Narrative:

As we came past abe the forward freon air conditioning fan started making a strange noise and a strange smell entered the cockpit. We called the flight attendant and asked if she could smell anything. She said no, but she would check the front of the cabin. We then turned off the forward air conditioning and ran the smoke dispersal checklist. The flight attendant called us and said she did smell an electric type smell from row X on. We told her we were ventilating the cabin and asked her to rechk. The smell was completely gone from the cockpit in about 1-3 mins. The flight attendant then called us back and said the smell had decreased greatly. We asked her to check one more time and this time she said the smell was gone. Total time to ventilate the front of the cabin was 3-5 mins. At this time the first officer suggested we divert to abe. I said due to the facts that the smell was gone, no smoke was seen by anybody at any time, and the fan noise was gone, I saw no reason to divert. The first officer said he still thought we should divert. I said I thought it was B.south. And that I would call maintenance to see what they thought. I explained things to maintenance the same as above. Maintenance said they saw no reason to divert but the decision was mine. I told the first officer what maintenance said. Once again, said I thought it was B.south. To divert and the decision was made to continue to phl without any problems, and landed about 10 mins later. When maintenance checked the aircraft they found no evidence of smoke, fire, or anything heated excessively. Maintenance said the problem was probably a fan belt that shredded. Supplemental information from acn 244346: first officer asked for the smoke removal checklist and handed the captain the list. First officer shut off freon air conditioning. Captain opened the left window and never did the checklist. First officer said we are over abe let's divert. Captain said that's B.south. Captain called flight attendant. Flight attendant responded again, I smell something electrical in the first 3 rows, first officer again asked to divert. Captain repeated, 'that's B.south., this is B.south.' captain said that we should continue to phl. We landed without further smoke or smell. Captain wrote the problem up as 'forward air conditioning fan makes strange noise and smells in-flight.' maintenance then inspected the airplane and found (to the best of my knowledge) no evidence of fire and thought the smell may have come from blower fan motor of the forward air conditioning system.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC DISAGREEMENT IN DECISION MAKING REF ACFT EQUIP PROB AND POTENTIAL FOR DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE ARPT.

Narrative: AS WE CAME PAST ABE THE FORWARD FREON AIR CONDITIONING FAN STARTED MAKING A STRANGE NOISE AND A STRANGE SMELL ENTERED THE COCKPIT. WE CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND ASKED IF SHE COULD SMELL ANYTHING. SHE SAID NO, BUT SHE WOULD CHK THE FRONT OF THE CABIN. WE THEN TURNED OFF THE FORWARD AIR CONDITIONING AND RAN THE SMOKE DISPERSAL CHKLIST. THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED US AND SAID SHE DID SMELL AN ELECTRIC TYPE SMELL FROM ROW X ON. WE TOLD HER WE WERE VENTILATING THE CABIN AND ASKED HER TO RECHK. THE SMELL WAS COMPLETELY GONE FROM THE COCKPIT IN ABOUT 1-3 MINS. THE FLT ATTENDANT THEN CALLED US BACK AND SAID THE SMELL HAD DECREASED GREATLY. WE ASKED HER TO CHK ONE MORE TIME AND THIS TIME SHE SAID THE SMELL WAS GONE. TOTAL TIME TO VENTILATE THE FRONT OF THE CABIN WAS 3-5 MINS. AT THIS TIME THE FO SUGGESTED WE DIVERT TO ABE. I SAID DUE TO THE FACTS THAT THE SMELL WAS GONE, NO SMOKE WAS SEEN BY ANYBODY AT ANY TIME, AND THE FAN NOISE WAS GONE, I SAW NO REASON TO DIVERT. THE FO SAID HE STILL THOUGHT WE SHOULD DIVERT. I SAID I THOUGHT IT WAS B.S. AND THAT I WOULD CALL MAINT TO SEE WHAT THEY THOUGHT. I EXPLAINED THINGS TO MAINT THE SAME AS ABOVE. MAINT SAID THEY SAW NO REASON TO DIVERT BUT THE DECISION WAS MINE. I TOLD THE FO WHAT MAINT SAID. ONCE AGAIN, SAID I THOUGHT IT WAS B.S. TO DIVERT AND THE DECISION WAS MADE TO CONTINUE TO PHL WITHOUT ANY PROBS, AND LANDED ABOUT 10 MINS LATER. WHEN MAINT CHKED THE ACFT THEY FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF SMOKE, FIRE, OR ANYTHING HEATED EXCESSIVELY. MAINT SAID THE PROB WAS PROBABLY A FAN BELT THAT SHREDDED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 244346: FO ASKED FOR THE SMOKE REMOVAL CHKLIST AND HANDED THE CAPT THE LIST. FO SHUT OFF FREON AIR CONDITIONING. CAPT OPENED THE L WINDOW AND NEVER DID THE CHKLIST. FO SAID WE ARE OVER ABE LET'S DIVERT. CAPT SAID THAT'S B.S. CAPT CALLED FLT ATTENDANT. FLT ATTENDANT RESPONDED AGAIN, I SMELL SOMETHING ELECTRICAL IN THE FIRST 3 ROWS, FO AGAIN ASKED TO DIVERT. CAPT REPEATED, 'THAT'S B.S., THIS IS B.S.' CAPT SAID THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PHL. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER SMOKE OR SMELL. CAPT WROTE THE PROB UP AS 'FORWARD AIR CONDITIONING FAN MAKES STRANGE NOISE AND SMELLS INFLT.' MAINT THEN INSPECTED THE AIRPLANE AND FOUND (TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE) NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE AND THOUGHT THE SMELL MAY HAVE COME FROM BLOWER FAN MOTOR OF THE FORWARD AIR CONDITIONING SYS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.