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An A319 developed an uncommanded rudder movement during descent through FL240 at 320 knots significant enough to be heard in the cockpit and cause an aft galley flight attendant imbalance. No ECAM alerts coincident with the event.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1158605 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201403 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.ARTCC |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Marginal |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | A319 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Descent |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Rudder |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness |
Narrative:
Descending through FL240 at 320 KTS. On autopilot; we experienced rudder movement (back and forth wagging) with no input from the flight crew. It was significant enough to hear a thumping noise on the flight deck and enough movement to cause a flight attendant in the rear of the aircraft to fall against the wall/bulkhead. I disconnected the autopilot and hand flew the aircraft slowing it down to 270 KTS but the wagging continued intermittently. I reconnected the autopilot at the slower speed and again could tell the aircraft seemed to be getting some cross control inputs but was flying the commanded course and profile. Because all seemed under control although out of trim; we continued to a normal landing at our filed destination and contacted company dispatch and maintenance at the gate.I have no idea what caused this uncommanded rudder movement. We received no ECAM malfunction indications in flight and post flight maintenance reports indicated all normal.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: An A319 developed an uncommanded rudder movement during descent through FL240 at 320 knots significant enough to be heard in the cockpit and cause an aft galley flight attendant imbalance. No ECAM alerts coincident with the event.
Narrative: Descending through FL240 at 320 KTS. On autopilot; we experienced rudder movement (back and forth wagging) with no input from the flight crew. It was significant enough to hear a thumping noise on the flight deck and enough movement to cause a flight attendant in the rear of the aircraft to fall against the wall/bulkhead. I disconnected the autopilot and hand flew the aircraft slowing it down to 270 KTS but the wagging continued intermittently. I reconnected the autopilot at the slower speed and again could tell the aircraft seemed to be getting some cross control inputs but was flying the commanded course and profile. Because all seemed under control although out of trim; we continued to a normal landing at our filed destination and contacted company Dispatch and Maintenance at the gate.I have no idea what caused this uncommanded rudder movement. We received no ECAM malfunction indications in flight and post flight maintenance reports indicated all normal.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.