Narrative:

Approaching sln at FL280. Flight attendant in aft of cabin called saying left side of aft bulkhead had a burning, electrical smell and area was unusually warm to the touch. There was no smoke visible, just the smell. They said it seemed to be coming from the air phone mounted there. We immediately deactivated the passenger phone switch in the cockpit and I sent the first officer back to investigate. At the same time, I also did the red boxed items for cabin or cockpit fire/smoke, ie, deactivating the utility busses, recirculation fans, and right pack, as a precaution. Speaking to the first officer on the interphone, he confirmed the electrical smell and heat being generated from the area. But he could not confirm, in that short amount of time, if our actions were causing it to dissipate and if, in fact, it was isolated to the now deactivated phone. The flight attendants said it did not seem to be getting worse. I noted that we were about 80 mi north of ict, with it being the nearest suitable airport. So, I got immediate vectors there and told ATC we were doing a precautionary divert to ict. At about this time, the first officer returned to the cockpit and we ran the checklists in preparation for our landing. I made a PA to the passenger informing them of our landing. I also kept in touch with the flight attendants through the interphone, and they informed me of the status of the electrical smell. It did not seem worse but they could not confirm improvement either. There was no visible smoke, and no traffic to ict, so I did not think it necessary to declare an emergency. After landing, upon investigation by ict contract maintenance, in coordination with company tech, it was indeed found that the air phone had shorted out and had been burning. Speaking with company maintenance, they confirmed that either action of deactivating the phone switch or shutting off the utility busses would remove power from the air phone. I was present when ict maintenance removed the phone from the wall, revealing the back of it to be charred and having charred the area of the bulkhead wall that it was mounted on as well. After a check of the components in the surrounding area, as well as in the cargo area underneath, eliminating any other possible sources of trouble or affected areas, maintenance signed off the forms. We left the air phone switch deactivated to preclude any other air phone problems and continued on to destination. Upon arrival at lax, the burnt phone was given to a maintenance supervisor, to be forwarded to company maintenance. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain said that the bulkhead that was charred by the heat from the air phone was made of a composite material, composition not known to the captain. The captain believes that the air phone was a product of at&T, but was unaware of the installation process, as to who installed it, company or contract maintenance from some other company. The captain and other employees, crew members, all received e-mail messages referencing the company's plans to deactivate the phone system. It wasn't known if this included actual removal of the units. Supplemental information from acn 460629: several flight attendants noticed a smell in the back galley, smelled like burnt rubber or electrical. The first officer came back to check it out. Once he returned to the front, the cockpit crew decided we would divert to wichita, which we did. All passenger deplaned. The at&T phone was removed and we re-boarded all passenger. Total delay was about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the flight attendant revealed that the at&T air phone had been used a moderate amount before the event. Nothing unusual had occurred in that area before the burning rubber, electrical smell was detected. Initially, another flight attendant noticed the smell in the back of the aft galley. The first officer was summoned and he determined that it was the phone that was issuing the burning smell. He used the interphone to call the captain and she isolated the phone system from the flight deck. The flight attendant recalled seeing a company wide e-mail suggesting that all air phoneson all aircraft would be shut down during an investigation. So far, they system wide shutdown has not occurred.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767 CAPT RPTED THAT AN AIR PHONE IN THE AFT CABIN BEGAN CREATING HEAT AND BURNING SMELL. AFTER THE CHECKLISTS WERE RUN TO ISOLATE THE AIR PHONE, THE CAPT DIVERTED TO ICT.

Narrative: APCHING SLN AT FL280. FLT ATTENDANT IN AFT OF CABIN CALLED SAYING L SIDE OF AFT BULKHEAD HAD A BURNING, ELECTRICAL SMELL AND AREA WAS UNUSUALLY WARM TO THE TOUCH. THERE WAS NO SMOKE VISIBLE, JUST THE SMELL. THEY SAID IT SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM THE AIR PHONE MOUNTED THERE. WE IMMEDIATELY DEACTIVATED THE PAX PHONE SWITCH IN THE COCKPIT AND I SENT THE FO BACK TO INVESTIGATE. AT THE SAME TIME, I ALSO DID THE RED BOXED ITEMS FOR CABIN OR COCKPIT FIRE/SMOKE, IE, DEACTIVATING THE UTILITY BUSSES, RECIRCULATION FANS, AND R PACK, AS A PRECAUTION. SPEAKING TO THE FO ON THE INTERPHONE, HE CONFIRMED THE ELECTRICAL SMELL AND HEAT BEING GENERATED FROM THE AREA. BUT HE COULD NOT CONFIRM, IN THAT SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, IF OUR ACTIONS WERE CAUSING IT TO DISSIPATE AND IF, IN FACT, IT WAS ISOLATED TO THE NOW DEACTIVATED PHONE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS SAID IT DID NOT SEEM TO BE GETTING WORSE. I NOTED THAT WE WERE ABOUT 80 MI N OF ICT, WITH IT BEING THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT. SO, I GOT IMMEDIATE VECTORS THERE AND TOLD ATC WE WERE DOING A PRECAUTIONARY DIVERT TO ICT. AT ABOUT THIS TIME, THE FO RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND WE RAN THE CHECKLISTS IN PREPARATION FOR OUR LNDG. I MADE A PA TO THE PAX INFORMING THEM OF OUR LNDG. I ALSO KEPT IN TOUCH WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS THROUGH THE INTERPHONE, AND THEY INFORMED ME OF THE STATUS OF THE ELECTRICAL SMELL. IT DID NOT SEEM WORSE BUT THEY COULD NOT CONFIRM IMPROVEMENT EITHER. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE SMOKE, AND NO TFC TO ICT, SO I DID NOT THINK IT NECESSARY TO DECLARE AN EMER. AFTER LNDG, UPON INVESTIGATION BY ICT CONTRACT MAINT, IN COORD WITH COMPANY TECH, IT WAS INDEED FOUND THAT THE AIR PHONE HAD SHORTED OUT AND HAD BEEN BURNING. SPEAKING WITH COMPANY MAINT, THEY CONFIRMED THAT EITHER ACTION OF DEACTIVATING THE PHONE SWITCH OR SHUTTING OFF THE UTILITY BUSSES WOULD REMOVE PWR FROM THE AIR PHONE. I WAS PRESENT WHEN ICT MAINT REMOVED THE PHONE FROM THE WALL, REVEALING THE BACK OF IT TO BE CHARRED AND HAVING CHARRED THE AREA OF THE BULKHEAD WALL THAT IT WAS MOUNTED ON AS WELL. AFTER A CHECK OF THE COMPONENTS IN THE SURROUNDING AREA, AS WELL AS IN THE CARGO AREA UNDERNEATH, ELIMINATING ANY OTHER POSSIBLE SOURCES OF TROUBLE OR AFFECTED AREAS, MAINT SIGNED OFF THE FORMS. WE LEFT THE AIR PHONE SWITCH DEACTIVATED TO PRECLUDE ANY OTHER AIR PHONE PROBS AND CONTINUED ON TO DEST. UPON ARR AT LAX, THE BURNT PHONE WAS GIVEN TO A MAINT SUPVR, TO BE FORWARDED TO COMPANY MAINT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT SAID THAT THE BULKHEAD THAT WAS CHARRED BY THE HEAT FROM THE AIR PHONE WAS MADE OF A COMPOSITE MATERIAL, COMPOSITION NOT KNOWN TO THE CAPT. THE CAPT BELIEVES THAT THE AIR PHONE WAS A PRODUCT OF AT&T, BUT WAS UNAWARE OF THE INSTALLATION PROCESS, AS TO WHO INSTALLED IT, COMPANY OR CONTRACT MAINT FROM SOME OTHER COMPANY. THE CAPT AND OTHER EMPLOYEES, CREW MEMBERS, ALL RECEIVED E-MAIL MESSAGES REFERENCING THE COMPANY'S PLANS TO DEACTIVATE THE PHONE SYS. IT WASN'T KNOWN IF THIS INCLUDED ACTUAL REMOVAL OF THE UNITS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 460629: SEVERAL FLT ATTENDANTS NOTICED A SMELL IN THE BACK GALLEY, SMELLED LIKE BURNT RUBBER OR ELECTRICAL. THE FO CAME BACK TO CHECK IT OUT. ONCE HE RETURNED TO THE FRONT, THE COCKPIT CREW DECIDED WE WOULD DIVERT TO WICHITA, WHICH WE DID. ALL PAX DEPLANED. THE AT&T PHONE WAS REMOVED AND WE RE-BOARDED ALL PAX. TOTAL DELAY WAS ABOUT 1 1/2 TO 2 1/2 HOURS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FLT ATTENDANT REVEALED THAT THE AT&T AIR PHONE HAD BEEN USED A MODERATE AMOUNT BEFORE THE EVENT. NOTHING UNUSUAL HAD OCCURRED IN THAT AREA BEFORE THE BURNING RUBBER, ELECTRICAL SMELL WAS DETECTED. INITIALLY, ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT NOTICED THE SMELL IN THE BACK OF THE AFT GALLEY. THE FO WAS SUMMONED AND HE DETERMINED THAT IT WAS THE PHONE THAT WAS ISSUING THE BURNING SMELL. HE USED THE INTERPHONE TO CALL THE CAPT AND SHE ISOLATED THE PHONE SYS FROM THE FLT DECK. THE FLT ATTENDANT RECALLED SEEING A COMPANY WIDE E-MAIL SUGGESTING THAT ALL AIR PHONESON ALL ACFT WOULD BE SHUT DOWN DURING AN INVESTIGATION. SO FAR, THEY SYS WIDE SHUTDOWN HAS NOT OCCURRED.

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.