Incident Overview
During an unspecified flight, a C60x series capacitor within the number one static inverter failed in a manner consistent with previous failures of similar components. The failure caused the static inverter to stop functioning and resulted in smoke being emitted into the cockpit.
Technical Failure
The failed capacitor was part of the number one static inverter system. The failure pattern matched that observed in other C60x series capacitor incidents. The loss of the static inverter and the subsequent smoke prompted the flight crew to initiate procedures for a smoke event.
Communication Difficulties
Difficulties in communication between the flight deck and the senior cabin crew (SCC) occurred. Due to the degraded communication, the SCC initially believed the flight crew were managing an unspecified leak and began preparing for a possible depressurization. However, the required actions for a depressurization were similar to those for the smoke event in progress, so the misunderstanding did not affect the management of the cabin during the incident.
Cabin Preparation
During the period when procedures directed the SCC to use the Cabin Preparation cards, those cards were inaccessible. The SCC was nonetheless able to complete the required actions without referencing the cards. As a result, the inability to access the cards did not impact the SCC's ability to prepare the cabin for landing and the subsequent precautionary disembarkation.