Narrative:

On climb out, I asked for autoplt #2. Captain said #2 would not engage, so he engaged autoplt #1. We decided to do the computer reset procedure at cruise later. At FL370 in cruise, smooth ride, the captain did the approved computer reset procedure out of our cockpit operating manual. It did not restore autoplt #2 or flight director #2. He sat down in his seat, told me to hand fly the aircraft while he tried to reset. I complied and shut off the autoplt. I assumed he was going to try the computer procedure again. In a matter of seconds, the aircraft pitched up violently. I attempted to control the pitch with my side stick, but it did not respond. My pfd said 'man pitch trim only' in red. We were down to pitch back up law. I used the trim wheel to bring the nose down, but I must have trimmed too much because the aircraft pushed down really hard. (The rear flight attendant hit the ceiling in the rear galley and was injured). I got the aircraft level at FL37.6. Captain was resetting computers, normal law returned, autoplt #1 reengaged, return to FL370. Captain later told me he was trying to reset FMGC #2 by turning off one elac at a time, but goofed up and turned off both elacs at once. Rest of flight smooth and uneventful. The cause of this was the captain not following approved procedures and not letting the first officer know what he was going to do. If he would have told me, I would have not let him do it. The captain stated that his elac reset thing 'works in the simulator.' I'm not familiar with or have I ever seen this done in our simulator. I called ATC when I got control of the aircraft and told them we had a flight control problem, we were at 37600 ft and were descending down to FL370. He said 'no problem, no traffic in area.' at company safety hearing, captain admitted that he shut down (turned off) all flight computers which are 2 elacs, 3 seconds, and 2 facs. He said he did not know why he did that. He said he was having personal problems and shouldn't have been flying. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter flies the A-320 as first officer for a major us air carrier. The subject trip was the first that he had ever flown with this captain. The aircraft has 2 elac (elevator and aileron computers), 3 second (spoiler and elevator computers) and 2 facility (flight augmentation computers). When these are disabled, the aircraft reverts to 'manual law.' this is practiced at low altitude when in the simulator, never at 37000 ft, and apparently factory test pilots have never been in 'manual law' at high altitude. When the captain disabled all of these system without telling the first officer, the aircraft was in 'manual law' and pitched up. The reporting first officer used too much trim to regain control, injuring the flight attendant. The first officer stated that he would not have let the captain do this if he had known what was going on, the captain did a 'fix' that was done in the simulator to get it back on-line. The captain lied to the first officer about what he had done, made a very poor write up in the logbook, then tried to further cover up the incident. The ECAM stored the captain's attempts to fix the problem, this was noted at a company hearing. The captain is off on 'long term sick,' a mutual agreement with him, his union and the air carrier. The reporting first officer got a 2 leg air carrier line check. An aci then 'just happened' to ride with him and extensively interviewed him on this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG CAPT PERFORMED AN UNAUTH PROC CAUSING LOSS OF ACFT CTL AND FLT ATTENDANT INJURY.

Narrative: ON CLB OUT, I ASKED FOR AUTOPLT #2. CAPT SAID #2 WOULD NOT ENGAGE, SO HE ENGAGED AUTOPLT #1. WE DECIDED TO DO THE COMPUTER RESET PROC AT CRUISE LATER. AT FL370 IN CRUISE, SMOOTH RIDE, THE CAPT DID THE APPROVED COMPUTER RESET PROC OUT OF OUR COCKPIT OPERATING MANUAL. IT DID NOT RESTORE AUTOPLT #2 OR FLT DIRECTOR #2. HE SAT DOWN IN HIS SEAT, TOLD ME TO HAND FLY THE ACFT WHILE HE TRIED TO RESET. I COMPLIED AND SHUT OFF THE AUTOPLT. I ASSUMED HE WAS GOING TO TRY THE COMPUTER PROC AGAIN. IN A MATTER OF SECONDS, THE ACFT PITCHED UP VIOLENTLY. I ATTEMPTED TO CTL THE PITCH WITH MY SIDE STICK, BUT IT DID NOT RESPOND. MY PFD SAID 'MAN PITCH TRIM ONLY' IN RED. WE WERE DOWN TO PITCH BACK UP LAW. I USED THE TRIM WHEEL TO BRING THE NOSE DOWN, BUT I MUST HAVE TRIMMED TOO MUCH BECAUSE THE ACFT PUSHED DOWN REALLY HARD. (THE REAR FLT ATTENDANT HIT THE CEILING IN THE REAR GALLEY AND WAS INJURED). I GOT THE ACFT LEVEL AT FL37.6. CAPT WAS RESETTING COMPUTERS, NORMAL LAW RETURNED, AUTOPLT #1 REENGAGED, RETURN TO FL370. CAPT LATER TOLD ME HE WAS TRYING TO RESET FMGC #2 BY TURNING OFF ONE ELAC AT A TIME, BUT GOOFED UP AND TURNED OFF BOTH ELACS AT ONCE. REST OF FLT SMOOTH AND UNEVENTFUL. THE CAUSE OF THIS WAS THE CAPT NOT FOLLOWING APPROVED PROCS AND NOT LETTING THE FO KNOW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO. IF HE WOULD HAVE TOLD ME, I WOULD HAVE NOT LET HIM DO IT. THE CAPT STATED THAT HIS ELAC RESET THING 'WORKS IN THE SIMULATOR.' I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH OR HAVE I EVER SEEN THIS DONE IN OUR SIMULATOR. I CALLED ATC WHEN I GOT CTL OF THE ACFT AND TOLD THEM WE HAD A FLT CTL PROB, WE WERE AT 37600 FT AND WERE DSNDING DOWN TO FL370. HE SAID 'NO PROB, NO TFC IN AREA.' AT COMPANY SAFETY HEARING, CAPT ADMITTED THAT HE SHUT DOWN (TURNED OFF) ALL FLT COMPUTERS WHICH ARE 2 ELACS, 3 SECONDS, AND 2 FACS. HE SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHY HE DID THAT. HE SAID HE WAS HAVING PERSONAL PROBS AND SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FLYING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE A-320 AS FO FOR A MAJOR US ACR. THE SUBJECT TRIP WAS THE FIRST THAT HE HAD EVER FLOWN WITH THIS CAPT. THE ACFT HAS 2 ELAC (ELEVATOR AND AILERON COMPUTERS), 3 SEC (SPOILER AND ELEVATOR COMPUTERS) AND 2 FAC (FLT AUGMENTATION COMPUTERS). WHEN THESE ARE DISABLED, THE ACFT REVERTS TO 'MANUAL LAW.' THIS IS PRACTICED AT LOW ALT WHEN IN THE SIMULATOR, NEVER AT 37000 FT, AND APPARENTLY FACTORY TEST PLTS HAVE NEVER BEEN IN 'MANUAL LAW' AT HIGH ALT. WHEN THE CAPT DISABLED ALL OF THESE SYS WITHOUT TELLING THE FO, THE ACFT WAS IN 'MANUAL LAW' AND PITCHED UP. THE RPTING FO USED TOO MUCH TRIM TO REGAIN CTL, INJURING THE FLT ATTENDANT. THE FO STATED THAT HE WOULD NOT HAVE LET THE CAPT DO THIS IF HE HAD KNOWN WHAT WAS GOING ON, THE CAPT DID A 'FIX' THAT WAS DONE IN THE SIMULATOR TO GET IT BACK ON-LINE. THE CAPT LIED TO THE FO ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE, MADE A VERY POOR WRITE UP IN THE LOGBOOK, THEN TRIED TO FURTHER COVER UP THE INCIDENT. THE ECAM STORED THE CAPT'S ATTEMPTS TO FIX THE PROB, THIS WAS NOTED AT A COMPANY HEARING. THE CAPT IS OFF ON 'LONG TERM SICK,' A MUTUAL AGREEMENT WITH HIM, HIS UNION AND THE ACR. THE RPTING FO GOT A 2 LEG ACR LINE CHK. AN ACI THEN 'JUST HAPPENED' TO RIDE WITH HIM AND EXTENSIVELY INTERVIEWED HIM ON THIS INCIDENT.

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.