A B757 cabin crew detected a strong electrical smell at cruise. The smoke/fume checklist as well as ...

Narrative:

Flying from ZZZ1 to ZZZ. The flight was uneventful until FL400; 300 miles north of ZZZ when flight attendant called the cockpit to report an electrical odor in the cabin. She said there was a strong electrical smell burning their eyes; but no smoke associated with the smell. I asked her to remain on the interphone and have every available crew member look for a source. Meanwhile; we started the smoke and fumes electrical checklist. Flight attendant turned off all galley lights and the inflight entertainment equipment; while we turned off the recirculation fans and utility busses. We also asked all passengers to turn off any electrical equipment they might have running (computers; music; etc.) in case the smell was coming from a lithium battery. We then contacted ZZZ dispatch and maintenance on the VHF radio. The smell seemed to have dissipated at this point; so we reached a general consensus to continue to ZZZ and monitor the situation. Shortly after handoff to ZZZ approach; about 15;000 ft and 40 NM north of ZZZ; flight attendant called us back to report the smell had returned. At that point; I declared an emergency and requested high speed direct to the airport. We accomplished the normal checklists enroute; called the airport in sight; and were granted clearance for a visual approach to runway 26R. After landing; we exited on a high speed taxiway; told the passengers to remain seated while the fire department examined the aircraft. As the smell had dissipated again and there was still no indication of smoke; we elected to taxi to the gate. At the gate; we completed shutdown and secure checklists to preserve cockpit instruments. I turned on the emergency lights and assisted in deplaning. After write-ups and conferring with maintenance; we departed for the hotel.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 cabin crew detected a strong electrical smell at cruise. The SMOKE/FUME Checklist as well as personal electronic devices were turned off. The smell dissipated until on final approach when the crew declared an emergency because of the smell's return.

Narrative: Flying from ZZZ1 to ZZZ. The flight was uneventful until FL400; 300 miles north of ZZZ when Flight Attendant called the cockpit to report an electrical odor in the cabin. She said there was a strong electrical smell burning their eyes; but no smoke associated with the smell. I asked her to remain on the interphone and have every available crew member look for a source. Meanwhile; we started the Smoke and Fumes Electrical checklist. Flight Attendant turned off all galley lights and the Inflight Entertainment equipment; while we turned off the recirculation fans and utility busses. We also asked all passengers to turn off any electrical equipment they might have running (computers; music; etc.) in case the smell was coming from a lithium battery. We then contacted ZZZ Dispatch and Maintenance on the VHF radio. The smell seemed to have dissipated at this point; so we reached a general consensus to continue to ZZZ and monitor the situation. Shortly after handoff to ZZZ Approach; about 15;000 FT and 40 NM north of ZZZ; Flight Attendant called us back to report the smell had returned. At that point; I declared an emergency and requested high speed direct to the airport. We accomplished the normal checklists enroute; called the airport in sight; and were granted clearance for a visual approach to Runway 26R. After landing; we exited on a high speed taxiway; told the passengers to remain seated while the Fire Department examined the aircraft. As the smell had dissipated again and there was still no indication of smoke; we elected to taxi to the gate. At the gate; we completed shutdown and secure checklists to preserve cockpit instruments. I turned on the emergency lights and assisted in deplaning. After write-ups and conferring with Maintenance; we departed for the hotel.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

Attributes
ACN	820319
Time
Date	200901
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 210 Flight Crew Total 16000 Flight Crew Type 747
Person 2
Function	Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Events
Anomaly	Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

A B757 cabin crew detected a strong electrical smell at cruise. The smoke/fume checklist as well as personal electronic devices were turned off. The smell dissipated until on final approach when the crew declared an emergency because of the smell's return.