B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 100; Flight Crew Total 11000; Flight Crew Type 1000
Troubleshooting; Distraction; Confusion
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Diverted; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
While enroute at FL360 a Flight Attendant called to report an electrical burning odor [in the vicinity of a passenger lavatory.] She had checked the trash and underneath the sink and found nothing burning but felt the lavatory mirror and said it felt hot. I called Maintenance Control on the Satellite Phone to find out if there could be something in the wall behind the mirror that could be generating the heat. I explained the problem and he was not aware of anything in the exterior wall of the bathroom that could be causing the problem I thanked him and hung up.I then went aft to personally investigate the problem and found the inflight entertainment screen and the No Smoking and Seat Belt signs were mounted on the wall on the outside of the bathroom. These were hot and might have been transferring the heat through the wall which made the mirror feel warm but I did not smell any odor of electric burning and there was never an odor of smoke or smoke observed. The Flight Attendant believed the odor was coming and going. I told her to notify us if it continued/returned. She did call back and said the odor was back.I then called Maintenance Control and asked if there was a circuit breaker associated with the in-flight entertainment screen and signs. After a couple of minutes Maintenance told me to pull breaker P9 which controlled the listed items. We pulled the breaker and I advised Maintenance that if I didn't call back everything would be OK. I gave the screen and signs five minutes to cool off then called the Flight Attendant to see if things were any better. She replied no; the odor was back and it appeared the mirror was peeling away from the wall. Once again I called Maintenance and told them the Flight Attendant was reporting the mirror was pulling away from the wall. I then made the decision to divert to the closest airport; and also notified Dispatch.
A Flight Attendant's concerns about a hot mirror in a passenger lavatory and an off and on electrical odor in the cabin of her B757 precipitated events that culminated in a diversion to the nearest suitable airport when the mirror started 'pulling off' the lavatory wall.