37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Attributes | |
ACN | 1004488 |
Time | |
Date | 201204 |
Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | ZZZ.ARTCC |
State Reference | US |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | VMC |
Light | Night |
Aircraft 1 | |
Make Model Name | A321 |
Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
Flight Phase | Cruise |
Component | |
Aircraft Component | Horizontal Stabilizer Trim |
Person 1 | |
Function | Pilot Not Flying First Officer |
Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
Person 2 | |
Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
Events | |
Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
In normal cruse at 34;000 ft on autopilot 1; autopilot 1 disengaged by itself. Captain tried to re-engage autopilot but neither 1 or 2 would engage for very long. [We] reviewed ECAM pages to see if anything appeared out of normal parameters. Status messages were sporadically displaying 'CAT III dual';' a/P 1 & 2' and then 'normal' messages. About the same time we felt a sudden and continuous moderate vibration that lasted about 10-15 seconds throughout the airframe. Shortly after we received ECAM 'elac 2 pitch fault' this was closely followed by an ECAM 'elac 1 pitch fault' and a 'stabilizer jam' warning; aircraft reverted to alternate law. The captain; who was hand flying; noted that in level flight the airplane had begun to abruptly pitch up with uncommanded nose up trim approximately into a 200 FPM climb before recovering. While complying with the ECAM procedures; we experienced a second sustained airframe vibration. Declared an emergency and diverted to the nearest suitable airport in point of time. Sent a quick ACARS message that we were diverting due to multiple flight control failures and tried to raise station ops on the radio but they were closed up for the night. As we were descending in a turn for the field we felt one more vibration. After gear extension; landed in direct law uneventfully. [We] called dispatch as soon as possible after we were safely stopped.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A321 flight crew describes an autopilot disengagement and an ECAM messages for ELAC 1 and 2 faults and a stabilizer jam at FL340. Moderate vibration is felt through the airframe lasting 10 to 15 seconds just prior to the messages. An emergency is declared and flight diverts to the nearest suitable airport; landing in Direct Law after gear extension.
Narrative: In normal cruse at 34;000 FT on autopilot 1; autopilot 1 disengaged by itself. Captain tried to re-engage autopilot but neither 1 or 2 would engage for very long. [We] reviewed ECAM pages to see if anything appeared out of normal parameters. Status messages were sporadically displaying 'CAT III Dual';' A/P 1 & 2' and then 'normal' messages. About the same time we felt a sudden and continuous moderate vibration that lasted about 10-15 seconds throughout the airframe. Shortly after we received ECAM 'ELAC 2 PITCH FAULT' this was closely followed by an ECAM 'ELAC 1 PITCH FAULT' and a 'STABILIZER JAM' warning; aircraft reverted to Alternate Law. The Captain; who was hand flying; noted that in level flight the airplane had begun to abruptly pitch up with uncommanded nose up trim approximately into a 200 FPM climb before recovering. While complying with the ECAM procedures; we experienced a second sustained airframe vibration. Declared an emergency and diverted to the nearest suitable airport in point of time. Sent a quick ACARS message that we were diverting due to multiple flight control failures and tried to raise station ops on the radio but they were closed up for the night. As we were descending in a turn for the field we felt one more vibration. After gear extension; landed in direct law uneventfully. [We] called Dispatch ASAP after we were safely stopped.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.