Narrative:

Doing an origination preflight in psp, the DFGC2 failed the autoland test. The captain then noticed that the altitude window on the flight guidance control panel was blank with all other displays ok. While he got into the books, I checked the circuit breakers and found the dfgc switch 'a' circuit breaker out. I tried to reset it and it would not reset. We looked up altitude alerting in the MEL and it said it was crew placardable as long as the autoplt was ok. There was no indication of an autoplt malfunction. We also checked under dfgc's and we could find nothing illegal about our situation in that section. The captain asked me to call operations for maintenance, then told me not to. He asked me if I had a problem with going like this and I said that as long as we were legal I was ok with it, and then we briefly discussed how the loss of altitude setting and capture had to be handled in-flight by manually leveling off, then using altitude hold. Pushing back after starting left engine, I was doing the annunciator lights check and noticed that the yaw damper off light and the mach trim off light were illuminated. The captain acknowledged this and said 'turning right' and commenced to start the right engine. Since it was clear he intended to go and I was busy trying to keep up with the engine start, checklists, etc, I did not ask him what the MEL had to say about these lights. As we rolled into position for takeoff, I called for autothrottles on at 1.4 EPR and they would not engage. We took off and found that the autoplt would not remain engaged. Some of the flight guidance control panel functions worked ok, some didn't. I entirely hand flew the aircraft to dfw without incident. The aircraft went OTS in dfw.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD SUPER 80 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH AUTOPLT, MACH TRIM, YAW DAMPER AND ALT ALERT ALL INOP AND IN CONFLICT WITH THE MEL.

Narrative: DOING AN ORIGINATION PREFLT IN PSP, THE DFGC2 FAILED THE AUTOLAND TEST. THE CAPT THEN NOTICED THAT THE ALT WINDOW ON THE FLT GUIDANCE CTL PANEL WAS BLANK WITH ALL OTHER DISPLAYS OK. WHILE HE GOT INTO THE BOOKS, I CHKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND FOUND THE DFGC SWITCH 'A' CIRCUIT BREAKER OUT. I TRIED TO RESET IT AND IT WOULD NOT RESET. WE LOOKED UP ALT ALERTING IN THE MEL AND IT SAID IT WAS CREW PLACARDABLE AS LONG AS THE AUTOPLT WAS OK. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF AN AUTOPLT MALFUNCTION. WE ALSO CHKED UNDER DFGC'S AND WE COULD FIND NOTHING ILLEGAL ABOUT OUR SIT IN THAT SECTION. THE CAPT ASKED ME TO CALL OPS FOR MAINT, THEN TOLD ME NOT TO. HE ASKED ME IF I HAD A PROB WITH GOING LIKE THIS AND I SAID THAT AS LONG AS WE WERE LEGAL I WAS OK WITH IT, AND THEN WE BRIEFLY DISCUSSED HOW THE LOSS OF ALT SETTING AND CAPTURE HAD TO BE HANDLED INFLT BY MANUALLY LEVELING OFF, THEN USING ALT HOLD. PUSHING BACK AFTER STARTING L ENG, I WAS DOING THE ANNUNCIATOR LIGHTS CHK AND NOTICED THAT THE YAW DAMPER OFF LIGHT AND THE MACH TRIM OFF LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AND SAID 'TURNING R' AND COMMENCED TO START THE R ENG. SINCE IT WAS CLR HE INTENDED TO GO AND I WAS BUSY TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE ENG START, CHKLISTS, ETC, I DID NOT ASK HIM WHAT THE MEL HAD TO SAY ABOUT THESE LIGHTS. AS WE ROLLED INTO POS FOR TKOF, I CALLED FOR AUTOTHROTTLES ON AT 1.4 EPR AND THEY WOULD NOT ENGAGE. WE TOOK OFF AND FOUND THAT THE AUTOPLT WOULD NOT REMAIN ENGAGED. SOME OF THE FLT GUIDANCE CTL PANEL FUNCTIONS WORKED OK, SOME DIDN'T. I ENTIRELY HAND FLEW THE ACFT TO DFW WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ACFT WENT OTS IN DFW.

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.