Narrative:

Location: northeast canada. About 6 hours into a 12 hour flight, first officer and relief pilot (flying), captain on rest break, a flight attendant entered the cockpit and said she smelled something. About 10 seconds later, another flight attendant came in and said, 'get back here.' I went back and noticed a haze in the first class cabin. The 2 passenger from seats a and B were up and smoke was coming from between the seats. I told the flight attendant to tell the relief pilot (flying) that we had smoke and to turn off the passenger entertainment switch at door 1L and wake the captain. I then went to the seats, pulled up the cushions and turned off the video unit to find the source of the smoke. It was coming from a vent in the back of the center armrest and it seemed to be stopping. After the smoke cleared -- literally -- and things seemed safe, we contacted dispatch as well as air carrier technician to see if we should do anything further. After a long talk with technician, he said that by turning off the passenger entertainment switch at 1L as well as pulling an entertainment circuit breaker in the cockpit would remove power to that unit. I went back to the cabin to check on things and noticed that several personal video units were in use and concluded that there was power to all of the pvus. We called air carrier technician back and after a long talk we collectively decided by pulling the power plug to the video unit would be the best thing to do. I went back, pulled up the center armrest and disconnected the plug and taped it off. We were very disappointed with air carrier technician of the lack of system knowledge. We could not get a definitive answer as to what bus pwrs the pvus in the first class cabin.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300 OVER NE CANADA EXPERIENCES SMOKE AND FUMES IN THE CABIN WHICH WAS CREATED BY A MALFUNCTIONING PAX ENTERTAINMENT UNIT AT SEAT.

Narrative: LOCATION: NE CANADA. ABOUT 6 HRS INTO A 12 HR FLT, FO AND RELIEF PLT (FLYING), CAPT ON REST BREAK, A FLT ATTENDANT ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND SAID SHE SMELLED SOMETHING. ABOUT 10 SECONDS LATER, ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT CAME IN AND SAID, 'GET BACK HERE.' I WENT BACK AND NOTICED A HAZE IN THE FIRST CLASS CABIN. THE 2 PAX FROM SEATS A AND B WERE UP AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM BTWN THE SEATS. I TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT TO TELL THE RELIEF PLT (FLYING) THAT WE HAD SMOKE AND TO TURN OFF THE PAX ENTERTAINMENT SWITCH AT DOOR 1L AND WAKE THE CAPT. I THEN WENT TO THE SEATS, PULLED UP THE CUSHIONS AND TURNED OFF THE VIDEO UNIT TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE. IT WAS COMING FROM A VENT IN THE BACK OF THE CTR ARMREST AND IT SEEMED TO BE STOPPING. AFTER THE SMOKE CLRED -- LITERALLY -- AND THINGS SEEMED SAFE, WE CONTACTED DISPATCH AS WELL AS ACR TECHNICIAN TO SEE IF WE SHOULD DO ANYTHING FURTHER. AFTER A LONG TALK WITH TECHNICIAN, HE SAID THAT BY TURNING OFF THE PAX ENTERTAINMENT SWITCH AT 1L AS WELL AS PULLING AN ENTERTAINMENT CIRCUIT BREAKER IN THE COCKPIT WOULD REMOVE PWR TO THAT UNIT. I WENT BACK TO THE CABIN TO CHK ON THINGS AND NOTICED THAT SEVERAL PERSONAL VIDEO UNITS WERE IN USE AND CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS PWR TO ALL OF THE PVUS. WE CALLED ACR TECHNICIAN BACK AND AFTER A LONG TALK WE COLLECTIVELY DECIDED BY PULLING THE PWR PLUG TO THE VIDEO UNIT WOULD BE THE BEST THING TO DO. I WENT BACK, PULLED UP THE CTR ARMREST AND DISCONNECTED THE PLUG AND TAPED IT OFF. WE WERE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH ACR TECHNICIAN OF THE LACK OF SYS KNOWLEDGE. WE COULD NOT GET A DEFINITIVE ANSWER AS TO WHAT BUS PWRS THE PVUS IN THE FIRST CLASS CABIN.

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.