DC10 flight crew experienced vibration after takeoff. Emergency declared. Fuel dumped. Coordination ...

Attributes
ACN	320312
Time
Date	199511
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dtw
State Reference	MI
Altitude	msl bound lower : 5000 msl bound upper : 6000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : dtw tower : elp
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	DC-10 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : takeoff other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 138 flight time total : 18000 flight time type : 3200
ASRS Report	320312
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : unable other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

After takeoff a moderate vibration was noted. This vibration increased with increasing speed. Flaps were retracted. No improvement. Flaps were lowered again to reduce vibration. No surface position indicator, or door warning light was abnormal. After consulting with maintenance and dispatch, a decision was made to dump fuel to landing weight and return to dtw. We were vectored over lake erie, and coordinated with ATC for a fuel dump at 8000 ft MSL. During fuel dump the automatic fuel dump shutoff feature appeared to activate at 90000 pounds total fuel remaining rather than the expected 34500 pounds (lowest main tank reading at this time was 19800 pounds). This early shutoff was accompanied by numerous, intermittent, recurring fuel boost pump failures (#2 tank transfer pump, both auxiliary tank pumps, #3 transfer pump). Fuel dump was continued, however, to a normal landing weight and an uneventful landing was made. Fire and crash personnel inspected the aircraft and could find no abnormalities. Maintenance later discovered a broken actuator to a center gear door. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: as a conservative measure, an emergency was declared. Flight attendants and passenger were briefed on aircraft status and fuel dumping process. Before returning to land, the DC10 was vectored by ATC over lake erie at 6000 ft for fuel dumping. Approximately time lapse from initial vibration to return landing was around 50 min. The captain (reporter) states that during the dumping process the flight crew got an indication that something was hot, smelling electrical. At this time they experienced the boost pump failures, so after multiple resets of the pump circuit breakers, reporter elected to discontinue dumping and land overweight. This DC10 has no cockpit indication for gear door malfunction. As far as the reporter knows, there was no maintenance resolution for malfunctioning pumps or electrical smell.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DC10 FLC EXPERIENCED VIBRATION AFTER TKOF. EMER DECLARED. FUEL DUMPED. COORD WITH DISPATCH AND MAINT LED TO FLC DECISION TO RETURN LAND.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF A MODERATE VIBRATION WAS NOTED. THIS VIBRATION INCREASED WITH INCREASING SPD. FLAPS WERE RETRACTED. NO IMPROVEMENT. FLAPS WERE LOWERED AGAIN TO REDUCE VIBRATION. NO SURFACE POS INDICATOR, OR DOOR WARNING LIGHT WAS ABNORMAL. AFTER CONSULTING WITH MAINT AND DISPATCH, A DECISION WAS MADE TO DUMP FUEL TO LNDG WT AND RETURN TO DTW. WE WERE VECTORED OVER LAKE ERIE, AND COORDINATED WITH ATC FOR A FUEL DUMP AT 8000 FT MSL. DURING FUEL DUMP THE AUTO FUEL DUMP SHUTOFF FEATURE APPEARED TO ACTIVATE AT 90000 LBS TOTAL FUEL REMAINING RATHER THAN THE EXPECTED 34500 LBS (LOWEST MAIN TANK READING AT THIS TIME WAS 19800 LBS). THIS EARLY SHUTOFF WAS ACCOMPANIED BY NUMEROUS, INTERMITTENT, RECURRING FUEL BOOST PUMP FAILURES (#2 TANK TRANSFER PUMP, BOTH AUX TANK PUMPS, #3 TRANSFER PUMP). FUEL DUMP WAS CONTINUED, HOWEVER, TO A NORMAL LNDG WT AND AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE. FIRE AND CRASH PERSONNEL INSPECTED THE ACFT AND COULD FIND NO ABNORMALITIES. MAINT LATER DISCOVERED A BROKEN ACTUATOR TO A CTR GEAR DOOR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AS A CONSERVATIVE MEASURE, AN EMER WAS DECLARED. FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX WERE BRIEFED ON ACFT STATUS AND FUEL DUMPING PROCESS. BEFORE RETURNING TO LAND, THE DC10 WAS VECTORED BY ATC OVER LAKE ERIE AT 6000 FT FOR FUEL DUMPING. APPROX TIME LAPSE FROM INITIAL VIBRATION TO RETURN LNDG WAS AROUND 50 MIN. THE CAPT (RPTR) STATES THAT DURING THE DUMPING PROCESS THE FLC GOT AN INDICATION THAT SOMETHING WAS HOT, SMELLING ELECTRICAL. AT THIS TIME THEY EXPERIENCED THE BOOST PUMP FAILURES, SO AFTER MULTIPLE RESETS OF THE PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKERS, RPTR ELECTED TO DISCONTINUE DUMPING AND LAND OVERWT. THIS DC10 HAS NO COCKPIT INDICATION FOR GEAR DOOR MALFUNCTION. AS FAR AS THE RPTR KNOWS, THERE WAS NO MAINT RESOLUTION FOR MALFUNCTIONING PUMPS OR ELECTRICAL SMELL.

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.

DC10 flight crew experienced vibration after takeoff. Emergency declared. Fuel dumped. Coordination with dispatch and maintenance led to flight crew decision to return land.