Narrative:

We were coming off a minimum overnight. We were the first push that morning and we preflted a cold airplane. Our checks turned up many switches in the wrong places. Maintenance had been doing alot of work on the airplane. We took off from phl and climbed into a low overcast. The first time we were aware of any problems was after departure from runway 27L. The SID calls for a left turn from 270 degrees to 255 degrees. I asked the copilot to bug my heading while I was in the turn. The heading bug didn't follow. This airplane has only 2 navs and it was then that I noticed that the remote course selector was not matching the course selected on my HSI. I had never seen this before, they were always identical. Also navigation 1 was not working.I had flags on my HSI and also on my ADI. In addition, my HSI and course selector didn't match the coplts. We were both selecting the same navigation and we should have had identical readings. I really, for a min, had no sure idea what instruments were working and which were not. Departure continued to give us vectors and I had to keep an eye on the WX. I switched at that time to navigation 2 in hopes of restoring some navigational information. Navigation 2 didn't work either. I had no navigational information. I was so concerned about our direction of flight that it wasn't until the altitude alerter went off that I realized our altitude. Our initial altitude was 5000'. The alerter went off at 5400'. I stopped the climb at 5500' and was back to 5000' in a few seconds. It was at this time I noticed the coplts navigation 2 was working. I gave him th airplane so I could try to figure the problem out. It could have been a host of problems. It was then we found the problem. There are 2 models of these jets in our company and the older model has 2 knobs on the HSI. These knobs, once pulled, can operate heading and navigation course selection independent of the remote or the coplts HSI. For standardization we were told to never activate this system. The other model doesn't have these knobs. All our heading and navigation course selection is to be done by our remote so both the copilot and pilot will read identical. I never used the knobs and wasn't really familiar with all these functions. Well, these switches had been pulled by maintenance that night. There is no way of knowing these switches are in use unless you manually push them and if they move forward then they had been in use. Maintenance pulled the switches that night. The knobs are not on my flight checks. When I pushed the knobs in my heading and course selector were restored. #1 navigation was still not working and never did work the rest of the flight. We finished the flight with one navigation. We never told ATC we had a problem and they never said we were off course or anything. When we landed at our destination the maintenance chief and the chief pilot were told everything that happened in more detail than this. Corrective action was taken with maintenance and at this point I don't know if any memo is going out to the pilots. In short we had taken off hand flying the airplane in the WX, we were distraction and broke our altitude. I wasn't able to use autoplt during this because I had no heading information and our autoplt has no altitude capture mode. I was so concerned about our direction of flight I had altitude in low priority. I've been flying captain 5 yrs with worse problems than this, but this is the first time I broke altitude, what can I say. These knobs will now be on my cockpit checks. Also I'm going to be watching more closely that my remote and HSI course selection match.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG ALT DEVIATION OVERSHOT DURING CLIMB.

Narrative: WE WERE COMING OFF A MINIMUM OVERNIGHT. WE WERE THE FIRST PUSH THAT MORNING AND WE PREFLTED A COLD AIRPLANE. OUR CHKS TURNED UP MANY SWITCHES IN THE WRONG PLACES. MAINT HAD BEEN DOING ALOT OF WORK ON THE AIRPLANE. WE TOOK OFF FROM PHL AND CLBED INTO A LOW OVCST. THE FIRST TIME WE WERE AWARE OF ANY PROBS WAS AFTER DEP FROM RWY 27L. THE SID CALLS FOR A L TURN FROM 270 DEGS TO 255 DEGS. I ASKED THE COPLT TO BUG MY HDG WHILE I WAS IN THE TURN. THE HDG BUG DIDN'T FOLLOW. THIS AIRPLANE HAS ONLY 2 NAVS AND IT WAS THEN THAT I NOTICED THAT THE REMOTE COURSE SELECTOR WAS NOT MATCHING THE COURSE SELECTED ON MY HSI. I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE, THEY WERE ALWAYS IDENTICAL. ALSO NAV 1 WAS NOT WORKING.I HAD FLAGS ON MY HSI AND ALSO ON MY ADI. IN ADDITION, MY HSI AND COURSE SELECTOR DIDN'T MATCH THE COPLTS. WE WERE BOTH SELECTING THE SAME NAV AND WE SHOULD HAVE HAD IDENTICAL READINGS. I REALLY, FOR A MIN, HAD NO SURE IDEA WHAT INSTRUMENTS WERE WORKING AND WHICH WERE NOT. DEP CONTINUED TO GIVE US VECTORS AND I HAD TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE WX. I SWITCHED AT THAT TIME TO NAV 2 IN HOPES OF RESTORING SOME NAVIGATIONAL INFO. NAV 2 DIDN'T WORK EITHER. I HAD NO NAVIGATIONAL INFO. I WAS SO CONCERNED ABOUT OUR DIRECTION OF FLT THAT IT WASN'T UNTIL THE ALT ALERTER WENT OFF THAT I REALIZED OUR ALT. OUR INITIAL ALT WAS 5000'. THE ALERTER WENT OFF AT 5400'. I STOPPED THE CLB AT 5500' AND WAS BACK TO 5000' IN A FEW SECS. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I NOTICED THE COPLTS NAV 2 WAS WORKING. I GAVE HIM TH AIRPLANE SO I COULD TRY TO FIGURE THE PROB OUT. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A HOST OF PROBS. IT WAS THEN WE FOUND THE PROB. THERE ARE 2 MODELS OF THESE JETS IN OUR COMPANY AND THE OLDER MODEL HAS 2 KNOBS ON THE HSI. THESE KNOBS, ONCE PULLED, CAN OPERATE HDG AND NAV COURSE SELECTION INDEPENDENT OF THE REMOTE OR THE COPLTS HSI. FOR STANDARDIZATION WE WERE TOLD TO NEVER ACTIVATE THIS SYS. THE OTHER MODEL DOESN'T HAVE THESE KNOBS. ALL OUR HDG AND NAV COURSE SELECTION IS TO BE DONE BY OUR REMOTE SO BOTH THE COPLT AND PLT WILL READ IDENTICAL. I NEVER USED THE KNOBS AND WASN'T REALLY FAMILIAR WITH ALL THESE FUNCTIONS. WELL, THESE SWITCHES HAD BEEN PULLED BY MAINT THAT NIGHT. THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING THESE SWITCHES ARE IN USE UNLESS YOU MANUALLY PUSH THEM AND IF THEY MOVE FORWARD THEN THEY HAD BEEN IN USE. MAINT PULLED THE SWITCHES THAT NIGHT. THE KNOBS ARE NOT ON MY FLT CHKS. WHEN I PUSHED THE KNOBS IN MY HDG AND COURSE SELECTOR WERE RESTORED. #1 NAV WAS STILL NOT WORKING AND NEVER DID WORK THE REST OF THE FLT. WE FINISHED THE FLT WITH ONE NAV. WE NEVER TOLD ATC WE HAD A PROB AND THEY NEVER SAID WE WERE OFF COURSE OR ANYTHING. WHEN WE LANDED AT OUR DEST THE MAINT CHIEF AND THE CHIEF PLT WERE TOLD EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN MORE DETAIL THAN THIS. CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN WITH MAINT AND AT THIS POINT I DON'T KNOW IF ANY MEMO IS GOING OUT TO THE PLTS. IN SHORT WE HAD TAKEN OFF HAND FLYING THE AIRPLANE IN THE WX, WE WERE DISTR AND BROKE OUR ALT. I WASN'T ABLE TO USE AUTOPLT DURING THIS BECAUSE I HAD NO HDG INFO AND OUR AUTOPLT HAS NO ALT CAPTURE MODE. I WAS SO CONCERNED ABOUT OUR DIRECTION OF FLT I HAD ALT IN LOW PRIORITY. I'VE BEEN FLYING CAPT 5 YRS WITH WORSE PROBS THAN THIS, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I BROKE ALT, WHAT CAN I SAY. THESE KNOBS WILL NOW BE ON MY COCKPIT CHKS. ALSO I'M GOING TO BE WATCHING MORE CLOSELY THAT MY REMOTE AND HSI COURSE SELECTION MATCH.

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.