Altitude overshoot in climb. Widebody transport experienced wing flap anomaly during go around.

Attributes
ACN	124745
Time
Date	198910
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ord
State Reference	IL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 4000 msl bound upper : 4600
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : ord tracon : mdt
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude landing : go around
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 125 flight time total : 9700 flight time type : 225
ASRS Report	124748
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

After a high, close-in handoff from ord approach control, approach was attempted to 22R. Due to unsatisfactory speed, high on glide slope and short runway approach was abandoned at approximately 150' AGL. Automatic flight/throttle go around was initiated for climbout and missed approach. When flaps 20 degree was called for and set, flap retraction stopped at 25 degree. Since 25 degree is a landing setting a confign warning horn began sounding as soon as the gear handle was raised and continued to sound throughout the remainder of this event. After being informed of the missed approach, ord approach control issued a heading of 180 degree, cancelling the published missed approach, but did not issue a new level off altitude. Climbing through 3500 MSL we were switched to a departure control frequency. By the time we switched frequencys, contacted departure control and they were able to identify us on radar we were climbing through 4600' MSL. Departure control then cleared us to 'immediately descend to 4000.' obviously both the approach and departure controllers assumed that we would level off at the published missed approach altitude even though we had been vectored off that missed approach without a new altitude. (In this aircraft type, widebody transport, going from missed approach to heading mode cancels all published missed approach information for automatic flight.) adding to the difficulty of handling this nonstandard operation was the difficulty of communication between the captain and copilot caused by the continually sounding aural alert and the workload increase of trying to deal with both approach/departure control and complete a checklist for the abnormal flap confign in order to silence the alert. After the horn was silenced and the appropriate checklists completed we requested vectors for approach and landing on 14R (4000+ ft longer to allow for 20 KT faster approach speed required for 25 degree flap landing). Second approach and landing were uneventful.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ALT OVERSHOOT IN CLIMB. WDB EXPERIENCED WING FLAP ANOMALY DURING GO AROUND.

Narrative: AFTER A HIGH, CLOSE-IN HANDOFF FROM ORD APCH CTL, APCH WAS ATTEMPTED TO 22R. DUE TO UNSATISFACTORY SPEED, HIGH ON GLIDE SLOPE AND SHORT RWY APCH WAS ABANDONED AT APPROX 150' AGL. AUTO FLT/THROTTLE GO AROUND WAS INITIATED FOR CLIMBOUT AND MISSED APCH. WHEN FLAPS 20 DEG WAS CALLED FOR AND SET, FLAP RETRACTION STOPPED AT 25 DEG. SINCE 25 DEG IS A LNDG SETTING A CONFIGN WARNING HORN BEGAN SOUNDING AS SOON AS THE GEAR HANDLE WAS RAISED AND CONTINUED TO SOUND THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THIS EVENT. AFTER BEING INFORMED OF THE MISSED APCH, ORD APCH CTL ISSUED A HDG OF 180 DEG, CANCELLING THE PUBLISHED MISSED APCH, BUT DID NOT ISSUE A NEW LEVEL OFF ALT. CLIMBING THROUGH 3500 MSL WE WERE SWITCHED TO A DEP CTL FREQ. BY THE TIME WE SWITCHED FREQS, CONTACTED DEP CTL AND THEY WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY US ON RADAR WE WERE CLIMBING THROUGH 4600' MSL. DEP CTL THEN CLRED US TO 'IMMEDIATELY DSND TO 4000.' OBVIOUSLY BOTH THE APCH AND DEP CTLRS ASSUMED THAT WE WOULD LEVEL OFF AT THE PUBLISHED MISSED APCH ALT EVEN THOUGH WE HAD BEEN VECTORED OFF THAT MISSED APCH WITHOUT A NEW ALT. (IN THIS ACFT TYPE, WDB, GOING FROM MISSED APCH TO HDG MODE CANCELS ALL PUBLISHED MISSED APCH INFO FOR AUTO FLT.) ADDING TO THE DIFFICULTY OF HANDLING THIS NONSTANDARD OPERATION WAS THE DIFFICULTY OF COM BETWEEN THE CAPT AND COPLT CAUSED BY THE CONTINUALLY SOUNDING AURAL ALERT AND THE WORKLOAD INCREASE OF TRYING TO DEAL WITH BOTH APCH/DEP CTL AND COMPLETE A CHECKLIST FOR THE ABNORMAL FLAP CONFIGN IN ORDER TO SILENCE THE ALERT. AFTER THE HORN WAS SILENCED AND THE APPROPRIATE CHECKLISTS COMPLETED WE REQUESTED VECTORS FOR APCH AND LNDG ON 14R (4000+ FT LONGER TO ALLOW FOR 20 KT FASTER APCH SPEED REQUIRED FOR 25 DEG FLAP LNDG). SECOND APCH AND LNDG WERE UNEVENTFUL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.