A B747 flight had a 'burning electrical fumes' event in cruise flight. The incident was successfully...

Attributes
ACN	994239
Time
Date	201202
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.ARTCC
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B747-400
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Recirculation Fan
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 100 Flight Crew Total 22000 Flight Crew Type 1000
Person 2
Function	First Officer Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Flight Engineer Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150 Flight Crew Total 20000 Flight Crew Type 4200
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

Narrative:

[We] experienced a 'burning electrical fumes' event in cruise flight. Utilized CRM; and followed standard practices and procedures. Event was stabilized and resolved satisfactorily. A very big concern to me is the fact that this aircraft had four previous maintenance problems with the lav-galley fan system and each time the 'fix' was to cycle circuit breakers; and sign the bird back online. This is the same as if a pilot had reset circuit breakers four times for a faulty system which is specifically forbidden. My suggestion is to have a procedure in place that maintenance control can use to track these types of events. A second instance of a fault in any electromechanical system should warrant more than a system reset; that is; be treated as if a circuit breaker had popped; which would be indicative of a possible serious electrical problem. This event caused major inconvenience to our passengers and crew. It very well could have had much more terrible results. Another fault in the system; while not specifically safety related; is that there is a communication disconnect in getting information to the departments that need them. Part of our response to an in flight event is to 'team build'. A wrap up communication with dispatch confirmed that my request to have a 'passenger recovery' team meet the passengers when we landed was forwarded into the system. When we blocked in; over seven hours after the request was made; the station had no idea there was a problem and nothing had been done.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747 flight had a 'Burning Electrical Fumes' event in cruise flight. The incident was successfully resolved in flight partly due to the events recurring nature. The Lav-Galley fan system had been written up four times previously and signed off with circuit breaker resets.

Narrative: [We] experienced a 'Burning Electrical Fumes' event in cruise flight. Utilized CRM; and followed standard practices and procedures. Event was stabilized and resolved satisfactorily. A very big concern to me is the fact that this aircraft had four previous maintenance problems with the Lav-Galley fan system and each time the 'fix' was to cycle circuit breakers; and sign the bird back online. This is the same as if a pilot had reset circuit breakers four times for a faulty system which is specifically forbidden. My suggestion is to have a procedure in place that Maintenance Control can use to track these types of events. A second instance of a fault in any electromechanical system should warrant more than a system reset; that is; be treated as if a circuit breaker had popped; which would be indicative of a possible serious electrical problem. This event caused major inconvenience to our passengers and crew. It very well could have had much more terrible results. Another fault in the system; while not specifically safety related; is that there is a communication disconnect in getting information to the departments that need them. Part of our response to an in flight event is to 'team build'. A wrap up communication with Dispatch confirmed that my request to have a 'passenger recovery' team meet the passengers when we landed was forwarded into the system. When we blocked in; over seven hours after the request was made; the station had no idea there was a problem and nothing had been done.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.

A B747 flight had a 'burning electrical fumes' event in cruise flight. The incident was successfully resolved in flight partly due to the events recurring nature. The lav-galley fan system had been written up four times previously and signed off with circuit breaker resets.