B737 first officer was informed by the lead flight attendant that a faint; burnt rubber smell had be...

Narrative:

Departure and climb out was normal. A maximum power takeoff was performed to get above gusty winds. Cruising at FL380; the a flight attendant called to let us know they smelled a faint burning rubber odor around row 7-8 on the captain's side. We reviewed the smoke; fumes; odors checklist and agreed that we would hold off on running the complete checklist until the fas had a chance to investigate or we smelled any odor. We analyzed divert options and identified ZZZ1 as a potential divert if any smoke; fumes; or fire were discovered. We notified ARTCC; notified dispatch of our plan; and requested maintenance. We got an update from the fas who told us that the smell was dissipating and they had searched bins; computers; etc.; and found no sign of smoke or fire. Based on this assessment; we elected to return to ZZZ. We briefed and accomplished the divert checklist; reviewed the arrivals and approach; and determined our plan and possible contingencies after landing. We updated passengers and flight attendants on the plan. During this update; the fas said they could no longer smell any odor. When time permitted during descent; we reviewed the smoke; fumes; odors checklist again and accomplished the first page of items; then reprioritized in preparation for the approach and landing. The captain accomplished a visual approach; taxied clear of the runway; and had fire/rescue perform an inspection of the aircraft. Their inspection was clear and we continued to parking uneventfully.we should have prioritized a complete review of the applicable QRH checklists before becoming distracted by the divert and contingencies.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 First Officer was informed by the Lead Flight Attendant that a faint; burnt rubber smell had been detected in the forward cabin while at FL380. Although the smell becomes undetectable; the crew elected to return to the departure airport.

Narrative: Departure and climb out was normal. A maximum power takeoff was performed to get above gusty winds. Cruising at FL380; the A FA called to let us know they smelled a faint burning rubber odor around Row 7-8 on the captain's side. We reviewed the Smoke; Fumes; Odors Checklist and agreed that we would hold off on running the complete checklist until the FAs had a chance to investigate or we smelled any odor. We analyzed divert options and identified ZZZ1 as a potential divert if any smoke; fumes; or fire were discovered. We notified ARTCC; notified Dispatch of our plan; and requested Maintenance. We got an update from the FAs who told us that the smell was dissipating and they had searched bins; computers; etc.; and found no sign of smoke or fire. Based on this assessment; we elected to return to ZZZ. We briefed and accomplished the Divert Checklist; reviewed the arrivals and approach; and determined our plan and possible contingencies after landing. We updated Passengers and Flight Attendants on the plan. During this update; the FAs said they could no longer smell any odor. When time permitted during descent; we reviewed the Smoke; Fumes; Odors Checklist again and accomplished the first page of items; then reprioritized in preparation for the approach and landing. The Captain accomplished a visual approach; taxied clear of the runway; and had fire/rescue perform an inspection of the aircraft. Their inspection was clear and we continued to parking uneventfully.We should have prioritized a complete review of the applicable QRH checklists before becoming distracted by the divert and contingencies.

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.

Attributes
ACN	1303477
Time
Date	201510
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	First Officer
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 226 Flight Crew Type 1100
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

B737 first officer was informed by the lead flight attendant that a faint; burnt rubber smell had been detected in the forward cabin while at FL380. Although the smell becomes undetectable; the crew elected to return to the departure airport.