Narrative:

While holding at FL310 the smell of an electric motor burning came through the air vents (I recognized it from having ice machine motors go bad while working in my family's ice machine business). The flight attendant immediately signaled us with 6 chimes. They said they couldn't see any smoke but the smell was strong. I told first officer to don the oxygen masks and to declare an emergency. I decided to land at ZZZ; about 30 mi away. He tried 4 times and got either ignored or blocked by other crews' communications. We started an emergency descent with ATC concurrence and they asked us the obligatories. While that was happening; I established communications with flight attendant over the acp. As I communicated with her the overhead speakers kept blocking the first officer's ability to hear over the cockpit speaker and ATC. I reached back and opened the cockpit door to get unrestr access to communicate with the cabin crew. At that moment a deadheading first officer came up from business class to help out. He gave me an assessment of the situation. At the same time the flight attendant and I went through the evacuate/evacuation brief and I told her that an evacuate/evacuation probably wouldn't be necessary since it appeared the smell was decreasing and that we'd be landing at ZZZ in 4-7 mins. I then made an announcement to the passenger to pay close attention to the flight attendants as they prepare the cabin for a precautionary landing. The cabin remained calm at all times due to the professionalism of our cabin crew. At some point early in the event I looked up and turned off the switch power to the gasper fan and remembered a conversation I'd had with a previous crew who'd had a fan burn up. It was so similar that I was pretty certain that was the problem. I decided not to use the QRH for the fumes of unknown origin checklist as I didn't want to unnecessarily shut down a working electrical system and add additional workload to the situation. As we descended; we were able to see ZZZ below us at all times. We did not communicate with dispatch due to the high workload. However; the crew of flight xyz should be commended because they sent an ACARS message to dispatch relaying our situation (great CRM guys!); so dispatch was made aware of the situation. As we descended closer to the airport; the deadhead was providing us with updates from the cockpit door and we could hear the progress of the cabin crew as they finished the preparations. The first officer worked like a machine reloading the FMS for a landing at ZZZ; obtaining WX from ATC; briefing and running checklists. Leaving 10000 ft; it seemed the cabin crew was ready and I asked the deadhead to join us in the cockpit to help monitor the approach since we were flying as fast as we could. He occupied the jumpseat and as a precaution donned his oxygen mask even though the fumes were almost gone. The cockpit door was closed and we continued the approach. The first officer gave the 'landing check' to the flight attendants and we heard them strap in. The approach and landing were uneventful and I brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway. Prior to stopping; I made the announcement over the PA 'attention; this is the captain...' so that a door didn't get opened without my direction. I then had the deadheading first officer open the cockpit door again. By the time we'd landed; the fumes were almost undetectable. I established communications with the fire chief over tower frequency and asked him to look at several openings on the aircraft to see if they saw smoke. Meanwhile; crash fire rescue equipment did a thermal scan and reported only smoke coming from the engine breathers. I decided that it was safe to taxi to the gate and we taxied to the gate without further incident. The passenger deplaned by the jetway and all seemed to be ok with the exception of 1 young woman who was scared and had been in tears. I asked her if she was ok and she said yes. The passenger were well accommodated by the friendly staff at ZZZ. After looking around the aircraft; we found the gasper fan circuit breaker popped. Maintenance MEL'ed the item as well as the cockpit jumpseat (1150 on the pressure) and we continued on without further incident. After the event occurred; I thought about what we could have donebetter. I was asked why the cockpit door was opened. It was of course to talk directly to the flight attendant and not hinder the first officer's communications. What never occurred to me was to put the headsets back on after donning the mask. During every training event for each of the 4 aircraft I'm rated in; the idea of using the headsets after donning was never discussed. The accepted way was always oxygen on; 100%; and in 3 of the 4 training programs; speakers checked. I later found out that the turboprop guys all had the procedure to place their headsets back on so they could communicate. They also have hot intercoms as a result of the noise level. At any rate; it never occurred to me since it wasn't part of any training program I'd attended. Maybe instead of crew communications -- establish there should be a note reminding us that this particular aircraft mutes the speakers on the other side when a communication through the opposite acp is made. Otherwise; we can't determine when a fan is going to fail; but maybe a discussion in a fleet digest or safety publication would be appropriate. I can't say enough about how proud I was to see my crew work together and do their jobs. Each of them exhibited the highest level of professionalism and showed a great face to our traveling customers. I was very impressed as the situation unfolded; observing each of them performing their duties and working together toward a common goal as prescribed in our company procedures. Overall; my crew did a fantastic job!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B717 FLT CREW EXPERIENCED ELECTRICAL FUMES FROM A GASPER FAN. THEY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND DIVERTED TO A NEARBY AIRPORT.

Narrative: WHILE HOLDING AT FL310 THE SMELL OF AN ELECTRIC MOTOR BURNING CAME THROUGH THE AIR VENTS (I RECOGNIZED IT FROM HAVING ICE MACHINE MOTORS GO BAD WHILE WORKING IN MY FAMILY'S ICE MACHINE BUSINESS). THE FLT ATTENDANT IMMEDIATELY SIGNALED US WITH 6 CHIMES. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T SEE ANY SMOKE BUT THE SMELL WAS STRONG. I TOLD FO TO DON THE OXYGEN MASKS AND TO DECLARE AN EMER. I DECIDED TO LAND AT ZZZ; ABOUT 30 MI AWAY. HE TRIED 4 TIMES AND GOT EITHER IGNORED OR BLOCKED BY OTHER CREWS' COMS. WE STARTED AN EMER DSCNT WITH ATC CONCURRENCE AND THEY ASKED US THE OBLIGATORIES. WHILE THAT WAS HAPPENING; I ESTABLISHED COMS WITH FLT ATTENDANT OVER THE ACP. AS I COMMUNICATED WITH HER THE OVERHEAD SPEAKERS KEPT BLOCKING THE FO'S ABILITY TO HEAR OVER THE COCKPIT SPEAKER AND ATC. I REACHED BACK AND OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR TO GET UNRESTR ACCESS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CABIN CREW. AT THAT MOMENT A DEADHEADING FO CAME UP FROM BUSINESS CLASS TO HELP OUT. HE GAVE ME AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SIT. AT THE SAME TIME THE FLT ATTENDANT AND I WENT THROUGH THE EVAC BRIEF AND I TOLD HER THAT AN EVAC PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE NECESSARY SINCE IT APPEARED THE SMELL WAS DECREASING AND THAT WE'D BE LNDG AT ZZZ IN 4-7 MINS. I THEN MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX TO PAY CLOSE ATTN TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS AS THEY PREPARE THE CABIN FOR A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. THE CABIN REMAINED CALM AT ALL TIMES DUE TO THE PROFESSIONALISM OF OUR CABIN CREW. AT SOME POINT EARLY IN THE EVENT I LOOKED UP AND TURNED OFF THE SWITCH PWR TO THE GASPER FAN AND REMEMBERED A CONVERSATION I'D HAD WITH A PREVIOUS CREW WHO'D HAD A FAN BURN UP. IT WAS SO SIMILAR THAT I WAS PRETTY CERTAIN THAT WAS THE PROB. I DECIDED NOT TO USE THE QRH FOR THE FUMES OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN CHKLIST AS I DIDN'T WANT TO UNNECESSARILY SHUT DOWN A WORKING ELECTRICAL SYS AND ADD ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD TO THE SIT. AS WE DSNDED; WE WERE ABLE TO SEE ZZZ BELOW US AT ALL TIMES. WE DID NOT COMMUNICATE WITH DISPATCH DUE TO THE HIGH WORKLOAD. HOWEVER; THE CREW OF FLT XYZ SHOULD BE COMMENDED BECAUSE THEY SENT AN ACARS MESSAGE TO DISPATCH RELAYING OUR SITUATION (GREAT CRM GUYS!); SO DISPATCH WAS MADE AWARE OF THE SIT. AS WE DSNDED CLOSER TO THE ARPT; THE DEADHEAD WAS PROVIDING US WITH UPDATES FROM THE COCKPIT DOOR AND WE COULD HEAR THE PROGRESS OF THE CABIN CREW AS THEY FINISHED THE PREPARATIONS. THE FO WORKED LIKE A MACHINE RELOADING THE FMS FOR A LNDG AT ZZZ; OBTAINING WX FROM ATC; BRIEFING AND RUNNING CHKLISTS. LEAVING 10000 FT; IT SEEMED THE CABIN CREW WAS READY AND I ASKED THE DEADHEAD TO JOIN US IN THE COCKPIT TO HELP MONITOR THE APCH SINCE WE WERE FLYING AS FAST AS WE COULD. HE OCCUPIED THE JUMPSEAT AND AS A PRECAUTION DONNED HIS OXYGEN MASK EVEN THOUGH THE FUMES WERE ALMOST GONE. THE COCKPIT DOOR WAS CLOSED AND WE CONTINUED THE APCH. THE FO GAVE THE 'LNDG CHK' TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND WE HEARD THEM STRAP IN. THE APCH AND LNDG WERE UNEVENTFUL AND I BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP ON THE RWY. PRIOR TO STOPPING; I MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OVER THE PA 'ATTN; THIS IS THE CAPT...' SO THAT A DOOR DIDN'T GET OPENED WITHOUT MY DIRECTION. I THEN HAD THE DEADHEADING FO OPEN THE COCKPIT DOOR AGAIN. BY THE TIME WE'D LANDED; THE FUMES WERE ALMOST UNDETECTABLE. I ESTABLISHED COMS WITH THE FIRE CHIEF OVER TWR FREQ AND ASKED HIM TO LOOK AT SEVERAL OPENINGS ON THE ACFT TO SEE IF THEY SAW SMOKE. MEANWHILE; CFR DID A THERMAL SCAN AND RPTED ONLY SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENG BREATHERS. I DECIDED THAT IT WAS SAFE TO TAXI TO THE GATE AND WE TAXIED TO THE GATE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE PAX DEPLANED BY THE JETWAY AND ALL SEEMED TO BE OK WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 1 YOUNG WOMAN WHO WAS SCARED AND HAD BEEN IN TEARS. I ASKED HER IF SHE WAS OK AND SHE SAID YES. THE PAX WERE WELL ACCOMMODATED BY THE FRIENDLY STAFF AT ZZZ. AFTER LOOKING AROUND THE ACFT; WE FOUND THE GASPER FAN CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED. MAINT MEL'ED THE ITEM AS WELL AS THE COCKPIT JUMPSEAT (1150 ON THE PRESSURE) AND WE CONTINUED ON WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AFTER THE EVENT OCCURRED; I THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONEBETTER. I WAS ASKED WHY THE COCKPIT DOOR WAS OPENED. IT WAS OF COURSE TO TALK DIRECTLY TO THE FLT ATTENDANT AND NOT HINDER THE FO'S COMS. WHAT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME WAS TO PUT THE HEADSETS BACK ON AFTER DONNING THE MASK. DURING EVERY TRAINING EVENT FOR EACH OF THE 4 ACFT I'M RATED IN; THE IDEA OF USING THE HEADSETS AFTER DONNING WAS NEVER DISCUSSED. THE ACCEPTED WAY WAS ALWAYS OXYGEN ON; 100%; AND IN 3 OF THE 4 TRAINING PROGRAMS; SPEAKERS CHKED. I LATER FOUND OUT THAT THE TURBOPROP GUYS ALL HAD THE PROC TO PLACE THEIR HEADSETS BACK ON SO THEY COULD COMMUNICATE. THEY ALSO HAVE HOT INTERCOMS AS A RESULT OF THE NOISE LEVEL. AT ANY RATE; IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME SINCE IT WASN'T PART OF ANY TRAINING PROGRAM I'D ATTENDED. MAYBE INSTEAD OF CREW COMS -- ESTABLISH THERE SHOULD BE A NOTE REMINDING US THAT THIS PARTICULAR ACFT MUTES THE SPEAKERS ON THE OTHER SIDE WHEN A COM THROUGH THE OPPOSITE ACP IS MADE. OTHERWISE; WE CAN'T DETERMINE WHEN A FAN IS GOING TO FAIL; BUT MAYBE A DISCUSSION IN A FLEET DIGEST OR SAFETY PUB WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HOW PROUD I WAS TO SEE MY CREW WORK TOGETHER AND DO THEIR JOBS. EACH OF THEM EXHIBITED THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM AND SHOWED A GREAT FACE TO OUR TRAVELING CUSTOMERS. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED AS THE SITUATION UNFOLDED; OBSERVING EACH OF THEM PERFORMING THEIR DUTIES AND WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD A COMMON GOAL AS PRESCRIBED IN OUR COMPANY PROCS. OVERALL; MY CREW DID A FANTASTIC JOB!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.