Narrative:

While at cruise the purser called and told us of a burning electrical odor in the first class galley. We asked him to come forward and the captain went back to see if he could find the source of the smell. The captain smelled around the galley and the forward lavatory with no real odor present. He felt for any hot spots and found none. The flight attendants; who was outside the door; said she smelled the odor near the corner of the lavatory wall around the tape player. The captain came forward and asked me to go see what I could find. I went out and opened the lavatory door and found the smell to be very strong. I believe this was because the odor had a chance to build up with the lavatory door shut while the captain and I swapped out of the cockpit. I went forward and said the smell was very strong and that I thought we should go to ZZZ. The captain made the decision to divert and discussed the time remaining with the purser who had been sitting in the cockpit through the investigation phase. The captain asked the purser to review the locations of the fire fighting equipment in case the odor turned into something more. We asked for clearance to ZZZ and were given direct for the arrival. We sent a 'call me' to dispatch and then the captain gave me control of the aircraft while he talked to dispatch; made announcements and handled ATC. As we descended; we declared an emergency and said to have the rescue trucks standing by. All checklists were run and the landing was uneventful. We kept the trucks following us until we reached the gate as a precaution. We were met at the gate by 2 fire fighters and a large group of supervisors; due to the fact that dispatch had issued an alert for us. We deplaned the passenger uneventfully. Maintenance then did some investigation and found that the switch in the lavatory wall; where the door lock slides into and turns on the light; had shorted out; melting some of the insulation in the wall and charring some of the wires in the switch itself. The switch was replaced and we continued to our original destination. At no time was there any hint of odor in the cockpit and we therefore did not run any checklist to that effect. The crew worked superbly together. The captain kept everyone in the loop; even checking with the purser after we cleared the runway to confirm that all was well before we continued to the gate. All in all a successful divert.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FA REPORTED ELECTRICAL ODOR IN CABIN. FLT CREW INVESTIGATED; DECLARED EMER; AND DIVERTED.

Narrative: WHILE AT CRUISE THE PURSER CALLED AND TOLD US OF A BURNING ELECTRICAL ODOR IN THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY. WE ASKED HIM TO COME FORWARD AND THE CAPT WENT BACK TO SEE IF HE COULD FIND THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL. THE CAPT SMELLED AROUND THE GALLEY AND THE FORWARD LAVATORY WITH NO REAL ODOR PRESENT. HE FELT FOR ANY HOT SPOTS AND FOUND NONE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS; WHO WAS OUTSIDE THE DOOR; SAID SHE SMELLED THE ODOR NEAR THE CORNER OF THE LAVATORY WALL AROUND THE TAPE PLAYER. THE CAPT CAME FORWARD AND ASKED ME TO GO SEE WHAT I COULD FIND. I WENT OUT AND OPENED THE LAVATORY DOOR AND FOUND THE SMELL TO BE VERY STRONG. I BELIEVE THIS WAS BECAUSE THE ODOR HAD A CHANCE TO BUILD UP WITH THE LAVATORY DOOR SHUT WHILE THE CAPT AND I SWAPPED OUT OF THE COCKPIT. I WENT FORWARD AND SAID THE SMELL WAS VERY STRONG AND THAT I THOUGHT WE SHOULD GO TO ZZZ. THE CAPT MADE THE DECISION TO DIVERT AND DISCUSSED THE TIME REMAINING WITH THE PURSER WHO HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE COCKPIT THROUGH THE INVESTIGATION PHASE. THE CAPT ASKED THE PURSER TO REVIEW THE LOCATIONS OF THE FIRE FIGHTING EQUIP IN CASE THE ODOR TURNED INTO SOMETHING MORE. WE ASKED FOR CLRNC TO ZZZ AND WERE GIVEN DIRECT FOR THE ARR. WE SENT A 'CALL ME' TO DISPATCH AND THEN THE CAPT GAVE ME CTL OF THE ACFT WHILE HE TALKED TO DISPATCH; MADE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND HANDLED ATC. AS WE DSNDED; WE DECLARED AN EMER AND SAID TO HAVE THE RESCUE TRUCKS STANDING BY. ALL CHKLISTS WERE RUN AND THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. WE KEPT THE TRUCKS FOLLOWING US UNTIL WE REACHED THE GATE AS A PRECAUTION. WE WERE MET AT THE GATE BY 2 FIRE FIGHTERS AND A LARGE GROUP OF SUPVRS; DUE TO THE FACT THAT DISPATCH HAD ISSUED AN ALERT FOR US. WE DEPLANED THE PAX UNEVENTFULLY. MAINT THEN DID SOME INVESTIGATION AND FOUND THAT THE SWITCH IN THE LAVATORY WALL; WHERE THE DOOR LOCK SLIDES INTO AND TURNS ON THE LIGHT; HAD SHORTED OUT; MELTING SOME OF THE INSULATION IN THE WALL AND CHARRING SOME OF THE WIRES IN THE SWITCH ITSELF. THE SWITCH WAS REPLACED AND WE CONTINUED TO OUR ORIGINAL DEST. AT NO TIME WAS THERE ANY HINT OF ODOR IN THE COCKPIT AND WE THEREFORE DID NOT RUN ANY CHKLIST TO THAT EFFECT. THE CREW WORKED SUPERBLY TOGETHER. THE CAPT KEPT EVERYONE IN THE LOOP; EVEN CHKING WITH THE PURSER AFTER WE CLRED THE RWY TO CONFIRM THAT ALL WAS WELL BEFORE WE CONTINUED TO THE GATE. ALL IN ALL A SUCCESSFUL DIVERT.

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.