Narrative:

We had departed NAS miramar on a julian 7 departure with a thermal transition. 1/2-way through the SID, approach gave us a vector 010 degrees. Passing 18000' our fgt experienced numerous caution and advisory lights with some control surface abnormalities. Center then cleared us direct to thermal, and we had previously been cleared to FL230. Unknown to us at the time, both our compass system had failed. So we turned to go direct to thermal which we were showing as a heading of 110 degrees. Center called us and asked us our heading and we said that we were turning to 110 degrees. We had just passed 19500' and she called us to turn left heading 360 degrees and maintain FL190, and we did so immediately when. We were on the heading 110 degrees indicated, we were really heading more southeast and were climbing toward the medium large transport who was at FL220. During this time we had experienced another occurrence of the spurious control inputs and 15-20 warning lights. The controller gave us a vector of 055 degrees for parker and we turned to it and she advised us we were heading approximately 090 degrees. We told her that we had experienced a compass system failure and with our other warning lights we might have an impending failure of a system in the fgt that could lead to loss of the aircraft. We declared an emergency and headed back to miramar using the wet compass and the vectors that center gave us. ZLA gave us a # to call when we landed and we talked to a mr. X once we got back to miramar. During our recovery to miramar we experienced several more instances of spurious inputs to controls and the warning lights that led us to believe that our situation was deteriorating and that a safe recovery of the aircraft perhaps might be in jeopardy. No evasive action was required. By my estimate we may be 6 mi away from the medium large transport and 2500' below him. The factors contributing to this were a navigation (compass) failure that was caused by a more serious problem and then degenerated into an emergency to get our aircraft back on the ground as soon as possible. One thing that might have helped would be to tell center immediately that we were having some abnormalities. It took us maybe 1 min to figure out that our compass systems were unreliable. But in military high performance aircraft, system hiccups are very common. But it is hard to embarrass ourself and tell them you have some problem but you don't know what the problem is. The controllers did an outstanding job to get us back on the ground in an expeditious manner.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FGT FLT CREW EXPERIENCES NUMEROUS CAUTION LIGHTS, CONTROL SURFACE ABNORMALITIES AND ULTIMATE COMPASS FAILURE. DECLARES EMERGENCY. EXCELLENT FLT ASSIST FROM ATC TO PRECAUTIONARY LNDG.

Narrative: WE HAD DEPARTED NAS MIRAMAR ON A JULIAN 7 DEP WITH A THERMAL TRANSITION. 1/2-WAY THROUGH THE SID, APCH GAVE US A VECTOR 010 DEGS. PASSING 18000' OUR FGT EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS CAUTION AND ADVISORY LIGHTS WITH SOME CONTROL SURFACE ABNORMALITIES. CENTER THEN CLRED US DIRECT TO THERMAL, AND WE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN CLRED TO FL230. UNKNOWN TO US AT THE TIME, BOTH OUR COMPASS SYS HAD FAILED. SO WE TURNED TO GO DIRECT TO THERMAL WHICH WE WERE SHOWING AS A HDG OF 110 DEGS. CENTER CALLED US AND ASKED US OUR HDG AND WE SAID THAT WE WERE TURNING TO 110 DEGS. WE HAD JUST PASSED 19500' AND SHE CALLED US TO TURN LEFT HDG 360 DEGS AND MAINTAIN FL190, AND WE DID SO IMMEDIATELY WHEN. WE WERE ON THE HDG 110 DEGS INDICATED, WE WERE REALLY HDG MORE SE AND WERE CLBING TOWARD THE MLG WHO WAS AT FL220. DURING THIS TIME WE HAD EXPERIENCED ANOTHER OCCURRENCE OF THE SPURIOUS CONTROL INPUTS AND 15-20 WARNING LIGHTS. THE CTLR GAVE US A VECTOR OF 055 DEGS FOR PARKER AND WE TURNED TO IT AND SHE ADVISED US WE WERE HDG APPROX 090 DEGS. WE TOLD HER THAT WE HAD EXPERIENCED A COMPASS SYS FAILURE AND WITH OUR OTHER WARNING LIGHTS WE MIGHT HAVE AN IMPENDING FAILURE OF A SYS IN THE FGT THAT COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF THE ACFT. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND HEADED BACK TO MIRAMAR USING THE WET COMPASS AND THE VECTORS THAT CENTER GAVE US. ZLA GAVE US A # TO CALL WHEN WE LANDED AND WE TALKED TO A MR. X ONCE WE GOT BACK TO MIRAMAR. DURING OUR RECOVERY TO MIRAMAR WE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL MORE INSTANCES OF SPURIOUS INPUTS TO CONTROLS AND THE WARNING LIGHTS THAT LED US TO BELIEVE THAT OUR SITUATION WAS DETERIORATING AND THAT A SAFE RECOVERY OF THE ACFT PERHAPS MIGHT BE IN JEOPARDY. NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS REQUIRED. BY MY ESTIMATE WE MAY BE 6 MI AWAY FROM THE MLG AND 2500' BELOW HIM. THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS WERE A NAV (COMPASS) FAILURE THAT WAS CAUSED BY A MORE SERIOUS PROB AND THEN DEGENERATED INTO AN EMER TO GET OUR ACFT BACK ON THE GND ASAP. ONE THING THAT MIGHT HAVE HELPED WOULD BE TO TELL CENTER IMMEDIATELY THAT WE WERE HAVING SOME ABNORMALITIES. IT TOOK US MAYBE 1 MIN TO FIGURE OUT THAT OUR COMPASS SYSTEMS WERE UNRELIABLE. BUT IN MIL HIGH PERFORMANCE ACFT, SYSTEM HICCUPS ARE VERY COMMON. BUT IT IS HARD TO EMBARRASS OURSELF AND TELL THEM YOU HAVE SOME PROB BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROB IS. THE CTLRS DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB TO GET US BACK ON THE GND IN AN EXPEDITIOUS MANNER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.