Narrative:

Crew showed up to aircraft during heavy rain. It had been raining heavily, up to 1 inch per hour all day. According to seattle maintenance, the aircraft doors had been open intermittently all day to facilitate port of seattle fire department aircraft familiarization program. The program had been planned for 1 week. Despite repeated pleadings from seattle maintenance personnel to close the entry door, the 30-some fire department personnel at the site 'laughed at the warnings' to keep the doors closed so water wouldn't enter the aircraft electric compartment. This added copious amounts of water to the already wet eec compartment. Maintenance assured crew that aircraft was ready to go upon pushback. However, #1 (standby) compass system failed and could not be reinstated. Crew reblocked flight. Aircraft would not take APU power, and literally shuddered into a 'brown out' when attempt was made to select it or external power. #2 engine had to remain on until aircraft was secure to provide power. Maintenance informed us that it would take at least 4 hours to dry out the eec compartment. Approximately 1 1/2 hours later, however, maintenance advised the aircraft was now ready to depart. After great amount of serious deliberation, the crew elected that in the interest of safety, it would not be prudent to depart an aircraft into poor WX (400 ft ceiling at sea, poor en route WX, and 500 ft ceiling at oak) given the wet eec condition and questionable electrical system of the aircraft. In our judgement, the aircraft was unairworthy. The flight was cancelled. Upon our return the next morning, the downed aircraft was still there, with a ground pneumatic cart being used to try to dry the eec. The seattle morning maintenance crew briefed the flight crew that the eec was still full of water and that had we taken the plane, surely upon rotation (into the 400 ft night ceiling) all of the remaining water would have flowed aft into the eec and flooded the compartment with god only knows what catastrophic electrical problems, and perhaps the loss of the aircraft and crew according to maintenance. The once convex outer surfaces of most of the 'black-boxes' have become concave and as a result collect undetectable and undrainable water which alone could cause great electrical problems. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: rain was entering through the crew entrance door. Company chief pilot was advised of the situation but reporter does not feel any action has been taken. Feels one of the major problems is the covers to these electronic units have become concave and insure water will collect on the units. Maintenance is convinced they stood a good chance of losing the aircraft had a takeoff been made in the WX conditions existing. Main concern of the company at the time of the incident was to get the aircraft out of town. Suggested a report be made to the FAA hotline.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CREW ENTRY DOOR OPEN IN HVY RAIN ECC COMPARTMENT FLOODED.

Narrative: CREW SHOWED UP TO ACFT DURING HVY RAIN. IT HAD BEEN RAINING HEAVILY, UP TO 1 INCH PER HR ALL DAY. ACCORDING TO SEATTLE MAINT, THE ACFT DOORS HAD BEEN OPEN INTERMITTENTLY ALL DAY TO FACILITATE PORT OF SEATTLE FIRE DEPT ACFT FAMILIARIZATION PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM HAD BEEN PLANNED FOR 1 WK. DESPITE REPEATED PLEADINGS FROM SEATTLE MAINT PERSONNEL TO CLOSE THE ENTRY DOOR, THE 30-SOME FIRE DEPT PERSONNEL AT THE SITE 'LAUGHED AT THE WARNINGS' TO KEEP THE DOORS CLOSED SO WATER WOULDN'T ENTER THE ACFT ELECTRIC COMPARTMENT. THIS ADDED COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF WATER TO THE ALREADY WET EEC COMPARTMENT. MAINT ASSURED CREW THAT ACFT WAS READY TO GO UPON PUSHBACK. HOWEVER, #1 (STANDBY) COMPASS SYS FAILED AND COULD NOT BE REINSTATED. CREW REBLOCKED FLT. ACFT WOULD NOT TAKE APU PWR, AND LITERALLY SHUDDERED INTO A 'BROWN OUT' WHEN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO SELECT IT OR EXTERNAL PWR. #2 ENG HAD TO REMAIN ON UNTIL ACFT WAS SECURE TO PROVIDE PWR. MAINT INFORMED US THAT IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST 4 HRS TO DRY OUT THE EEC COMPARTMENT. APPROX 1 1/2 HRS LATER, HOWEVER, MAINT ADVISED THE ACFT WAS NOW READY TO DEPART. AFTER GREAT AMOUNT OF SERIOUS DELIBERATION, THE CREW ELECTED THAT IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, IT WOULD NOT BE PRUDENT TO DEPART AN ACFT INTO POOR WX (400 FT CEILING AT SEA, POOR ENRTE WX, AND 500 FT CEILING AT OAK) GIVEN THE WET EEC CONDITION AND QUESTIONABLE ELECTRICAL SYS OF THE ACFT. IN OUR JUDGEMENT, THE ACFT WAS UNAIRWORTHY. THE FLT WAS CANCELLED. UPON OUR RETURN THE NEXT MORNING, THE DOWNED ACFT WAS STILL THERE, WITH A GND PNEUMATIC CART BEING USED TO TRY TO DRY THE EEC. THE SEATTLE MORNING MAINT CREW BRIEFED THE FLC THAT THE EEC WAS STILL FULL OF WATER AND THAT HAD WE TAKEN THE PLANE, SURELY UPON ROTATION (INTO THE 400 FT NIGHT CEILING) ALL OF THE REMAINING WATER WOULD HAVE FLOWED AFT INTO THE EEC AND FLOODED THE COMPARTMENT WITH GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT CATASTROPHIC ELECTRICAL PROBS, AND PERHAPS THE LOSS OF THE ACFT AND CREW ACCORDING TO MAINT. THE ONCE CONVEX OUTER SURFACES OF MOST OF THE 'BLACK-BOXES' HAVE BECOME CONCAVE AND AS A RESULT COLLECT UNDETECTABLE AND UNDRAINABLE WATER WHICH ALONE COULD CAUSE GREAT ELECTRICAL PROBS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RAIN WAS ENTERING THROUGH THE CREW ENTRANCE DOOR. COMPANY CHIEF PLT WAS ADVISED OF THE SIT BUT RPTR DOES NOT FEEL ANY ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. FEELS ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBS IS THE COVERS TO THESE ELECTRONIC UNITS HAVE BECOME CONCAVE AND INSURE WATER WILL COLLECT ON THE UNITS. MAINT IS CONVINCED THEY STOOD A GOOD CHANCE OF LOSING THE ACFT HAD A TKOF BEEN MADE IN THE WX CONDITIONS EXISTING. MAIN CONCERN OF THE COMPANY AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT WAS TO GET THE ACFT OUT OF TOWN. SUGGESTED A RPT BE MADE TO THE FAA HOTLINE.

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.