Narrative:

This was the 5TH morning of a 5 day trip. Upon arriving at the aircraft, proceeded with preflight check. Checking the electrical system, found alternating current (AC) essential bus pwred by both AC bus 1 and 2 (normally only pwred by AC bus 1). This is a glass cockpit aircraft. Called maintenance (local and our company). During their trouble-shooting, etc, circuit breakers were pulled and electrical power was removed and put on the aircraft at least 3 times. 1 hour and 10 mins after scheduled departure the faulty component had been located, changes were made and we were dispatched under the applicable MEL. We pushed back at PM20 local and started engines. The pushback crew was released and I called for the before taxi checklist. When the first officer checked the status page of the ECAM (CRT) it showed inoperative system of autoplt #2 and CAT III inoperative. (Must have both autoplts for CAT III.) we checked circuit breakers in and consulted our company operating manual, specific problems per air traffic area codes for aircraft system. Consulted MEL and found we could go without autoplt #2. (We are still just outside of gate area with engines (2) running. Let me digress some -- our company has set forth specific guidelines in our company flight operations manual to handle such sits according to whether you are at the gate, have pushed off the gate, or airborne or not. This is further defined according to whether the MEL item in the MEL book is a 'boxed' item (black line border around MEL number) or not. All boxed item MEL's requires a direct link with our flight dispatcher for his concurrence of safety of flight, etc, and he must include the MEL on the release and amend it with signature (dispatcher) and date and time of amendment. Our flight operations manual states that the dispatcher is the person who must be called -- not maintenance, so that one central person in charge of the flight can coordinate the situation between us and maintenance. I wrote autoplt #2 inoperative in the logbook as required. We contacted dispatch with the problem and MEL that we thought we could depart under. He agreed and he amended our release to include that boxed MEL. I had filled out an MEL sticker concerning autoplt #2, and placed it according to company guidelines. The flight operations manual further states that maintenance control will give me the required information to fill out the second half of the log page -- the MEL corrective action, with maintenance employee name, employee number, etc. This is the whole point of this part of this report. The dispatcher did not get this information for us (required by time of landing) before or after departing. I sent several detailed messages to dispatch and maintenance control by ACARS during the 2 1/2 hour flight without ever receiving this required information. At destination (msp) aircraft was met by 2 FAA inspectors (type unknown). Company maintenance man at the gate said they were there to inspect cockpit side windows from a prior write- up. We had another flight to fly in 40 mins so we had to leave (aircraft change). I did hear that the aircraft we brought in was sent to the hangar by FAA. Supposedly to fix windows. I don't know if any action will be taken due to the 'incomplete' log page. Further comment: in retrospect, autoplt #2 was probably inoperative due to flight management and guidance computer #2 was probably inoperative. Not known to us until after takeoff and during climb out of phx.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A-320 ACFT EQUIP PROB MALFUNCTION NOT CORRECTLY IDENTED BY FLC. FLC TECHNIQUE PREFLT PROC. FLC BEHAVIOR UNFAMILIAR WITH OP.

Narrative: THIS WAS THE 5TH MORNING OF A 5 DAY TRIP. UPON ARRIVING AT THE ACFT, PROCEEDED WITH PREFLT CHK. CHKING THE ELECTRICAL SYS, FOUND ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC) ESSENTIAL BUS PWRED BY BOTH AC BUS 1 AND 2 (NORMALLY ONLY PWRED BY AC BUS 1). THIS IS A GLASS COCKPIT ACFT. CALLED MAINT (LCL AND OUR COMPANY). DURING THEIR TROUBLE-SHOOTING, ETC, CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE PULLED AND ELECTRICAL PWR WAS REMOVED AND PUT ON THE ACFT AT LEAST 3 TIMES. 1 HR AND 10 MINS AFTER SCHEDULED DEP THE FAULTY COMPONENT HAD BEEN LOCATED, CHANGES WERE MADE AND WE WERE DISPATCHED UNDER THE APPLICABLE MEL. WE PUSHED BACK AT PM20 LCL AND STARTED ENGS. THE PUSHBACK CREW WAS RELEASED AND I CALLED FOR THE BEFORE TAXI CHKLIST. WHEN THE FO CHKED THE STATUS PAGE OF THE ECAM (CRT) IT SHOWED INOP SYS OF AUTOPLT #2 AND CAT III INOP. (MUST HAVE BOTH AUTOPLTS FOR CAT III.) WE CHKED CIRCUIT BREAKERS IN AND CONSULTED OUR COMPANY OPERATING MANUAL, SPECIFIC PROBS PER ATA CODES FOR ACFT SYS. CONSULTED MEL AND FOUND WE COULD GO WITHOUT AUTOPLT #2. (WE ARE STILL JUST OUTSIDE OF GATE AREA WITH ENGS (2) RUNNING. LET ME DIGRESS SOME -- OUR COMPANY HAS SET FORTH SPECIFIC GUIDELINES IN OUR COMPANY FLT OPS MANUAL TO HANDLE SUCH SITS ACCORDING TO WHETHER YOU ARE AT THE GATE, HAVE PUSHED OFF THE GATE, OR AIRBORNE OR NOT. THIS IS FURTHER DEFINED ACCORDING TO WHETHER THE MEL ITEM IN THE MEL BOOK IS A 'BOXED' ITEM (BLACK LINE BORDER AROUND MEL NUMBER) OR NOT. ALL BOXED ITEM MEL'S REQUIRES A DIRECT LINK WITH OUR FLT DISPATCHER FOR HIS CONCURRENCE OF SAFETY OF FLT, ETC, AND HE MUST INCLUDE THE MEL ON THE RELEASE AND AMEND IT WITH SIGNATURE (DISPATCHER) AND DATE AND TIME OF AMENDMENT. OUR FLT OPS MANUAL STATES THAT THE DISPATCHER IS THE PERSON WHO MUST BE CALLED -- NOT MAINT, SO THAT ONE CENTRAL PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE FLT CAN COORDINATE THE SIT BTWN US AND MAINT. I WROTE AUTOPLT #2 INOP IN THE LOGBOOK AS REQUIRED. WE CONTACTED DISPATCH WITH THE PROB AND MEL THAT WE THOUGHT WE COULD DEPART UNDER. HE AGREED AND HE AMENDED OUR RELEASE TO INCLUDE THAT BOXED MEL. I HAD FILLED OUT AN MEL STICKER CONCERNING AUTOPLT #2, AND PLACED IT ACCORDING TO COMPANY GUIDELINES. THE FLT OPS MANUAL FURTHER STATES THAT MAINT CTL WILL GIVE ME THE REQUIRED INFO TO FILL OUT THE SECOND HALF OF THE LOG PAGE -- THE MEL CORRECTIVE ACTION, WITH MAINT EMPLOYEE NAME, EMPLOYEE NUMBER, ETC. THIS IS THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS PART OF THIS RPT. THE DISPATCHER DID NOT GET THIS INFO FOR US (REQUIRED BY TIME OF LNDG) BEFORE OR AFTER DEPARTING. I SENT SEVERAL DETAILED MESSAGES TO DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL BY ACARS DURING THE 2 1/2 HR FLT WITHOUT EVER RECEIVING THIS REQUIRED INFO. AT DEST (MSP) ACFT WAS MET BY 2 FAA INSPECTORS (TYPE UNKNOWN). COMPANY MAINT MAN AT THE GATE SAID THEY WERE THERE TO INSPECT COCKPIT SIDE WINDOWS FROM A PRIOR WRITE- UP. WE HAD ANOTHER FLT TO FLY IN 40 MINS SO WE HAD TO LEAVE (ACFT CHANGE). I DID HEAR THAT THE ACFT WE BROUGHT IN WAS SENT TO THE HANGAR BY FAA. SUPPOSEDLY TO FIX WINDOWS. I DON'T KNOW IF ANY ACTION WILL BE TAKEN DUE TO THE 'INCOMPLETE' LOG PAGE. FURTHER COMMENT: IN RETROSPECT, AUTOPLT #2 WAS PROBABLY INOP DUE TO FLT MGMNT AND GUIDANCE COMPUTER #2 WAS PROBABLY INOP. NOT KNOWN TO US UNTIL AFTER TKOF AND DURING CLBOUT OF PHX.

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.