Narrative:

We began smelling an odor that seemed at first to be like burning paper. The first officer and I looked around the cockpit and then called the forward galley to check the ovens and lavatories. Nothing. Smell increased and seemed then to be more of an electrical/plastic smell; no visible smoke. Put on oxygen masks and ran qrc for smoke/fumes. Tried calling dispatch. Meantime; pulled up WX for nearby airports. Got dispatch and maintenance controller on the sat phone but had a hard time communicating with poor connection and using the masks. Odor was still increasing; told dispatch we were diverting to ZZZ; first officer. He said he would coordination with ZZZ. Declared an emergency with center and got cleared direct to XXX VOR and a descent to 10000 ft. Called the purser and briefed on situation. No odor in cabin. He asked for about 5 mins to brief his crew before I made a cabin announcement. Kept it as a cabin advisory at that point. Relief pilot returned to cockpit. WX was clear and calm in ZZZ. Requested the fire trucks to be available. Odor was then not increasing; but not dissipating; slight haze in cockpit. Slight smell; haze by door 1L but nowhere else. Got report of no visual smoke/fire from fire crew and were guided to a remote spot about 100 yards from the terminal. Stairs were put to doors 1L and 2L. Arranged with operations agent to get passenger off plane. Sent some of the flight attendants with passenger as they were walked across the ramp to terminal; where they cleared immigration and were held in a secure area. Started trying to arrange some maintenance and servicing. This took hours. We were having trouble communicating with the company on the sat phone (the satcom would fail the next day during our ferry flight) and none of our cell phones worked. Had to give reports to the fire chief and several levels of police. We went over to terminal where they let me use a phone. Was able to talk to dispatch and then from that point on to company operations. Went into terminal and spoke to passenger. Company operations had talked to handling air carrier so I went over the their office. Supposedly company operations had arranged for handling air carrier to take care of passenger with vouchers; etc; but in spite of 2 faxes and several phone calls authorizing; I found out later that handling air carrier never did do anything for our people. Some confusion about when the mechanics would come on duty; nobody showed for hours. Some mechanics finally showed up but seemed very unsure of what they were doing. I was up in the forward cargo hold as they checked the east&east exhaust fan. They declared it seemed to work even though the circuit breaker had popped in-flight and was still out.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767-300 CREW DIVERTED TO THE NEAREST SUITABLE FOREIGN ARPT AFTER SMELLING A BURNING ODOR.

Narrative: WE BEGAN SMELLING AN ODOR THAT SEEMED AT FIRST TO BE LIKE BURNING PAPER. THE FO AND I LOOKED AROUND THE COCKPIT AND THEN CALLED THE FORWARD GALLEY TO CHK THE OVENS AND LAVATORIES. NOTHING. SMELL INCREASED AND SEEMED THEN TO BE MORE OF AN ELECTRICAL/PLASTIC SMELL; NO VISIBLE SMOKE. PUT ON OXYGEN MASKS AND RAN QRC FOR SMOKE/FUMES. TRIED CALLING DISPATCH. MEANTIME; PULLED UP WX FOR NEARBY ARPTS. GOT DISPATCH AND MAINT CTLR ON THE SAT PHONE BUT HAD A HARD TIME COMMUNICATING WITH POOR CONNECTION AND USING THE MASKS. ODOR WAS STILL INCREASING; TOLD DISPATCH WE WERE DIVERTING TO ZZZ; FO. HE SAID HE WOULD COORD WITH ZZZ. DECLARED AN EMER WITH CTR AND GOT CLRED DIRECT TO XXX VOR AND A DSCNT TO 10000 FT. CALLED THE PURSER AND BRIEFED ON SIT. NO ODOR IN CABIN. HE ASKED FOR ABOUT 5 MINS TO BRIEF HIS CREW BEFORE I MADE A CABIN ANNOUNCEMENT. KEPT IT AS A CABIN ADVISORY AT THAT POINT. RELIEF PLT RETURNED TO COCKPIT. WX WAS CLR AND CALM IN ZZZ. REQUESTED THE FIRE TRUCKS TO BE AVAILABLE. ODOR WAS THEN NOT INCREASING; BUT NOT DISSIPATING; SLIGHT HAZE IN COCKPIT. SLIGHT SMELL; HAZE BY DOOR 1L BUT NOWHERE ELSE. GOT RPT OF NO VISUAL SMOKE/FIRE FROM FIRE CREW AND WERE GUIDED TO A REMOTE SPOT ABOUT 100 YARDS FROM THE TERMINAL. STAIRS WERE PUT TO DOORS 1L AND 2L. ARRANGED WITH OPS AGENT TO GET PAX OFF PLANE. SENT SOME OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS WITH PAX AS THEY WERE WALKED ACROSS THE RAMP TO TERMINAL; WHERE THEY CLRED IMMIGRATION AND WERE HELD IN A SECURE AREA. STARTED TRYING TO ARRANGE SOME MAINT AND SVCING. THIS TOOK HRS. WE WERE HAVING TROUBLE COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMPANY ON THE SAT PHONE (THE SATCOM WOULD FAIL THE NEXT DAY DURING OUR FERRY FLT) AND NONE OF OUR CELL PHONES WORKED. HAD TO GIVE RPTS TO THE FIRE CHIEF AND SEVERAL LEVELS OF POLICE. WE WENT OVER TO TERMINAL WHERE THEY LET ME USE A PHONE. WAS ABLE TO TALK TO DISPATCH AND THEN FROM THAT POINT ON TO COMPANY OPS. WENT INTO TERMINAL AND SPOKE TO PAX. COMPANY OPS HAD TALKED TO HANDLING ACR SO I WENT OVER THE THEIR OFFICE. SUPPOSEDLY COMPANY OPS HAD ARRANGED FOR HANDLING ACR TO TAKE CARE OF PAX WITH VOUCHERS; ETC; BUT IN SPITE OF 2 FAXES AND SEVERAL PHONE CALLS AUTHORIZING; I FOUND OUT LATER THAT HANDLING ACR NEVER DID DO ANYTHING FOR OUR PEOPLE. SOME CONFUSION ABOUT WHEN THE MECHS WOULD COME ON DUTY; NOBODY SHOWED FOR HRS. SOME MECHS FINALLY SHOWED UP BUT SEEMED VERY UNSURE OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING. I WAS UP IN THE FORWARD CARGO HOLD AS THEY CHKED THE E&E EXHAUST FAN. THEY DECLARED IT SEEMED TO WORK EVEN THOUGH THE CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD POPPED INFLT AND WAS STILL OUT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.