Narrative:

Aircraft diverted. The cause of the diversion was multiple master caution lights and multiple annunciation lights illuminated. Light section 5 circuit breaker popped along with a 'burning smell' in the cockpit. This smell increased when the recirculation fan was turned off. The flight crew recorded the above information into the aircraft logbook page after arriving. Maintenance was called on to take a down line field trip to work this problem. The first available flight was the last flight. While waiting for the flight; I asked that contract maintenance be called to see if the smell could be isolated and to rechk the '6 pack' annunciation lights that the flight crew had previously checked for improper or burned bulbs. Contract maintenance found the '6 pack' annunciation lights to correct. The contractor said the 'burning smell' seemed to come from behind the first officer's seat. I asked that the P6-3 circuit breaker panel be opened to visually view in the area of the M280 light diode area for any burned parts. The contractor said that he viewed no discrepancies and did not have the parts or tooling to work a diode problem if that indeed was where the problem was. All this information was passed on to maintenance. I thanked the contractor for what he did. I deemed that there was no maintenance performed. Since this was just a visual look; I deemed a logbook entry was not necessary and issued a work order number. Maintenance arrived and performed troubleshooting; encompassed the complete cockpit to isolate the source of the 'burning smell' and the cause of the section 5 circuit breaker tripping. It was found that the cockpit door lock module was internally faulted; causing the 'burning smells' and tripping of the section 5 circuit breaker. This module is on the aft control pedestal. Since this module was not suspected; maintenance did not bring along the necessary module. This module was shipped in on the first available flight. Maintenance signed off this discrepancy and then the plane was released for revenue service. I was notified at the end of my shift 1 month later that there was a question as to whether a log entry should have been made by contract maintenance because he made a visual look behind the P6-3 circuit breaker panel. I believe that no maintenance was performed by contract maintenance and a log entry was not needed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 DIVERTED DUE TO MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS; POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKER AND BURNING SMELL. MAINT CTLR HAD A CONTRACT TECHNICIAN MAKE CHKS TO LOCATE BURNING SMELL. NO DOCUMENTATION OF CONTRACT MAINT ACTIONS.

Narrative: ACFT DIVERTED. THE CAUSE OF THE DIVERSION WAS MULTIPLE MASTER CAUTION LIGHTS AND MULTIPLE ANNUNCIATION LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. LIGHT SECTION 5 CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED ALONG WITH A 'BURNING SMELL' IN THE COCKPIT. THIS SMELL INCREASED WHEN THE RECIRCULATION FAN WAS TURNED OFF. THE FLT CREW RECORDED THE ABOVE INFO INTO THE ACFT LOGBOOK PAGE AFTER ARRIVING. MAINT WAS CALLED ON TO TAKE A DOWN LINE FIELD TRIP TO WORK THIS PROB. THE FIRST AVAILABLE FLT WAS THE LAST FLT. WHILE WAITING FOR THE FLT; I ASKED THAT CONTRACT MAINT BE CALLED TO SEE IF THE SMELL COULD BE ISOLATED AND TO RECHK THE '6 PACK' ANNUNCIATION LIGHTS THAT THE FLT CREW HAD PREVIOUSLY CHKED FOR IMPROPER OR BURNED BULBS. CONTRACT MAINT FOUND THE '6 PACK' ANNUNCIATION LIGHTS TO CORRECT. THE CONTRACTOR SAID THE 'BURNING SMELL' SEEMED TO COME FROM BEHIND THE FO'S SEAT. I ASKED THAT THE P6-3 CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL BE OPENED TO VISUALLY VIEW IN THE AREA OF THE M280 LIGHT DIODE AREA FOR ANY BURNED PARTS. THE CONTRACTOR SAID THAT HE VIEWED NO DISCREPANCIES AND DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS OR TOOLING TO WORK A DIODE PROB IF THAT INDEED WAS WHERE THE PROB WAS. ALL THIS INFO WAS PASSED ON TO MAINT. I THANKED THE CONTRACTOR FOR WHAT HE DID. I DEEMED THAT THERE WAS NO MAINT PERFORMED. SINCE THIS WAS JUST A VISUAL LOOK; I DEEMED A LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS NOT NECESSARY AND ISSUED A WORK ORDER NUMBER. MAINT ARRIVED AND PERFORMED TROUBLESHOOTING; ENCOMPASSED THE COMPLETE COCKPIT TO ISOLATE THE SOURCE OF THE 'BURNING SMELL' AND THE CAUSE OF THE SECTION 5 CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIPPING. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE COCKPIT DOOR LOCK MODULE WAS INTERNALLY FAULTED; CAUSING THE 'BURNING SMELLS' AND TRIPPING OF THE SECTION 5 CIRCUIT BREAKER. THIS MODULE IS ON THE AFT CTL PEDESTAL. SINCE THIS MODULE WAS NOT SUSPECTED; MAINT DID NOT BRING ALONG THE NECESSARY MODULE. THIS MODULE WAS SHIPPED IN ON THE FIRST AVAILABLE FLT. MAINT SIGNED OFF THIS DISCREPANCY AND THEN THE PLANE WAS RELEASED FOR REVENUE SVC. I WAS NOTIFIED AT THE END OF MY SHIFT 1 MONTH LATER THAT THERE WAS A QUESTION AS TO WHETHER A LOG ENTRY SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE BY CONTRACT MAINT BECAUSE HE MADE A VISUAL LOOK BEHIND THE P6-3 CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL. I BELIEVE THAT NO MAINT WAS PERFORMED BY CONTRACT MAINT AND A LOG ENTRY WAS NOT NEEDED.

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.