Narrative:

Late in the takeoff roll, but before V1, the crew received an aural warning for the autofeather system. The takeoff was aborted without incident and the flight returned to the gate. The autofeather system was checked prior takeoff during the taxi checklist and was found to be operating normally. The crew believed the warning on takeoff was false and repeated tests of the autofeather system confirmed this (other crews on the same type aircraft have had this exact thing happen). The captain called the chief pilot's office and explained what had happened and that the system tested normally. The captain was told that a write-up of the autofeather was needed along with an irregularity report and to inform maintenance control. The captain called maintenance control and explained what had happened and that the assistant chief pilot had said that a write-up of the autofeather was needed. The person in maintenance control said he thought that if it was a false warning and the autofeather operates normally during the autofeather test that a write-up was not needed and he would check with his supervisor. The captain could hear conversation in the backgnd and thought it was his supervisor he was talking to. The person in maintenance control then said he needed to get on the phone and to hold on (we also were on the phone). Mr X is the assistant chief pilot the captain had talked to earlier. They came to the conclusion that a write-up was not required if the system checks and operates normally and that the flight could depart. The crew again performed a check of the autofeather system during the taxi checklist and again it checked normally. The flight departed shv for iah without incident. In addition, the crew remained with that same aircraft for an additional 5 legs and the system checked and operated normally every time without another false warning. Later after reaching iah the captain talked to the assistant chief pilot and only then discovered that he was not the 'pilot' the person in maintenance control was talking to. The assistant chief pilot also said that even though the alarm was false and the system tested and operated normally it was the FAA's position that a write-up of the autofeather should have been done.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF ACR MDT ACFT ABORTED TKOF BECAUSE OF AN AUTOFEATHER WARNING LIGHT WHICH RESULTED IN THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY DEPARTING WITHOUT THE PROPER ACFT MAINT LOGBOOK ENDORSEMENT OF THE OCCURRENCE.

Narrative: LATE IN THE TKOF ROLL, BUT BEFORE V1, THE CREW RECEIVED AN AURAL WARNING FOR THE AUTOFEATHER SYS. THE TKOF WAS ABORTED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND THE FLT RETURNED TO THE GATE. THE AUTOFEATHER SYS WAS CHKED PRIOR TKOF DURING THE TAXI CHKLIST AND WAS FOUND TO BE OPERATING NORMALLY. THE CREW BELIEVED THE WARNING ON TKOF WAS FALSE AND REPEATED TESTS OF THE AUTOFEATHER SYS CONFIRMED THIS (OTHER CREWS ON THE SAME TYPE ACFT HAVE HAD THIS EXACT THING HAPPEN). THE CAPT CALLED THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THAT THE SYS TESTED NORMALLY. THE CAPT WAS TOLD THAT A WRITE-UP OF THE AUTOFEATHER WAS NEEDED ALONG WITH AN IRREGULARITY RPT AND TO INFORM MAINT CTL. THE CAPT CALLED MAINT CTL AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THAT THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT HAD SAID THAT A WRITE-UP OF THE AUTOFEATHER WAS NEEDED. THE PERSON IN MAINT CTL SAID HE THOUGHT THAT IF IT WAS A FALSE WARNING AND THE AUTOFEATHER OPERATES NORMALLY DURING THE AUTOFEATHER TEST THAT A WRITE-UP WAS NOT NEEDED AND HE WOULD CHK WITH HIS SUPVR. THE CAPT COULD HEAR CONVERSATION IN THE BACKGND AND THOUGHT IT WAS HIS SUPVR HE WAS TALKING TO. THE PERSON IN MAINT CTL THEN SAID HE NEEDED TO GET ON THE PHONE AND TO HOLD ON (WE ALSO WERE ON THE PHONE). MR X IS THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT THE CAPT HAD TALKED TO EARLIER. THEY CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT A WRITE-UP WAS NOT REQUIRED IF THE SYS CHKS AND OPERATES NORMALLY AND THAT THE FLT COULD DEPART. THE CREW AGAIN PERFORMED A CHK OF THE AUTOFEATHER SYS DURING THE TAXI CHKLIST AND AGAIN IT CHKED NORMALLY. THE FLT DEPARTED SHV FOR IAH WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN ADDITION, THE CREW REMAINED WITH THAT SAME ACFT FOR AN ADDITIONAL 5 LEGS AND THE SYS CHKED AND OPERATED NORMALLY EVERY TIME WITHOUT ANOTHER FALSE WARNING. LATER AFTER REACHING IAH THE CAPT TALKED TO THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT AND ONLY THEN DISCOVERED THAT HE WAS NOT THE 'PLT' THE PERSON IN MAINT CTL WAS TALKING TO. THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT ALSO SAID THAT EVEN THOUGH THE ALARM WAS FALSE AND THE SYS TESTED AND OPERATED NORMALLY IT WAS THE FAA'S POS THAT A WRITE-UP OF THE AUTOFEATHER SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE.

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.