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MD80S aircraft preflight. Reporter captain noticed write-ups on windshield heat, felt the window and it was not as warm as other 2. Maintenance notified who said the window had been replaced causing it to heat slower. Reporter accepted aircraft and departed to find en route the window was cold and apparently wrote it up also. After 6 write-ups reporter says a pilot finally encountered icing and was unable to see out the window.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 363106 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199702 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : dfw |
| State Reference | TX |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : eri |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | MD-80 Super 80 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other |
| Flight Phase | ground : preflight |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| ASRS Report | 363106 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
After arriving at the aircraft for flight, I turned on windshield heat and performed my normal preflight procedure. After reviewing the logbook, I noticed several write-ups on windshield heat on the captain side. Therefore, I checked my windshield and noted the center and first officer windows both felt noticeably warmer. Maintenance was notified and the first mechanic who came out checked the windshield on the outside and said it was warm but not hot like the other side. Then another 3 mechanics showed up and 1 of them I believe was a supervisor. He began to review the logbook and then turned to ask me what made me think there was anything wrong with the window heat when it had not been written up by any other pilot in the last 5 days. My response was that there are no warning lights and we normally do not check windshield heat en route. The mechanic then went on to explain that a new windshield, which had been installed in order to try and fix this problem previously, was the reason why it heated up so slowly. Well, as no surprise to me, after we were on our way to smf, the window became colder and colder and was unable to maintain normal operating temperature en route. Unfortunately we were now looking at fixing the problem at an out station or MEL the windshield heat, which does not allow flight into icing conditions. However, we were lucky the icing conditions which dfw had experienced all morning was not a factor in canceling flight back to dfw. Unfortunately if you look on forward to flight X in march you will find that a pilot finally encountered icing conditions and was unable to see out his window. What I would like to know is, why the mechanics were unable to fix the problem with over 6 write-ups, and more importantly, if it requires a change in procedure, operation, or modification of the aircraft. Thanks for your time and consideration.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: MD80S ACFT PREFLT. RPTR CAPT NOTICED WRITE-UPS ON WINDSHIELD HEAT, FELT THE WINDOW AND IT WAS NOT AS WARM AS OTHER 2. MAINT NOTIFIED WHO SAID THE WINDOW HAD BEEN REPLACED CAUSING IT TO HEAT SLOWER. RPTR ACCEPTED ACFT AND DEPARTED TO FIND ENRTE THE WINDOW WAS COLD AND APPARENTLY WROTE IT UP ALSO. AFTER 6 WRITE-UPS RPTR SAYS A PLT FINALLY ENCOUNTERED ICING AND WAS UNABLE TO SEE OUT THE WINDOW.
Narrative: AFTER ARRIVING AT THE ACFT FOR FLT, I TURNED ON WINDSHIELD HEAT AND PERFORMED MY NORMAL PREFLT PROC. AFTER REVIEWING THE LOGBOOK, I NOTICED SEVERAL WRITE-UPS ON WINDSHIELD HEAT ON THE CAPT SIDE. THEREFORE, I CHKED MY WINDSHIELD AND NOTED THE CTR AND FO WINDOWS BOTH FELT NOTICEABLY WARMER. MAINT WAS NOTIFIED AND THE FIRST MECH WHO CAME OUT CHKED THE WINDSHIELD ON THE OUTSIDE AND SAID IT WAS WARM BUT NOT HOT LIKE THE OTHER SIDE. THEN ANOTHER 3 MECHS SHOWED UP AND 1 OF THEM I BELIEVE WAS A SUPVR. HE BEGAN TO REVIEW THE LOGBOOK AND THEN TURNED TO ASK ME WHAT MADE ME THINK THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE WINDOW HEAT WHEN IT HAD NOT BEEN WRITTEN UP BY ANY OTHER PLT IN THE LAST 5 DAYS. MY RESPONSE WAS THAT THERE ARE NO WARNING LIGHTS AND WE NORMALLY DO NOT CHK WINDSHIELD HEAT ENRTE. THE MECH THEN WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT A NEW WINDSHIELD, WHICH HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN ORDER TO TRY AND FIX THIS PROB PREVIOUSLY, WAS THE REASON WHY IT HEATED UP SO SLOWLY. WELL, AS NO SURPRISE TO ME, AFTER WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO SMF, THE WINDOW BECAME COLDER AND COLDER AND WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN NORMAL OPERATING TEMP ENRTE. UNFORTUNATELY WE WERE NOW LOOKING AT FIXING THE PROB AT AN OUT STATION OR MEL THE WINDSHIELD HEAT, WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW FLT INTO ICING CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, WE WERE LUCKY THE ICING CONDITIONS WHICH DFW HAD EXPERIENCED ALL MORNING WAS NOT A FACTOR IN CANCELING FLT BACK TO DFW. UNFORTUNATELY IF YOU LOOK ON FORWARD TO FLT X IN MARCH YOU WILL FIND THAT A PLT FINALLY ENCOUNTERED ICING CONDITIONS AND WAS UNABLE TO SEE OUT HIS WINDOW. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS, WHY THE MECHS WERE UNABLE TO FIX THE PROB WITH OVER 6 WRITE-UPS, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IF IT REQUIRES A CHANGE IN PROC, OP, OR MODIFICATION OF THE ACFT. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.
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.