Narrative:

About XA00Z as we were coasting out south of houston our flight attendant called and stated they had a burning smell in the front of coach. I asked them to wake the relief pilot and have him check the area. The relief pilot called and said the smell was like a burning electrical rubber. He came to the flight deck and I went to the cabin. Halfway into first class I could also detect the odor. The flight attendant and numerous passenger were also saying that the smell had been getting stronger. I returned to the flight deck and told the first officer that I did not think it was best to head out over the gulf of mexico with a burning smell that we could not find the source of. Being the next point of landing would most likely be merida with little to no air carrier services I found it best to head into iah. Everyone on the crew was notified and we declared an emergency at XA15. We were 125 mi or so out of iah. The first officer was flying the aircraft the relief pilot notified dispatch and I spoke to the passenger and ATC. We touched down at XA27 lots of difficulty on the tower frequency. But did get a green light from the tower. XA28 crash crew inspected the aircraft no visible problems XA33 odor was no longer in the cabin. XA35 taxied to gate. Looking back I think that our location really did not give us the time to do anything other than what we did. Looking toward the gulf is not the time to go looking for a source of a burning smell. The first officer and relief pilot did an excellent job. The flight attendant went above the normal level of excellence to accomplish getting everything ready for a landing in 12 mins. Getting from a full service to ready for landing and reassuring the passenger in that amount of time is to be commended.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FLT CREW HAS ELECTRICAL FUMES IN CABIN AREA, DECLARES EMER AND DIVERTS TO IAH.

Narrative: ABOUT XA00Z AS WE WERE COASTING OUT S OF HOUSTON OUR FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND STATED THEY HAD A BURNING SMELL IN THE FRONT OF COACH. I ASKED THEM TO WAKE THE RELIEF PLT AND HAVE HIM CHK THE AREA. THE RELIEF PLT CALLED AND SAID THE SMELL WAS LIKE A BURNING ELECTRICAL RUBBER. HE CAME TO THE FLT DECK AND I WENT TO THE CABIN. HALFWAY INTO FIRST CLASS I COULD ALSO DETECT THE ODOR. THE FLT ATTENDANT AND NUMEROUS PAX WERE ALSO SAYING THAT THE SMELL HAD BEEN GETTING STRONGER. I RETURNED TO THE FLT DECK AND TOLD THE FO THAT I DID NOT THINK IT WAS BEST TO HEAD OUT OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO WITH A BURNING SMELL THAT WE COULD NOT FIND THE SOURCE OF. BEING THE NEXT POINT OF LNDG WOULD MOST LIKELY BE MERIDA WITH LITTLE TO NO ACR SVCS I FOUND IT BEST TO HEAD INTO IAH. EVERYONE ON THE CREW WAS NOTIFIED AND WE DECLARED AN EMER AT XA15. WE WERE 125 MI OR SO OUT OF IAH. THE FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT THE RELIEF PLT NOTIFIED DISPATCH AND I SPOKE TO THE PAX AND ATC. WE TOUCHED DOWN AT XA27 LOTS OF DIFFICULTY ON THE TWR FREQ. BUT DID GET A GREEN LIGHT FROM THE TWR. XA28 CRASH CREW INSPECTED THE ACFT NO VISIBLE PROBS XA33 ODOR WAS NO LONGER IN THE CABIN. XA35 TAXIED TO GATE. LOOKING BACK I THINK THAT OUR LOCATION REALLY DID NOT GIVE US THE TIME TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT WE DID. LOOKING TOWARD THE GULF IS NOT THE TIME TO GO LOOKING FOR A SOURCE OF A BURNING SMELL. THE FO AND RELIEF PLT DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. THE FLT ATTENDANT WENT ABOVE THE NORMAL LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE TO ACCOMPLISH GETTING EVERYTHING READY FOR A LNDG IN 12 MINS. GETTING FROM A FULL SVC TO READY FOR LNDG AND REASSURING THE PAX IN THAT AMOUNT OF TIME IS TO BE COMMENDED.

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.