Incident Overview
On June 24, 2008, at 03:55 UTC, Continental Airlines Flight CO-120, a Boeing 757 registered as N18117, was en route from Newark (KEWR) to Barcelona (LEBL) at Flight Level 360. While passing approximately 30 degrees west longitude, an electrical odor mixed with light smoke was noticed in the forward passenger cabin. The flight crew executed the appropriate checklists, and the smoke dissipated. As a precaution, the crew decided to divert to Lajes Airport (LPLA) to investigate.
Post-Flight Inspection
After landing, maintenance personnel examined the aircraft and identified a short circuit in the video monitor of the in-flight entertainment system, located above passenger seats 1E and 1F. The affected system was deactivated, and the flight continued to its destination in accordance with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL).
Investigation and Closure
An investigator was appointed to evaluate the situation and proceed with a further investigation if necessary. However, the investigator left the department without providing a final evaluation. Subsequently, during recovery of pending cases, the event was classified as an incident. It was determined that the occurrence did not fall under the mandatory reporting requirements of Article 5 of EU Regulation No. 996/2010 or Article 11 of Decree-Law No. 318/99, and the case was proposed for closure and archiving. The investigation file was archived on July 25, 2011.