An Air Carrier crew reported diverting to an enroute oceanic airport after Flight Attendants reported light smoke in the cabin. A bulk cargo vent fan was the suspected smoke source.
Synopsis
An Air Carrier crew reported diverting to an enroute oceanic airport after Flight Attendants reported light smoke in the cabin. A bulk cargo vent fan was the suspected smoke source.
Narrative
Two hundred miles from the nearest suitable airport we received calls from numerous flight attendants of light smoke and fumes in the cabin. We were already radar contact with Oceanic Control so confirmed landing conditions at the airport and eventually received clearance direct; dumped approx 25K fuel during descent and landed overweight at 495K. Smoke was nonexistent during last portion of flight; so continued to remote parking after Fire Chief saw no external indications of smoke or fire. First debrief with flight attendants was conflicted regarding source and smell of smoke so it took some time for maintenance and Fire Chief to resolve. Last likely source was a hot ventilation fan in the bulk cargo compartment. Slow trouble shooting; repositioning aircraft; fuel out of limits (over 3.0 in center tank); later status message ENG RT REV which was difficult to resolve led to inability to depart. Recovering coordination seemed lacking with numerous sources bombarding us with request for information vs. a centralized system with limited access. It's quite possible we MIGHT have been able to get out tonight; vs. overnighting; if there had been better coordination exercising a forward looking recovery plan. NOTE for all: (Dispatch; Maintenance; Flight Operations; Inflight) pilots coordinating with Dispatch; ATC; and numerous flight attendants while wearing smoke masks and preparing for a relatively quick emergency arrival cannot be appreciated until you try it for real.
Second reporter narrative
Flight Attendants notified the cockpit of smoke in the cabin. We woke up the pilot on break and used him as a cabin liaison. We contacted Dispatch and Maintenance and diverted to to an enroute oceanic airport; which was about 180 miles away at the time. Fuel was dumped but the decision was made to land ASAP before dump was complete. Overweight landing accomplished. Fire department notified and ready on landing. Smoke quickly subsided during descent. Passengers were deplaned via air stairs before fire department was allowed to enter cargo compartment. Once on the ground; Maintenance notified us of an automatic fault message sent regarding our bulk cargo vent fan; and troubleshooting centered on that system.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.