Narrative:

My first officer was the PF from ZZZ1-ZZZ2 with over 190 souls. We were cruising at FL360 about 30 mins into the flight after a routine takeoff and climb when we noticed an unusual smell in the cockpit. The odor became acrid and rapidly became stronger so we all 3 donned our oxygen and established communications. I called the interphone at door 1L and asked if anyone in the cabin noticed a strange smell or if perhaps something was burning in the galley ovens. The flight attendant had an extremely hard time understanding me through the mask microphone. It took several attempts to establish the fact that they too smelled something unusual and that nothing was burning in the ovens. I then noticed smoke coming from under and behind the captain's light knob cluster on the forward left panel. I tapped the first officer on the shoulder and pointed to the smoke. His eyes became very wide indeed. We immediately started looking for a place to land. The first officer pointed to ZZZ3 on his HSI which was about 60 mi to the north. I requested lower and clearance direct to ZZZ3. ATC had a hard time understanding my request; but finally cleared us back to ZZZ1 when another aircraft broke in and said; 'I think he wants to go to ZZZ3.' the first officer then tried his microphone and was understood better than I; so I took the aircraft and had the first officer run the radios. He assumed the PNF duties; confirmed ZZZ3 as our requested field; declared an emergency and requested crash fire rescue equipment. The first officer then ran the smoke/fumes and odor qrc while I initiated our descent into ZZZ3. Our jumpseater sent a message to dispatch indicating our diversion to ZZZ3 and that we were an emergency aircraft. She then pulled all ZZZ3 approachs out of my manual for me and helped the first officer finish the qrc and then ran the smoke or fumes removal checklist solo while the first officer helped me set up for an approach. I was concerned that we might have had a fire in the east&east compartment; so I wanted the aircraft on the ground as quickly as possible. We landed with a slight quartering tailwind at weight of 205.3K pounds. Landing was uneventful; tower and rescue reported no smoke outside the aircraft. Smoke and fumes had somewhat dissipated in the cockpit and cabin; so I elected to not evacuate/evacuation the passenger. We had the passenger deplane through door 2L via an air stair whose top step was about 4 ft below the floor sill. Rescue rigged an additional step to shorten the distance and helped us get the passenger off. Cabin and cockpit crews remained with the passenger or organized the xfer of carry-on and pit baggage to the rescue aircraft. We all remained on site until our passenger were xferred to the rescue aircraft which took about 6 hours.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 CAPT REPORTS SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT REQUIRING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND DIVERSION TO A NEARBY ARPT.

Narrative: MY FO WAS THE PF FROM ZZZ1-ZZZ2 WITH OVER 190 SOULS. WE WERE CRUISING AT FL360 ABOUT 30 MINS INTO THE FLT AFTER A ROUTINE TKOF AND CLB WHEN WE NOTICED AN UNUSUAL SMELL IN THE COCKPIT. THE ODOR BECAME ACRID AND RAPIDLY BECAME STRONGER SO WE ALL 3 DONNED OUR OXYGEN AND ESTABLISHED COMS. I CALLED THE INTERPHONE AT DOOR 1L AND ASKED IF ANYONE IN THE CABIN NOTICED A STRANGE SMELL OR IF PERHAPS SOMETHING WAS BURNING IN THE GALLEY OVENS. THE FLT ATTENDANT HAD AN EXTREMELY HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING ME THROUGH THE MASK MICROPHONE. IT TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH THE FACT THAT THEY TOO SMELLED SOMETHING UNUSUAL AND THAT NOTHING WAS BURNING IN THE OVENS. I THEN NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER AND BEHIND THE CAPT'S LIGHT KNOB CLUSTER ON THE FORWARD L PANEL. I TAPPED THE FO ON THE SHOULDER AND POINTED TO THE SMOKE. HIS EYES BECAME VERY WIDE INDEED. WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LAND. THE FO POINTED TO ZZZ3 ON HIS HSI WHICH WAS ABOUT 60 MI TO THE N. I REQUESTED LOWER AND CLRNC DIRECT TO ZZZ3. ATC HAD A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING MY REQUEST; BUT FINALLY CLRED US BACK TO ZZZ1 WHEN ANOTHER ACFT BROKE IN AND SAID; 'I THINK HE WANTS TO GO TO ZZZ3.' THE FO THEN TRIED HIS MICROPHONE AND WAS UNDERSTOOD BETTER THAN I; SO I TOOK THE ACFT AND HAD THE FO RUN THE RADIOS. HE ASSUMED THE PNF DUTIES; CONFIRMED ZZZ3 AS OUR REQUESTED FIELD; DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED CFR. THE FO THEN RAN THE SMOKE/FUMES AND ODOR QRC WHILE I INITIATED OUR DSCNT INTO ZZZ3. OUR JUMPSEATER SENT A MESSAGE TO DISPATCH INDICATING OUR DIVERSION TO ZZZ3 AND THAT WE WERE AN EMER ACFT. SHE THEN PULLED ALL ZZZ3 APCHS OUT OF MY MANUAL FOR ME AND HELPED THE FO FINISH THE QRC AND THEN RAN THE SMOKE OR FUMES REMOVAL CHKLIST SOLO WHILE THE FO HELPED ME SET UP FOR AN APCH. I WAS CONCERNED THAT WE MIGHT HAVE HAD A FIRE IN THE E&E COMPARTMENT; SO I WANTED THE ACFT ON THE GND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE LANDED WITH A SLIGHT QUARTERING TAILWIND AT WT OF 205.3K LBS. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL; TWR AND RESCUE RPTED NO SMOKE OUTSIDE THE ACFT. SMOKE AND FUMES HAD SOMEWHAT DISSIPATED IN THE COCKPIT AND CABIN; SO I ELECTED TO NOT EVAC THE PAX. WE HAD THE PAX DEPLANE THROUGH DOOR 2L VIA AN AIR STAIR WHOSE TOP STEP WAS ABOUT 4 FT BELOW THE FLOOR SILL. RESCUE RIGGED AN ADDITIONAL STEP TO SHORTEN THE DISTANCE AND HELPED US GET THE PAX OFF. CABIN AND COCKPIT CREWS REMAINED WITH THE PAX OR ORGANIZED THE XFER OF CARRY-ON AND PIT BAGGAGE TO THE RESCUE ACFT. WE ALL REMAINED ON SITE UNTIL OUR PAX WERE XFERRED TO THE RESCUE ACFT WHICH TOOK ABOUT 6 HRS.

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.