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B737 flight crew reported master caution illuminating with fuel and engine warning lights led to a return to the departure airport.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1573571 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201808 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737-700 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Climb |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine Indications |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | First Officer Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 131 |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | Pilot Not Flying Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 384 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
On departure from ZZZ; passing through fl 230; we saw the following indications almost simultaneously: master caution lights with fuel and engine illuminated and left and right fuel filter bypass lights illuminated on the upper panel. There were also indications of a computer data problem as the aircraft went into cws pitch and out of VNAV with display source 2 (amber; in the bottom left of the pfd). The flight director became unreliable to nonexistent and we began to hand fly off of the raw data; cross checking primary and standby instruments with minimal thrust lever movements. After we leveled off; we ran the QRH for filter bypass; [notified ATC]; and returned for a precautionary landing at ZZZ which was uneventful; below mglw (maximum gross landing weight); with no hot brake concerns. There were no known deviations from QRH; ATC; or company procedures despite the aircraft malfunction(s).the QRH is very straightforward regarding the dual filter bypass light condition; so we [notified ATC] and returned in a safe and expeditious manner. It wasn't until after we were on the ground and able to reflect on everything; that we began to figure that it was likely not a fuel contamination problem; but a deu (display electronics units) failure of some sort and we began researching possible connections between that and the filter bypass lights. There is nothing that we could find in [our electronic guides] or our manuals linking these conditions... Which led to a little head-scratching during the event; although it would not have affected our clear decision to land as soon as possible. Looking back; I would have at least tried the other autopilot to see if maybe that would have alleviated some of the task load; but it was just so much simpler at the time to just hand fly and not spend time worrying about the automation. It would be nice to get some follow-up from maintenance about what they found.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737 flight crew reported Master Caution illuminating with Fuel and ENG warning lights led to a return to the departure airport.
Narrative: On departure from ZZZ; passing through FL 230; we saw the following indications almost simultaneously: Master Caution lights with FUEL and ENG illuminated and left and right fuel Filter Bypass lights illuminated on the upper panel. There were also indications of a computer data problem as the aircraft went into CWS Pitch and out of VNAV with DISPLAY SOURCE 2 (amber; in the bottom left of the PFD). The flight director became unreliable to nonexistent and we began to hand fly off of the raw data; cross checking primary and standby instruments with minimal thrust lever movements. After we leveled off; we ran the QRH for Filter Bypass; [notified ATC]; and returned for a precautionary landing at ZZZ which was uneventful; below MGLW (Maximum Gross Landing Weight); with no hot brake concerns. There were no known deviations from QRH; ATC; or Company procedures despite the aircraft malfunction(s).The QRH is very straightforward regarding the dual Filter Bypass light condition; so we [notified ATC] and returned in a safe and expeditious manner. It wasn't until after we were on the ground and able to reflect on everything; that we began to figure that it was likely not a fuel contamination problem; but a DEU (Display Electronics Units) failure of some sort and we began researching possible connections between that and the Filter Bypass lights. There is nothing that we could find in [our electronic guides] or our manuals linking these conditions... which led to a little head-scratching during the event; although it would not have affected our clear decision to land as soon as possible. Looking back; I would have at least tried the other autopilot to see if maybe that would have alleviated some of the task load; but it was just so much simpler at the time to just hand fly and not spend time worrying about the automation. It would be nice to get some follow-up from Maintenance about what they found.
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.