Narrative:

Aircraft climbing out on departure 717400 pounds takeoff gross weight, cabin pressurization not working correctly. Found lower electrical service door indicated open. Leveled off at 6000 ft MSL, could not get door to seal with either manual or automatic pressurization. Contacted company and entered holding. Given choice of either overweight landing or dumping fuel. Crew elected to make maximum landing 585000 pounds to avoid blowing wheels and tires. Made uneventful landing at anc. Did not declare an emergency but did not change destination of flight plan from osaka, japan, to anchorage. Did not realize this until return to USA on mar/xx/97. When filling out company report forgot flight plan, as we were all trying to figure out landing roll distances when overweight and at what point the fuse plugs in the wheels would melt, only data available was for maximum braking on takeoff at 115 KTS, vref at 700000 pounds would have been 170 KTS. As captain, I consider change of destination a minor point as we stayed in contact with the company operations. They did not remind us of the requirement either. Uneventful landing made. Refueled and continued trip to osaka after east&east door was verified closed and pressurization was checked. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: captain had enough experience on the B747 to know that it wouldn't be pressurizing. They worked together as a flight crew, making the decision to dump fuel, return to land and fix the pressure problem. It all worked well, making a landing at maximum landing weight. Pressure problem was fixed by making sure the electronic compartment door was properly shut. Flight crew then went on to complete their assigned flying to osaka. Flight crew wrote report mainly because they were not sure they had changed destination from osaka back to anc with their company. Supplemental information from acn 362800: flight engineer notice and announced an east&east 'door open' light illuminate. After leveling off at 6000 ft and coordinating a holding pattern with ATC, the appropriate abnormal procedure was followed. Additionally maintenance and company dispatch were notified that we would return to anchorage. The abnormal condition was corrected, the aircraft refueled, and the flight completed as originally planned. After re-evaluating our performance later, we discovered that we failed to obtain an 'artr' (amend release to read) from dispatch for our unscheduled return to anchorage. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: pilot was the PF and stated that CRM was good. All decisions were flight crew decisions and everything worked out well in using the proper procedures. Pilot was more concerned that his company would find fault somewhere in all their decisions. There is much labor and management strife going on in his employment.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-100 UNABLE TO PRESSURIZE AFTER DEP FROM ANC RETURNS TO LAND.

Narrative: ACFT CLBING OUT ON DEP 717400 LBS TKOF GROSS WT, CABIN PRESSURIZATION NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. FOUND LOWER ELECTRICAL SVC DOOR INDICATED OPEN. LEVELED OFF AT 6000 FT MSL, COULD NOT GET DOOR TO SEAL WITH EITHER MANUAL OR AUTOMATIC PRESSURIZATION. CONTACTED COMPANY AND ENTERED HOLDING. GIVEN CHOICE OF EITHER OVERWT LNDG OR DUMPING FUEL. CREW ELECTED TO MAKE MAX LNDG 585000 LBS TO AVOID BLOWING WHEELS AND TIRES. MADE UNEVENTFUL LNDG AT ANC. DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER BUT DID NOT CHANGE DEST OF FLT PLAN FROM OSAKA, JAPAN, TO ANCHORAGE. DID NOT REALIZE THIS UNTIL RETURN TO USA ON MAR/XX/97. WHEN FILLING OUT COMPANY RPT FORGOT FLT PLAN, AS WE WERE ALL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT LNDG ROLL DISTANCES WHEN OVERWT AND AT WHAT POINT THE FUSE PLUGS IN THE WHEELS WOULD MELT, ONLY DATA AVAILABLE WAS FOR MAX BRAKING ON TKOF AT 115 KTS, VREF AT 700000 LBS WOULD HAVE BEEN 170 KTS. AS CAPT, I CONSIDER CHANGE OF DEST A MINOR POINT AS WE STAYED IN CONTACT WITH THE COMPANY OPS. THEY DID NOT REMIND US OF THE REQUIREMENT EITHER. UNEVENTFUL LNDG MADE. REFUELED AND CONTINUED TRIP TO OSAKA AFTER E&E DOOR WAS VERIFIED CLOSED AND PRESSURIZATION WAS CHKED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CAPT HAD ENOUGH EXPERIENCE ON THE B747 TO KNOW THAT IT WOULDN'T BE PRESSURIZING. THEY WORKED TOGETHER AS A FLC, MAKING THE DECISION TO DUMP FUEL, RETURN TO LAND AND FIX THE PRESSURE PROB. IT ALL WORKED WELL, MAKING A LNDG AT MAX LNDG WT. PRESSURE PROB WAS FIXED BY MAKING SURE THE ELECTRONIC COMPARTMENT DOOR WAS PROPERLY SHUT. FLC THEN WENT ON TO COMPLETE THEIR ASSIGNED FLYING TO OSAKA. FLC WROTE RPT MAINLY BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT SURE THEY HAD CHANGED DEST FROM OSAKA BACK TO ANC WITH THEIR COMPANY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 362800: FE NOTICE AND ANNOUNCED AN E&E 'DOOR OPEN' LIGHT ILLUMINATE. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT 6000 FT AND COORDINATING A HOLDING PATTERN WITH ATC, THE APPROPRIATE ABNORMAL PROC WAS FOLLOWED. ADDITIONALLY MAINT AND COMPANY DISPATCH WERE NOTIFIED THAT WE WOULD RETURN TO ANCHORAGE. THE ABNORMAL CONDITION WAS CORRECTED, THE ACFT REFUELED, AND THE FLT COMPLETED AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED. AFTER RE-EVALUATING OUR PERFORMANCE LATER, WE DISCOVERED THAT WE FAILED TO OBTAIN AN 'ARTR' (AMEND RELEASE TO READ) FROM DISPATCH FOR OUR UNSCHEDULED RETURN TO ANCHORAGE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT WAS THE PF AND STATED THAT CRM WAS GOOD. ALL DECISIONS WERE FLC DECISIONS AND EVERYTHING WORKED OUT WELL IN USING THE PROPER PROCS. PLT WAS MORE CONCERNED THAT HIS COMPANY WOULD FIND FAULT SOMEWHERE IN ALL THEIR DECISIONS. THERE IS MUCH LABOR AND MGMNT STRIFE GOING ON IN HIS EMPLOYMENT.

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.