Narrative:

Descending for approach and landing at mci, while passing 7000 ft and 13 NM west of mci, in IMC conditions and moderate turbulence, experienced the following failures of navigation and flight instruments: first officer lost attitude indicator (HSI), with several flags in his CDI. First officer attempted to switch and bootstrap to captain's instruments (both on #1 captain's instrument to first officer display) -- no improvement. First officer still without HSI or CDI. Next captain got 'roll' indicator on his instrument comparitor panel followed by intermittent pitch indicator, followed by loss of both autoplts. Captain now flying partial panel. Needle, ball, airspeed, whiskey compass, standby horizon, IMC, moderate turbulence. Was able to maintain 210 KTS right side up and 7000 ft altitude but very difficult to maintain heading. Requested radar vector and heading help from ATC to a VFR airport for landing. Proceeded to and landed VFR oma. Attempted check of all circuit breakers, found none popped. WX report followed from mci of WX deteriorating. Thunderstorm approaching field and overhead. Windshear advisory of loss of 20 KTS on final, wind gusting and heavy hail. On ground at oma during walkaround, found 2 static wicks missing on horizontal stabilizer and 1 static wick missing on right wing. Suspect possible lightning strike -- but felt none. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter captain says that in his 30 yrs of flying, he has never experienced such a bid situation. Literally, all he had as flight instruments were needle/ball, wet compass, standby airspeed, and altimeter. All other flight instruments were of no use. At first, the first officer's flight instruments went out with all associated flags. He tried to switch his flight instruments to use the captain's, but when switching, the captain lost all his side. They were unable to get back their instruments after some troubleshooting, circuit breakers checked, etc. Because the WX at mci was poor, IMC with windshear alerts, st emlo's fire heavy on windshield, they received vector help from ATC and diverted to oma where the WX was good. En route to oma some of the instruments started coming back on the line, but since the conditions had been so unusual, the flight crew didn't try to troubleshoot further and just kept what they had (which wasn't much). After landing at oma they discovered some static wicks missing, but reporter captain said they appeared to be broken off and not as a result of a lighting strike. In fact, neither the flight crew nor the flight attendants noted any evidence of a lightning strike. Besides, the MEL states that 2 wicks may be missing which, in this case, there were no more than 2 on a side. Contract maintenance at oma did a byte check and as far as reporter knows, nothing was found. After the aircraft was rebooted everything appeared normal and they took off 4 hours later for their original destination, mci. Landing in mci they experienced a split flap, which may or may not have been related to the previous loss of flight instruments. In the final analysis, this occurrence still cannot be explained.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF ALL CAPT AND FO PRIMARY FLT INSTS. UNABLE TO GET THEM BACK IN POOR WX CONDITIONS. DIVERTED TO VFR ARPT WHERE TROUBLESHOOTING FOUND NO MAJOR DISCREPANCY.

Narrative: DSNDING FOR APCH AND LNDG AT MCI, WHILE PASSING 7000 FT AND 13 NM W OF MCI, IN IMC CONDITIONS AND MODERATE TURB, EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWING FAILURES OF NAV AND FLT INSTS: FO LOST ATTITUDE INDICATOR (HSI), WITH SEVERAL FLAGS IN HIS CDI. FO ATTEMPTED TO SWITCH AND BOOTSTRAP TO CAPT'S INSTS (BOTH ON #1 CAPT'S INST TO FO DISPLAY) -- NO IMPROVEMENT. FO STILL WITHOUT HSI OR CDI. NEXT CAPT GOT 'ROLL' INDICATOR ON HIS INST COMPARITOR PANEL FOLLOWED BY INTERMITTENT PITCH INDICATOR, FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF BOTH AUTOPLTS. CAPT NOW FLYING PARTIAL PANEL. NEEDLE, BALL, AIRSPD, WHISKEY COMPASS, STANDBY HORIZON, IMC, MODERATE TURB. WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN 210 KTS R SIDE UP AND 7000 FT ALT BUT VERY DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN HDG. REQUESTED RADAR VECTOR AND HDG HELP FROM ATC TO A VFR ARPT FOR LNDG. PROCEEDED TO AND LANDED VFR OMA. ATTEMPTED CHK OF ALL CIRCUIT BREAKERS, FOUND NONE POPPED. WX RPT FOLLOWED FROM MCI OF WX DETERIORATING. TSTM APCHING FIELD AND OVERHEAD. WINDSHEAR ADVISORY OF LOSS OF 20 KTS ON FINAL, WIND GUSTING AND HVY HAIL. ON GND AT OMA DURING WALKAROUND, FOUND 2 STATIC WICKS MISSING ON HORIZ STABILIZER AND 1 STATIC WICK MISSING ON R WING. SUSPECT POSSIBLE LIGHTNING STRIKE -- BUT FELT NONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CAPT SAYS THAT IN HIS 30 YRS OF FLYING, HE HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH A BID SIT. LITERALLY, ALL HE HAD AS FLT INSTS WERE NEEDLE/BALL, WET COMPASS, STANDBY AIRSPD, AND ALTIMETER. ALL OTHER FLT INSTS WERE OF NO USE. AT FIRST, THE FO'S FLT INSTS WENT OUT WITH ALL ASSOCIATED FLAGS. HE TRIED TO SWITCH HIS FLT INSTS TO USE THE CAPT'S, BUT WHEN SWITCHING, THE CAPT LOST ALL HIS SIDE. THEY WERE UNABLE TO GET BACK THEIR INSTS AFTER SOME TROUBLESHOOTING, CIRCUIT BREAKERS CHKED, ETC. BECAUSE THE WX AT MCI WAS POOR, IMC WITH WINDSHEAR ALERTS, ST EMLO'S FIRE HVY ON WINDSHIELD, THEY RECEIVED VECTOR HELP FROM ATC AND DIVERTED TO OMA WHERE THE WX WAS GOOD. ENRTE TO OMA SOME OF THE INSTS STARTED COMING BACK ON THE LINE, BUT SINCE THE CONDITIONS HAD BEEN SO UNUSUAL, THE FLC DIDN'T TRY TO TROUBLESHOOT FURTHER AND JUST KEPT WHAT THEY HAD (WHICH WASN'T MUCH). AFTER LNDG AT OMA THEY DISCOVERED SOME STATIC WICKS MISSING, BUT RPTR CAPT SAID THEY APPEARED TO BE BROKEN OFF AND NOT AS A RESULT OF A LIGHTING STRIKE. IN FACT, NEITHER THE FLC NOR THE FLT ATTENDANTS NOTED ANY EVIDENCE OF A LIGHTNING STRIKE. BESIDES, THE MEL STATES THAT 2 WICKS MAY BE MISSING WHICH, IN THIS CASE, THERE WERE NO MORE THAN 2 ON A SIDE. CONTRACT MAINT AT OMA DID A BYTE CHK AND AS FAR AS RPTR KNOWS, NOTHING WAS FOUND. AFTER THE ACFT WAS REBOOTED EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL AND THEY TOOK OFF 4 HRS LATER FOR THEIR ORIGINAL DEST, MCI. LNDG IN MCI THEY EXPERIENCED A SPLIT FLAP, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE PREVIOUS LOSS OF FLT INSTS. IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, THIS OCCURRENCE STILL CANNOT BE EXPLAINED.

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.