Narrative:

On our first leg we had a #1 dc bus failure en route to ZZZ1 which causes many different problems. There is no checklist for yaw damper; speed trim; airspeed inoperative; #1 radio inoperative; flight director inoperative. I gave the aircraft to the first officer and looked at what we had. The captain's side of the aircraft was gone. Nice way to start the day. We were passing FL230 and I asked the first officer to level at FL270. We worked the various problems and reset the circuit breaker that had tripped. Wrote up the issue and was met in ZZZ1 by maintenance. They addressed the write-up. So on our second leg en route to ZZZ2 when the flight attendant called and said they smelled smoke in the cabin by rows 22/23 my attention was piqued. I asked the first officer to take the aircraft and ATC. I asked the flight attendant to explain the smell and look at the bins. He called back in less than 10 seconds and stated the smell was burning electrical and getting very strong. I asked the first officer to tell ATC we were declaring an emergency and going direct to ZZZ3. She flew and worked with ATC. The flight attendant called back and said the smell was gone. Too late; we're going to ZZZ3 as soon as possible. The first officer flew; I ran the cabin smoke checklist. I called ZZZ3 operations; asked them to get dispatch on line; talked with the flight attendants and passenger. Dispatch called on company and I explained the issue and our divert to ZZZ3. He said they would make the calls for us. The first officer had really done a great job keeping me in the loop as to ATC and I was able to work with the passenger and flight attendants. On landing; I asked the fire department to look for any smoke and thermal issues. They noted no issues and we taxied to the gate. I deplaned the passenger and had maintenance and the fire department look for problems. Called dispatch and the chief pilot on duty. The ZZZ3 FAA sent 2 flight safety inspectors over and they wanted basic information -- my license number; problem; and asked if they could help. The chief pilot asked if I put on my oxygen mask during the event. We did not. As the problem unfolded and I directed the first officer to head to ZZZ3; the flight attendant called back within 60 seconds. I had not started the checklist yet. Upon starting the checklist; I talked about the oxygen but it seemed moot at that point. Had no smell or haze in the cockpit. The chief pilot asked if we were ok to keep going and I told him I would have a crew meeting and talk about the continued flight. The crew was fine and we continued to ZZZ2. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the reported event apparently had no connection to the previous electrical anomaly. However; that event earlier in the day did prime him to readily respond to this event and divert rather than take chances with an unknown more severe event. His air carrier has not gotten back to him about the cause of this event. Callback conversation with reporter acn 715754 revealed the following information: reporter stated this aircraft had an earlier electrical problem. However; this event did not appear to be related. Several days later; the reporter flew this aircraft again and found that the recirculation fan and some other component; that was not remembered; was replaced.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 FLT ATTENDANT RPTED CABIN ELECTRICAL FUMES. THE CAPT DECLARED AN EMER AND LANDED AT THE NEAREST ARPT. NO FIRE WAS FOUND.

Narrative: ON OUR FIRST LEG WE HAD A #1 DC BUS FAILURE ENRTE TO ZZZ1 WHICH CAUSES MANY DIFFERENT PROBS. THERE IS NO CHKLIST FOR YAW DAMPER; SPD TRIM; AIRSPD INOP; #1 RADIO INOP; FLT DIRECTOR INOP. I GAVE THE ACFT TO THE FO AND LOOKED AT WHAT WE HAD. THE CAPT'S SIDE OF THE ACFT WAS GONE. NICE WAY TO START THE DAY. WE WERE PASSING FL230 AND I ASKED THE FO TO LEVEL AT FL270. WE WORKED THE VARIOUS PROBS AND RESET THE CIRCUIT BREAKER THAT HAD TRIPPED. WROTE UP THE ISSUE AND WAS MET IN ZZZ1 BY MAINT. THEY ADDRESSED THE WRITE-UP. SO ON OUR SECOND LEG ENRTE TO ZZZ2 WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND SAID THEY SMELLED SMOKE IN THE CABIN BY ROWS 22/23 MY ATTN WAS PIQUED. I ASKED THE FO TO TAKE THE ACFT AND ATC. I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO EXPLAIN THE SMELL AND LOOK AT THE BINS. HE CALLED BACK IN LESS THAN 10 SECONDS AND STATED THE SMELL WAS BURNING ELECTRICAL AND GETTING VERY STRONG. I ASKED THE FO TO TELL ATC WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER AND GOING DIRECT TO ZZZ3. SHE FLEW AND WORKED WITH ATC. THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED BACK AND SAID THE SMELL WAS GONE. TOO LATE; WE'RE GOING TO ZZZ3 ASAP. THE FO FLEW; I RAN THE CABIN SMOKE CHKLIST. I CALLED ZZZ3 OPS; ASKED THEM TO GET DISPATCH ON LINE; TALKED WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX. DISPATCH CALLED ON COMPANY AND I EXPLAINED THE ISSUE AND OUR DIVERT TO ZZZ3. HE SAID THEY WOULD MAKE THE CALLS FOR US. THE FO HAD REALLY DONE A GREAT JOB KEEPING ME IN THE LOOP AS TO ATC AND I WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH THE PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS. ON LNDG; I ASKED THE FIRE DEPT TO LOOK FOR ANY SMOKE AND THERMAL ISSUES. THEY NOTED NO ISSUES AND WE TAXIED TO THE GATE. I DEPLANED THE PAX AND HAD MAINT AND THE FIRE DEPT LOOK FOR PROBS. CALLED DISPATCH AND THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY. THE ZZZ3 FAA SENT 2 FLT SAFETY INSPECTORS OVER AND THEY WANTED BASIC INFO -- MY LICENSE NUMBER; PROB; AND ASKED IF THEY COULD HELP. THE CHIEF PLT ASKED IF I PUT ON MY OXYGEN MASK DURING THE EVENT. WE DID NOT. AS THE PROB UNFOLDED AND I DIRECTED THE FO TO HEAD TO ZZZ3; THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED BACK WITHIN 60 SECONDS. I HAD NOT STARTED THE CHKLIST YET. UPON STARTING THE CHKLIST; I TALKED ABOUT THE OXYGEN BUT IT SEEMED MOOT AT THAT POINT. HAD NO SMELL OR HAZE IN THE COCKPIT. THE CHIEF PLT ASKED IF WE WERE OK TO KEEP GOING AND I TOLD HIM I WOULD HAVE A CREW MEETING AND TALK ABOUT THE CONTINUED FLT. THE CREW WAS FINE AND WE CONTINUED TO ZZZ2. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE RPTED EVENT APPARENTLY HAD NO CONNECTION TO THE PREVIOUS ELECTRICAL ANOMALY. HOWEVER; THAT EVENT EARLIER IN THE DAY DID PRIME HIM TO READILY RESPOND TO THIS EVENT AND DIVERT RATHER THAN TAKE CHANCES WITH AN UNKNOWN MORE SEVERE EVENT. HIS ACR HAS NOT GOTTEN BACK TO HIM ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THIS EVENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 715754 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THIS ACFT HAD AN EARLIER ELECTRICAL PROB. HOWEVER; THIS EVENT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE RELATED. SEVERAL DAYS LATER; THE RPTR FLEW THIS ACFT AGAIN AND FOUND THAT THE RECIRCULATION FAN AND SOME OTHER COMPONENT; THAT WAS NOT REMEMBERED; WAS REPLACED.

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.