Narrative:

While climbing at FL280 IMC, all airspeed and altitude information was lost for approximately 10-15 mins. While attempting to level off (using flight director) could not pull back #2 throttle. It was physically stuck at approximately maximum climb power (107 percent N1). Experienced buffet. Suspected high speed, but could have been low speed. Retarded #1 throttle and buffet stopped. Proceeded to VMC and made normal landing after all conditions returned to normal. Pitot static heat was on and appeared to be working normally. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: though the reporter first officer has had no direct feedback from his company on the cause, he heard through a mechanic that there was water in the pitot static lines. Why the water was in the lines is unk, but the mechanic said, 'the conditions were just right.' because the A300 has triple redundant airspds, 2 digital with display on the pfd, and 1 analog gauge, and they were all affected, reporter thinks it must have been a result of the water in the lines. They first noticed the analog gauge reading 0, then the digital displays on the pfd started fluctuating +/-10 KTS. Shortly the analog speeds were fluctuating from minimum to maximum on the gauge and the digital speed going from 'green DOT' to red line maximum. At the same time the altimeter was frozen and the captain, PF, was using the vsi which gets its information from the inertial system. They noticed their airspds decrease to green DOT, minimum maneuvering speed, and weren't sure what the speed actually was because of all the erroneous information. To be safe, they decided to descend to insure the airspeed was not actually slow, and as they pushed the nose over the altimeter didn't respond at all. Shortly they got a buffet and the captain idented it as high speed, rather than low speed, and the navigation display showed 460 KTS. They asked ATC what speed they were reading and the reply was 430 KTS. Part of the speed increase was the inability to pull the #2 throttle back and it stayed at climb power temporarily. They were able to overcome the stuck throttle, however, and it appeared normal for the rest of the flight. Reporter says on feedback from maintenance says that the stuck throttle is not uncommon on that aircraft. The suspected cause of the stiff, unmoveable throttle, was the shroud cover which surrounds the throttle cable sometimes gets a heat buildup which in turn melts the shroud and thus restricting the cable. The flight crew was very concerned with the chain of events and both say it was the scariest moment in their flying careers. They had multiple failures of critical flight instruments and were not sure what they had or what was accurate and what wasn't. Once out of the clouds the problems cleared up, and because the WX was a lot better at their destination than at closer airports, they chose to continue. The rest of the flight was uneventful.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SINCE ALL AIRSPDS AND ALT INFO WAS UNRELIABLE, IT WOULD SEEM LOGICAL THAT THE COMMON THREAD WAS THE PITOT STATIC SYS, AND SPECIFICALLY, ICE. RPTR FO SAYS THAT THE PITOT HEAT WAS ON AND APPEARED TO BE OPERATING NORMALLY. THOUGH, WHEN THEY FLEW OUT OF IMC CONDITIONS, ALL SYS AGAIN WERE NORMAL.

Narrative: WHILE CLBING AT FL280 IMC, ALL AIRSPD AND ALT INFO WAS LOST FOR APPROX 10-15 MINS. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LEVEL OFF (USING FLT DIRECTOR) COULD NOT PULL BACK #2 THROTTLE. IT WAS PHYSICALLY STUCK AT APPROX MAX CLB PWR (107 PERCENT N1). EXPERIENCED BUFFET. SUSPECTED HIGH SPD, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN LOW SPD. RETARDED #1 THROTTLE AND BUFFET STOPPED. PROCEEDED TO VMC AND MADE NORMAL LNDG AFTER ALL CONDITIONS RETURNED TO NORMAL. PITOT STATIC HEAT WAS ON AND APPEARED TO BE WORKING NORMALLY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THOUGH THE RPTR FO HAS HAD NO DIRECT FEEDBACK FROM HIS COMPANY ON THE CAUSE, HE HEARD THROUGH A MECH THAT THERE WAS WATER IN THE PITOT STATIC LINES. WHY THE WATER WAS IN THE LINES IS UNK, BUT THE MECH SAID, 'THE CONDITIONS WERE JUST RIGHT.' BECAUSE THE A300 HAS TRIPLE REDUNDANT AIRSPDS, 2 DIGITAL WITH DISPLAY ON THE PFD, AND 1 ANALOG GAUGE, AND THEY WERE ALL AFFECTED, RPTR THINKS IT MUST HAVE BEEN A RESULT OF THE WATER IN THE LINES. THEY FIRST NOTICED THE ANALOG GAUGE READING 0, THEN THE DIGITAL DISPLAYS ON THE PFD STARTED FLUCTUATING +/-10 KTS. SHORTLY THE ANALOG SPDS WERE FLUCTUATING FROM MINIMUM TO MAX ON THE GAUGE AND THE DIGITAL SPD GOING FROM 'GREEN DOT' TO RED LINE MAX. AT THE SAME TIME THE ALTIMETER WAS FROZEN AND THE CAPT, PF, WAS USING THE VSI WHICH GETS ITS INFO FROM THE INERTIAL SYS. THEY NOTICED THEIR AIRSPDS DECREASE TO GREEN DOT, MINIMUM MANEUVERING SPD, AND WEREN'T SURE WHAT THE SPD ACTUALLY WAS BECAUSE OF ALL THE ERRONEOUS INFO. TO BE SAFE, THEY DECIDED TO DSND TO INSURE THE AIRSPD WAS NOT ACTUALLY SLOW, AND AS THEY PUSHED THE NOSE OVER THE ALTIMETER DIDN'T RESPOND AT ALL. SHORTLY THEY GOT A BUFFET AND THE CAPT IDENTED IT AS HIGH SPD, RATHER THAN LOW SPD, AND THE NAV DISPLAY SHOWED 460 KTS. THEY ASKED ATC WHAT SPD THEY WERE READING AND THE REPLY WAS 430 KTS. PART OF THE SPD INCREASE WAS THE INABILITY TO PULL THE #2 THROTTLE BACK AND IT STAYED AT CLB PWR TEMPORARILY. THEY WERE ABLE TO OVERCOME THE STUCK THROTTLE, HOWEVER, AND IT APPEARED NORMAL FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. RPTR SAYS ON FEEDBACK FROM MAINT SAYS THAT THE STUCK THROTTLE IS NOT UNCOMMON ON THAT ACFT. THE SUSPECTED CAUSE OF THE STIFF, UNMOVEABLE THROTTLE, WAS THE SHROUD COVER WHICH SURROUNDS THE THROTTLE CABLE SOMETIMES GETS A HEAT BUILDUP WHICH IN TURN MELTS THE SHROUD AND THUS RESTRICTING THE CABLE. THE FLC WAS VERY CONCERNED WITH THE CHAIN OF EVENTS AND BOTH SAY IT WAS THE SCARIEST MOMENT IN THEIR FLYING CAREERS. THEY HAD MULTIPLE FAILURES OF CRITICAL FLT INSTS AND WERE NOT SURE WHAT THEY HAD OR WHAT WAS ACCURATE AND WHAT WASN'T. ONCE OUT OF THE CLOUDS THE PROBS CLRED UP, AND BECAUSE THE WX WAS A LOT BETTER AT THEIR DEST THAN AT CLOSER ARPTS, THEY CHOSE TO CONTINUE. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL.

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.