B737 flight crew reported a fume event during cruise which was described as a 'burning odor'. Flight crew ran the QRH and diverted to an airport where a safe landing was executed.
Synopsis
B737 flight crew reported a fume event during cruise which was described as a 'burning odor'. Flight crew ran the QRH and diverted to an airport where a safe landing was executed.
Narrative
We received a call from the Flight Attendants that there was a smell in the main cabin. I asked what it smelled like and if they could figure out the location. They could not and on the flight deck only smelled it faintly after several minutes. By the time we smelled it in the flight deck the Flight Attendants called back and said it was gone. Over the next several minutes we discussed what we thought it smelled like and I began to look up ZZZZZ frequency so I could give the company a heads up. Before I could make the call we received a call from the Flight Attendants letting us know the smell came back and were in the process of trying to locate the origin. I again asked them what they thought it smelled like and at that point; it became very pronounced on the flight deck. It was a strong burning plastic mixed with an electrical odor. At that point we performed immediate action items for smoke; fire; fumes by donning our masks and establishing communication. The FO (First Officer) took over the radios while I continued with the checklist and called the Flight Attendants. The FO told ATC we needed lower. He informed them we had smoke on the flight deck and [requested priority handling]. Shortly after I informed ATC it was actually fumes on the flight deck not smoke. At first he asked for vectors to ZZZ but after getting the weather we decided ZZZ1 was a better option. I continued with as much of the checklist as I could. I called the Flight Attendants to let them know we would be on the ground in less then 10 minutes and made an announcement to the passengers. A landing was performed in ZZZ1 on Runway XX. We stopped on the runway and had the fire trucks do a visual inspection. They saw nothing out of the ordinary. We taxied to the gate.
Second reporter narrative
At FL390; FA's (Flight Attendants) called the Captain and said they could smell something burning in the cabin. A short while later; we could smell it in the cockpit as well. We completed the Memory Action Items for smoke/fumes. After a short time; the FA's said the smell was dissipating and going away. We looked through the QRH (Quick Reference Handbook) procedure; but don't believe we did anything beyond the Memory Action Items since the situation had stopped. The Captain and I briefly discussed what our plan would be should we encounter it again; and within a few minutes the FA's called back and said the smell had returned. We ran the QRH; [requested priority handling]; and made an uneventful landing in ZZZ.
More incidents for this aircraft family →
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.