<< >> NASA ASRS Report 339022, June 1996

An air carrier B727 had to return land when the aircraft would not pressurize. Aircraft equipment problem door warning light system faulty. Fuel dumped.

Attributes
ACN	339022
Time
Date	199606
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : iah
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 4000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : iah
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : initial ground : preflight other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 12000
ASRS Report	339022
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 270 flight time total : 10500 flight time type : 5000
ASRS Report	339026
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

On initial climb and gear retraction, noted loud air type noise. Passing 1000 ft, flight engineer noted that aircraft not pressurizing. Flight engineer and captain ran appropriate checklists, but aircraft would not pressurize. Requested leveloff at 4000 ft and notified ATC of need to dump fuel and return to iah. Maintenance determined that electrical equipment access door was open and that switch which controls east&east door warning light was faulty. Flight engineer checked east&east access door warning light during initial problem phase. Push to test feature on flight engineer panel indicated door closed and warning light normal. Crew suspected east&east door as the problem due to location of air noise, but as described, indications showed all normal. Apparently door not latched properly -- looked ok on preflight walkaround.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B727 HAD TO RETURN LAND WHEN THE ACFT WOULD NOT PRESSURIZE. ACFT EQUIP PROB DOOR WARNING LIGHT SYS FAULTY. FUEL DUMPED.

Narrative: ON INITIAL CLB AND GEAR RETRACTION, NOTED LOUD AIR TYPE NOISE. PASSING 1000 FT, FE NOTED THAT ACFT NOT PRESSURIZING. FE AND CAPT RAN APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS, BUT ACFT WOULD NOT PRESSURIZE. REQUESTED LEVELOFF AT 4000 FT AND NOTIFIED ATC OF NEED TO DUMP FUEL AND RETURN TO IAH. MAINT DETERMINED THAT ELECTRICAL EQUIP ACCESS DOOR WAS OPEN AND THAT SWITCH WHICH CTLS E&E DOOR WARNING LIGHT WAS FAULTY. FE CHKED E&E ACCESS DOOR WARNING LIGHT DURING INITIAL PROB PHASE. PUSH TO TEST FEATURE ON FE PANEL INDICATED DOOR CLOSED AND WARNING LIGHT NORMAL. CREW SUSPECTED E&E DOOR AS THE PROB DUE TO LOCATION OF AIR NOISE, BUT AS DESCRIBED, INDICATIONS SHOWED ALL NORMAL. APPARENTLY DOOR NOT LATCHED PROPERLY -- LOOKED OK ON PREFLT WALKAROUND.

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.