Narrative:

At approximately xa:55 curaco local time at FL350 first officer and fb sensed smoke in the cockpit and woke me up from my rest break. I went to the cockpit, we immediately turned to curaco which was about 80 mi west of us. First officer did the flying, fb and myself did the checklists. Smoke continued to get thicker in the cockpit first class and business class. We used goggles and oxygen. We ran electrical fire or smoke down to group 1 cabin fire smoke and the cabin/cockpit smoke removal checklists. Fb kept flight attendant's in the loop. Passenger were having hard time breathing and eye irritation. Once on the ground 'approximately xb:04 local time', I taxied fast to the terminal ramp hoping stairs would be available. Upon seeing no stairs, we evacuated. ACARS shows brakes parked at 05 local time. We used all slides. 1 passenger had heart problems and was taken to hospital and discharged. 1 passenger complained of back problems. A few passenger had slide burns. Cabin crew did an excellent job of evacuation and taking care of passenger on the ground. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the aircraft was a B767-300ER and the reporter was not flying but in a rest period with the relief pilot flying. The reporter said the smoke was heavy and thick in the cockpit, first class and business sections of the cabin. The reporter stated the oxygen masks and goggles were needed in the cockpit. The reporter stated the cause of the smoke was that the standby a.C. Power inverter burned up. The reporter stated no circuit breakers or current limiters were tripped or opened. The reporter said the EICAS warning of 'standby inverter' was misleading as this warning indicates low or high voltage inverter output and not the condition experienced. The reporter stated when looking into the cooling holes in the removed inverter case it was obvious extreme heat was present as some of the metal components had melted.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300 IN CRUISE AT FL350 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO HEAVY AND THICK SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AND PAX CABIN CAUSED BY A FAILED STANDBY A.C. INVERTER.

Narrative: AT APPROX XA:55 CURACO LOCAL TIME AT FL350 FO AND FB SENSED SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AND WOKE ME UP FROM MY REST BREAK. I WENT TO THE COCKPIT, WE IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO CURACO WHICH WAS ABOUT 80 MI W OF US. FO DID THE FLYING, FB AND MYSELF DID THE CHKLISTS. SMOKE CONTINUED TO GET THICKER IN THE COCKPIT FIRST CLASS AND BUSINESS CLASS. WE USED GOGGLES AND OXYGEN. WE RAN ELECTRICAL FIRE OR SMOKE DOWN TO GROUP 1 CABIN FIRE SMOKE AND THE CABIN/COCKPIT SMOKE REMOVAL CHKLISTS. FB KEPT FA'S IN THE LOOP. PAX WERE HAVING HARD TIME BREATHING AND EYE IRRITATION. ONCE ON THE GND 'APPROX XB:04 LOCAL TIME', I TAXIED FAST TO THE TERMINAL RAMP HOPING STAIRS WOULD BE AVAILABLE. UPON SEEING NO STAIRS, WE EVACUATED. ACARS SHOWS BRAKES PARKED AT 05 LOCAL TIME. WE USED ALL SLIDES. 1 PAX HAD HEART PROBS AND WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AND DISCHARGED. 1 PAX COMPLAINED OF BACK PROBS. A FEW PAX HAD SLIDE BURNS. CABIN CREW DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF EVACUATION AND TAKING CARE OF PAX ON THE GND. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ACFT WAS A B767-300ER AND THE RPTR WAS NOT FLYING BUT IN A REST PERIOD WITH THE RELIEF PLT FLYING. THE RPTR SAID THE SMOKE WAS HEAVY AND THICK IN THE COCKPIT, FIRST CLASS AND BUSINESS SECTIONS OF THE CABIN. THE RPTR STATED THE OXYGEN MASKS AND GOGGLES WERE NEEDED IN THE COCKPIT. THE RPTR STATED THE CAUSE OF THE SMOKE WAS THAT THE STANDBY A.C. POWER INVERTER BURNED UP. THE RPTR STATED NO CIRCUIT BREAKERS OR CURRENT LIMITERS WERE TRIPPED OR OPENED. THE RPTR SAID THE EICAS WARNING OF 'STANDBY INVERTER' WAS MISLEADING AS THIS WARNING INDICATES LOW OR HIGH VOLTAGE INVERTER OUTPUT AND NOT THE CONDITION EXPERIENCED. THE RPTR STATED WHEN LOOKING INTO THE COOLING HOLES IN THE REMOVED INVERTER CASE IT WAS OBVIOUS EXTREME HEAT WAS PRESENT AS SOME OF THE METAL COMPONENTS HAD MELTED.

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.