Unusual electronic ticketing in aft galley area.

Attributes
ACN	282197
Time
Date	199409
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : phl
State Reference	PA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Super 80
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	282197
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Before departure at phl, flight attendant notified me of unusual electronic ticketing noise in aft galley. After first officer and myself could not identify this, we called maintenance. They could not identify but said it was strongest in aft baggage compartment. After removing panels discovered sound came from switching unit on the main outflow valve. Sound was rhythmic and sounded like a warning on distant truck or machinery backing up. Switching was also too hot to touch. Technician said all this was normal. Could this information be passed on to both the cabin and cockpit crews. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: on callback the reporter revealed that his reason for submitting the report was that both he and the flight attendant thought that the noise was unusual, not having heard it before. He was not knowledgeable on the composition of the panels that adjoined this outflow valve area in the aft baggage compartment. He had to rely on the supervisor at their maintenance base that 'this was normal,' meaning the sound and the temperature of the unit. Reporter is going to ask his supervisor if anything has been done with reference to notifying flcs of this situation. He didn't know if the maintenance base could give him any further information. Major concern is whether this was an aircraft maintenance discrepancy and if a telephone diagnosis of the equipment is the correct procedure.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNUSUAL ELECTRONIC TICKETING IN AFT GALLEY AREA.

Narrative: BEFORE DEP AT PHL, FLT ATTENDANT NOTIFIED ME OF UNUSUAL ELECTRONIC TICKETING NOISE IN AFT GALLEY. AFTER FO AND MYSELF COULD NOT IDENT THIS, WE CALLED MAINT. THEY COULD NOT IDENT BUT SAID IT WAS STRONGEST IN AFT BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT. AFTER REMOVING PANELS DISCOVERED SOUND CAME FROM SWITCHING UNIT ON THE MAIN OUTFLOW VALVE. SOUND WAS RHYTHMIC AND SOUNDED LIKE A WARNING ON DISTANT TRUCK OR MACHINERY BACKING UP. SWITCHING WAS ALSO TOO HOT TO TOUCH. TECHNICIAN SAID ALL THIS WAS NORMAL. COULD THIS INFO BE PASSED ON TO BOTH THE CABIN AND COCKPIT CREWS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ON CALLBACK THE RPTR REVEALED THAT HIS REASON FOR SUBMITTING THE RPT WAS THAT BOTH HE AND THE FLT ATTENDANT THOUGHT THAT THE NOISE WAS UNUSUAL, NOT HAVING HEARD IT BEFORE. HE WAS NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE PANELS THAT ADJOINED THIS OUTFLOW VALVE AREA IN THE AFT BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT. HE HAD TO RELY ON THE SUPVR AT THEIR MAINT BASE THAT 'THIS WAS NORMAL,' MEANING THE SOUND AND THE TEMP OF THE UNIT. RPTR IS GOING TO ASK HIS SUPVR IF ANYTHING HAS BEEN DONE WITH REF TO NOTIFYING FLCS OF THIS SIT. HE DIDN'T KNOW IF THE MAINT BASE COULD GIVE HIM ANY FURTHER INFO. MAJOR CONCERN IS WHETHER THIS WAS AN ACFT MAINT DISCREPANCY AND IF A TELEPHONE DIAGNOSIS OF THE EQUIP IS THE CORRECT PROC.

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.