by use of the outflow valve and quickly removed the smell from the cabin and galley. We then discussed an appropriate follow up action; and as a crew we determined that the situation was contained and under control. Furthermore; we also agreed to leave the oven door closed as not to introduce any O2 into the oven and to re-assess prior to coast out. About 30 mins later; both the FA and myself did a physical and visual inspection of the oven and determined that there was no reoccurrence and the oven was cooling down as expected. The flight continued without further problems. After flight; upon closer examination; we determined the following: although the top tray of the oven was left empty; the food tray covers had heated up to the point of combustion. What appeared to be heavy aluminum foil was actually card board with a thin aluminum cover. Furthermore; 2 of these covers were placed back-to-back on each food tray and therefore not easily identifiable as paper based. Also the doubling of these covers may have prevented proper venting.As a preventative action to avoid future occurrence we have discussed and propose the following:- Closely examining vendor supplied packaging. If needed; place in oven-safe dish. - use oven at a lower temperature. - Ensure proper circulation by placing less items evenly spaced in the oven.The quick identification and action of the FA in this situation cannot be understated.The aircraft's QRH and Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) states 'serious consideration should be given to landing the aircraft at the nearest suitable field without delay'. The crew determined that the source of smoke was identified; controlled and contained and a diversion not required. We also continued to monitor the galley oven and determined that re-occurrence was unlikely.A contributing factor was the fact that the flight had been moved up the schedule by 3 hrs. The catering company was unaware of this change and the food therefore arrived at the same time as the passengers. The food items to be heated were directly placed into the (cold) oven (limited storage space).

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.