Narrative:

During the second service, a poof and a white light flooded the cabin and wing area. I noted the sky was clear, not lightning. 5 seconds later, a poof and more white light from right wing area. Passenger noted occurrence. Flight attendant #4 said 'call the cockpit.' flight attendant #2 (me) ran aft to the galley, almost knocking over a passenger coming out of lavatory, to notify cockpit. I notified the captain. He said 'thank you.' to keep the passenger calm, we continued the beverage service and stowed the cart and service items. About 15 mins later, poof and a white flooding light. I notified the cockpit. Flight attendant #4 smelled a light burning smell and notified the cockpit. The captain announced that we may have had a computer malfunction in the right engine and that we were working on a back-up computer. After notifying the captain of the second occurrence and again the smell of smoke, the captain announced we would be landing in buffalo, ny, as a safety precaution. The passenger were worried about international connections. I made an announcement that the air carrier X gate agents would be able to assist them once we arrived in buffalo. Some passenger pulled out rosaries and prayed. One man was shaking. Flight attendant #4 and I moved throughout the cabin collecting loose service items, stowing luggage, asking passenger to stow blankets they had wrapped around their feet. I moved 2 teenagers to bulkhead seats, so each sat next to a parent. We prepared for landing and went through the cabin as much as possible to have a reassuring presence. Flight attendant #4 and I returned to take our jump seats reviewing 'easy victor' and door procedures in case of an evacuate/evacuation. Upon landing, the plane shuddered, emergency equipment lined the runway, very reassuring, and followed the plane to a holding area where emergency equipment shined spotlights on the engines. Relieved passenger got up and mingled for about 45 mins. We served nutrigrain bars and set up juice and water in the galley until cleared to deplane at the gate. We continued on subsequent aircraft with passenger to jfk, then worked to boston.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 FLC DIVERTED TO LAND DUE TO R ENG MALFUNCTION DURING CRUISE AT NIGHT. CABIN ATTENDANTS AND PAX OBSERVED SMOKE, NOISE AND WHITE LIGHT COMING FROM THE ENG.

Narrative: DURING THE SECOND SVC, A POOF AND A WHITE LIGHT FLOODED THE CABIN AND WING AREA. I NOTED THE SKY WAS CLR, NOT LIGHTNING. 5 SECONDS LATER, A POOF AND MORE WHITE LIGHT FROM R WING AREA. PAX NOTED OCCURRENCE. FLT ATTENDANT #4 SAID 'CALL THE COCKPIT.' FLT ATTENDANT #2 (ME) RAN AFT TO THE GALLEY, ALMOST KNOCKING OVER A PAX COMING OUT OF LAVATORY, TO NOTIFY COCKPIT. I NOTIFIED THE CAPT. HE SAID 'THANK YOU.' TO KEEP THE PAX CALM, WE CONTINUED THE BEVERAGE SVC AND STOWED THE CART AND SVC ITEMS. ABOUT 15 MINS LATER, POOF AND A WHITE FLOODING LIGHT. I NOTIFIED THE COCKPIT. FLT ATTENDANT #4 SMELLED A LIGHT BURNING SMELL AND NOTIFIED THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT ANNOUNCED THAT WE MAY HAVE HAD A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION IN THE R ENG AND THAT WE WERE WORKING ON A BACK-UP COMPUTER. AFTER NOTIFYING THE CAPT OF THE SECOND OCCURRENCE AND AGAIN THE SMELL OF SMOKE, THE CAPT ANNOUNCED WE WOULD BE LNDG IN BUFFALO, NY, AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION. THE PAX WERE WORRIED ABOUT INTL CONNECTIONS. I MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE ACR X GATE AGENTS WOULD BE ABLE TO ASSIST THEM ONCE WE ARRIVED IN BUFFALO. SOME PAX PULLED OUT ROSARIES AND PRAYED. ONE MAN WAS SHAKING. FLT ATTENDANT #4 AND I MOVED THROUGHOUT THE CABIN COLLECTING LOOSE SVC ITEMS, STOWING LUGGAGE, ASKING PAX TO STOW BLANKETS THEY HAD WRAPPED AROUND THEIR FEET. I MOVED 2 TEENAGERS TO BULKHEAD SEATS, SO EACH SAT NEXT TO A PARENT. WE PREPARED FOR LNDG AND WENT THROUGH THE CABIN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A REASSURING PRESENCE. FLT ATTENDANT #4 AND I RETURNED TO TAKE OUR JUMP SEATS REVIEWING 'EASY VICTOR' AND DOOR PROCS IN CASE OF AN EVAC. UPON LNDG, THE PLANE SHUDDERED, EMER EQUIP LINED THE RWY, VERY REASSURING, AND FOLLOWED THE PLANE TO A HOLDING AREA WHERE EMER EQUIP SHINED SPOTLIGHTS ON THE ENGS. RELIEVED PAX GOT UP AND MINGLED FOR ABOUT 45 MINS. WE SERVED NUTRIGRAIN BARS AND SET UP JUICE AND WATER IN THE GALLEY UNTIL CLRED TO DEPLANE AT THE GATE. WE CONTINUED ON SUBSEQUENT ACFT WITH PAX TO JFK, THEN WORKED TO BOSTON.

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.