Narrative:

We were in the middle of our fist meal service when we heard a loud sound. We were told it was the PA wire shorting out. At about the same time I smelled a foul burning smell. I looked out of the galley into the cabin and saw smoke billowing out of the vcr located in the last large overhead bin r-hand. Flight attendant #2 was investigating. Flight attendant #3 was removing the halon from the storage space aft of first class. I went to retrieve a halon from business class. When I returned, flight attendant #2 was extinguishing flame with halon. This seemed to stop the burning, I was told later he had disconnected the unit. Flight attendant #4 informed the cockpit of the situation. Shortly after, we were informed we would be returning to seattle. Flight attendant #2 monitored the vcr while we prepared for landing. The fumes were very strong and smelled throughout the entire aircraft. After awhile, we were informed to prepare for an emergency landing. Before this, the electrical was turned off beyond the cockpit door and the emergency lighting came on. This alarmed us and we inquired about it to the pilots. They informed us it was procedure. We obtained our checklist and, after a briefing, began going through the flight attendants list numerically. We had completed the PA when we were told to be seated. We made a compliance check and told passenger with eye glasses to put them in their shirt pockets. We took our jump seats. The plane landed normally, taxied to the end of the runway. We stopped briefly then proceeded to the gate. After the aircraft door was opened, the passenger were told to deplane with their personal belongings. We proceeded to operations for a briefing with company management.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD11 AT CRUISE HAS A LOUD SOUND, THEN SMOKE AND A BURNING SMELL IN CABIN. THE VCR WIRING IS APPARENTLY THE CAUSE. HALON IS USED AND VCR DISCONNECTED. FLC DECIDES TO RETURN TO DEP ARPT.

Narrative: WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR FIST MEAL SVC WHEN WE HEARD A LOUD SOUND. WE WERE TOLD IT WAS THE PA WIRE SHORTING OUT. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME I SMELLED A FOUL BURNING SMELL. I LOOKED OUT OF THE GALLEY INTO THE CABIN AND SAW SMOKE BILLOWING OUT OF THE VCR LOCATED IN THE LAST LARGE OVERHEAD BIN R-HAND. FLT ATTENDANT #2 WAS INVESTIGATING. FLT ATTENDANT #3 WAS REMOVING THE HALON FROM THE STORAGE SPACE AFT OF FIRST CLASS. I WENT TO RETRIEVE A HALON FROM BUSINESS CLASS. WHEN I RETURNED, FLT ATTENDANT #2 WAS EXTINGUISHING FLAME WITH HALON. THIS SEEMED TO STOP THE BURNING, I WAS TOLD LATER HE HAD DISCONNECTED THE UNIT. FLT ATTENDANT #4 INFORMED THE COCKPIT OF THE SIT. SHORTLY AFTER, WE WERE INFORMED WE WOULD BE RETURNING TO SEATTLE. FLT ATTENDANT #2 MONITORED THE VCR WHILE WE PREPARED FOR LNDG. THE FUMES WERE VERY STRONG AND SMELLED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ACFT. AFTER AWHILE, WE WERE INFORMED TO PREPARE FOR AN EMER LNDG. BEFORE THIS, THE ELECTRICAL WAS TURNED OFF BEYOND THE COCKPIT DOOR AND THE EMER LIGHTING CAME ON. THIS ALARMED US AND WE INQUIRED ABOUT IT TO THE PLTS. THEY INFORMED US IT WAS PROC. WE OBTAINED OUR CHKLIST AND, AFTER A BRIEFING, BEGAN GOING THROUGH THE FLT ATTENDANTS LIST NUMERICALLY. WE HAD COMPLETED THE PA WHEN WE WERE TOLD TO BE SEATED. WE MADE A COMPLIANCE CHK AND TOLD PAX WITH EYE GLASSES TO PUT THEM IN THEIR SHIRT POCKETS. WE TOOK OUR JUMP SEATS. THE PLANE LANDED NORMALLY, TAXIED TO THE END OF THE RWY. WE STOPPED BRIEFLY THEN PROCEEDED TO THE GATE. AFTER THE ACFT DOOR WAS OPENED, THE PAX WERE TOLD TO DEPLANE WITH THEIR PERSONAL BELONGINGS. WE PROCEEDED TO OPS FOR A BRIEFING WITH COMPANY MGMNT.

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.