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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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Captain of an mdt air carrier aircraft complains that a replacement cockpit side window 'sunscreen' optically distorts view more than that originally installed screen in the aircraft.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 259553 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199312 |
| Day | Tue |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : stl |
| State Reference | MO |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Medium Transport, High Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 270 flight time total : 5593 flight time type : 3540 |
| ASRS Report | 259553 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | other other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
My airline's mdt a and mdt B came/were made with pull up silver sunscreens on all cockpit windows but the 2 front windshields. Recently when replacing worn and inoperative sunscreens, company maintenance has been replacing them with amber tinted screens of extremely poor optical quality. Line maintenance personnel responded to me that they don't know if the new screens come from mdt or are a possibly locally derived, possibly even un-FAA approved material. I do not believe that anyone who would be responsible for approving the use of these new screens could possibly do so if they tried to look out through them. Especially side-by-side to an original silver screen. My guess would be that the original screens, as good as they are when new, reduce vision to 20/25 (my opinion, of course) and the amber screens 20/80 or worse! Something needs to be done, obviously no one around here is going to do anything! Unbelievable.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CAPT OF AN MDT ACR ACFT COMPLAINS THAT A REPLACEMENT COCKPIT SIDE WINDOW 'SUNSCREEN' OPTICALLY DISTORTS VIEW MORE THAN THAT ORIGINALLY INSTALLED SCREEN IN THE ACFT.
Narrative: MY AIRLINE'S MDT A AND MDT B CAME/WERE MADE WITH PULL UP SILVER SUNSCREENS ON ALL COCKPIT WINDOWS BUT THE 2 FRONT WINDSHIELDS. RECENTLY WHEN REPLACING WORN AND INOP SUNSCREENS, COMPANY MAINT HAS BEEN REPLACING THEM WITH AMBER TINTED SCREENS OF EXTREMELY POOR OPTICAL QUALITY. LINE MAINT PERSONNEL RESPONDED TO ME THAT THEY DON'T KNOW IF THE NEW SCREENS COME FROM MDT OR ARE A POSSIBLY LOCALLY DERIVED, POSSIBLY EVEN UN-FAA APPROVED MATERIAL. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANYONE WHO WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR APPROVING THE USE OF THESE NEW SCREENS COULD POSSIBLY DO SO IF THEY TRIED TO LOOK OUT THROUGH THEM. ESPECIALLY SIDE-BY-SIDE TO AN ORIGINAL SILVER SCREEN. MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT THE ORIGINAL SCREENS, AS GOOD AS THEY ARE WHEN NEW, REDUCE VISION TO 20/25 (MY OPINION, OF COURSE) AND THE AMBER SCREENS 20/80 OR WORSE! SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE, OBVIOUSLY NO ONE AROUND HERE IS GOING TO DO ANYTHING! UNBELIEVABLE.
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.