Narrative:

At cruise at FL360; I took a bathroom break when our breakfast was brought up to us. After leaving the lavatory; the flight attendant manning the cart said that the flight attendants in the back smelled burning plastic at about row 14. I immediately walked back there myself; and it did indeed smell like that around rows 10-16. I didn't go farther back; as it seemed to dissipate the further I went. There was no smell at all in front of the area; at least that I noticed. There was no smoke anywhere. I went back to the cockpit and began a discussion with the purser (who was in there for the 2-PERSON rule) and the first officer. Once the purser left; I called dispatch on the radio and we decided to divert to ZZZ which by now was less than 60 mi away. We could see the airport; and we declared an emergency and got cleared directly to it. It took a maximum effort descent in order to get there; but we had enough time to run the standard checklists after briefing the approach; and were still stabilized before 500 ft. We didn't run the smoke and fumes checklist due to time limitations and the fact that there was only a slight smell at mid cabin. We never had any hint of it in the cockpit. And as far as dumping the cabin pressure in order to blow more air in; we were in a 6000 FPM descent as it was. It was already going out pretty quickly. We landed; taxied to the gate and shut down to a 'cold dark airplane' there as soon as we were stopped. Deplaning was normal; through door 1L. Maintenance was called and is still working the issue as this report is being written. Numerous passenger smelled the smell in-flight; and the flight attendants in the front of the cabin told us afterward that before we got to the gate; they just started smelling it. Supplemental information from acn 752838: takeoff and climb out were routine and normal. The first irregularity was during the climb; I noticed a landing light message on the ECAM. I brought this to the captain's attention and we confirmed the switch was in the off position. Upon investigation we found a popped landing light control circuit breaker and entered that into ACARS. After leveling in cruise; the flight attendants brought up our breakfasts and the captain went back to use the restroom. The captain returned and informed me that the flight attendants reported to him 'burning plastic' smell in the cabin around row 14 that was dissipating.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 CREW REPORTS A BURNING PLASTIC SMELL NEAR ROW 14. AN EMER WAS DECLARED AND THE FLT DIVERTED TO A NEARBY ARPT FOR A SAFE LNDG.

Narrative: AT CRUISE AT FL360; I TOOK A BATHROOM BREAK WHEN OUR BREAKFAST WAS BROUGHT UP TO US. AFTER LEAVING THE LAVATORY; THE FLT ATTENDANT MANNING THE CART SAID THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC AT ABOUT ROW 14. I IMMEDIATELY WALKED BACK THERE MYSELF; AND IT DID INDEED SMELL LIKE THAT AROUND ROWS 10-16. I DIDN'T GO FARTHER BACK; AS IT SEEMED TO DISSIPATE THE FURTHER I WENT. THERE WAS NO SMELL AT ALL IN FRONT OF THE AREA; AT LEAST THAT I NOTICED. THERE WAS NO SMOKE ANYWHERE. I WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND BEGAN A DISCUSSION WITH THE PURSER (WHO WAS IN THERE FOR THE 2-PERSON RULE) AND THE FO. ONCE THE PURSER LEFT; I CALLED DISPATCH ON THE RADIO AND WE DECIDED TO DIVERT TO ZZZ WHICH BY NOW WAS LESS THAN 60 MI AWAY. WE COULD SEE THE ARPT; AND WE DECLARED AN EMER AND GOT CLRED DIRECTLY TO IT. IT TOOK A MAX EFFORT DSCNT IN ORDER TO GET THERE; BUT WE HAD ENOUGH TIME TO RUN THE STANDARD CHKLISTS AFTER BRIEFING THE APCH; AND WERE STILL STABILIZED BEFORE 500 FT. WE DIDN'T RUN THE SMOKE AND FUMES CHKLIST DUE TO TIME LIMITATIONS AND THE FACT THAT THERE WAS ONLY A SLIGHT SMELL AT MID CABIN. WE NEVER HAD ANY HINT OF IT IN THE COCKPIT. AND AS FAR AS DUMPING THE CABIN PRESSURE IN ORDER TO BLOW MORE AIR IN; WE WERE IN A 6000 FPM DSCNT AS IT WAS. IT WAS ALREADY GOING OUT PRETTY QUICKLY. WE LANDED; TAXIED TO THE GATE AND SHUT DOWN TO A 'COLD DARK AIRPLANE' THERE AS SOON AS WE WERE STOPPED. DEPLANING WAS NORMAL; THROUGH DOOR 1L. MAINT WAS CALLED AND IS STILL WORKING THE ISSUE AS THIS RPT IS BEING WRITTEN. NUMEROUS PAX SMELLED THE SMELL INFLT; AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE FRONT OF THE CABIN TOLD US AFTERWARD THAT BEFORE WE GOT TO THE GATE; THEY JUST STARTED SMELLING IT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 752838: TKOF AND CLBOUT WERE ROUTINE AND NORMAL. THE FIRST IRREGULARITY WAS DURING THE CLB; I NOTICED A LNDG LIGHT MESSAGE ON THE ECAM. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE CAPT'S ATTN AND WE CONFIRMED THE SWITCH WAS IN THE OFF POS. UPON INVESTIGATION WE FOUND A POPPED LNDG LIGHT CTL CIRCUIT BREAKER AND ENTERED THAT INTO ACARS. AFTER LEVELING IN CRUISE; THE FLT ATTENDANTS BROUGHT UP OUR BREAKFASTS AND THE CAPT WENT BACK TO USE THE RESTROOM. THE CAPT RETURNED AND INFORMED ME THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED TO HIM 'BURNING PLASTIC' SMELL IN THE CABIN AROUND ROW 14 THAT WAS DISSIPATING.

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.