B737 flight crew was informed by the cabin crew of a lavatory smoke alarm activation for no apparent reason at FL260. The crew elected to divert and declared an emergency. After landing a Flight Attendant reported smelling electrical fumes and during the discussion with the Captain an evacuation occured without being ordered.
Synopsis
B737 flight crew was informed by the cabin crew of a lavatory smoke alarm activation for no apparent reason at FL260. The crew elected to divert and declared an emergency. After landing a Flight Attendant reported smelling electrical fumes and during the discussion with the Captain an evacuation occured without being ordered.
Narrative
Passing through approximately FL260 notified by B Flight Attendant that Aft Lav Smoke Detector had activated. As pilot monitoring; I initially handled this call. Captain then gave me the aircraft and radios and said he would talk with the Flight Attendant. During the course of his conversation; the smoke alarm went out. The Captain then consulted with me and we agreed we needed to run the Cabin/Lavatory Fire checklist in the QRH. The Captain also was able to quickly speak with Dispatch; who concurred with running the same checklist. ZZZ was the closest suitable divert airfield (approximately 46-50 miles south) and we notified ATC of our need to divert. We explained the nature of our problem and eventually declared an emergency. We accomplished the QRH and Diversion Checklist; got ZZZ ATIS; and programmed the performance computer. Planned a Flaps 40 overweight landing and knew we needed to run the Brake Cooling Module after landing.After landing; we stopped straight ahead on the runway and had the Fire Department look over the aircraft. Initially had trouble contacting them on their radio frequency; but soon made contact. After their survey; Fire Department said the aircraft appeared safe to taxi clear and head to the gate. During the course of their inspection; I ran the Brake Cooling Module; which showed we had a long brake cooling period (60+ minutes?) and potential for fuse plugs releasing. As soon as the Fire Department cleared us; I began to coordinate with Ops for a gate that was OK for a hot brake aircraft. At this point a Flight Attendant called from the back and the Captain handled the call. I heard something about smoke/wire burning smell and then evacuation. I stopped talking with Operations and began to run the Passenger Evacuation checklist from the QRH as directed by the Captain. Egress down the slides was uneventful and we gathered crew/passengers together to await transportation to terminal.
Second reporter narrative
Flight Attendant stated the aft Lav fire/smoke detector had sounded and would not stop. No sign of smoke or fire. We used the memory items and QRH. Declared emergency and diverted to an airport which was 45 NM south of our position (nearest and suitable). ATC; passengers; flight attendants; Dispatch; and operations all notified.We landed and remained on runway for Emergency Crew to inspect the aircraft. We were given the all clear from the exterior inspection when the Flight Attendant called and stated there was a smell of burning electrical wires in the cabin and that she and a fireman sitting up front both smelled it. An evacuation was ordered and the passengers used the emergency exit slides to exit the aircraft.Passengers were marshaled to safe area and transported inside to secure area. One man reported a minor cut on his leg and was cared for by the paramedics.I asked the Flight Attendant if she thought it was necessary to evacuate for the burning electrical smell. She then commenced the evacuation. Communication is so vital during an emergency and difficult to address every scenario.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.