 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Multiple autoflt failures provide distraction resulting in a track deviation during an air carrier B737-800 operation.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 533205 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200112 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : mia.airport |
| State Reference | FL |
| Altitude | msl bound upper : 24000 |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zma.artcc tracon : mia.tracon tower : mia.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B737-800 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | other |
| Route In Use | arrival : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| ASRS Report | 533205 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other other spatial deviation |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : warning flags/ aural warning |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
Descending through FL240 on heat arrival we lost both autoplts, both flight directors, the captain's CDI on navigation display, all altitude warnings and presets, and all airspeed and altitude command, set functions. While we troubleshot the problem, I drifted slightly off course due to inattention to high xwinds at altitudes, no excuse, just my reason why. Notified ATC of the loss of our equipment in detail and requested and received radar vectors to final. Landed uneventfully. Our magic B737 was basically a C152 with an ILS. This would have been a challenge at night. Amazing how much we rely on our command bugs and altitude set window. Altitude alert sounded continuously until landing. Very distracting. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: there has been no feedback from maintenance at this point as to the cause of the failure. The failures made use of any autoflt system unavailable. The return to a basic raw data display with distracting improper flight guidance displays that must be ignored were difficult to deal with. This was compounded by the reporter's lack of recent currency in the aircraft caused by a major cutback in flying at his airline.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: MULTIPLE AUTOFLT FAILURES PROVIDE DISTR RESULTING IN A TRACK DEV DURING AN ACR B737-800 OP.
Narrative: DSNDING THROUGH FL240 ON HEAT ARR WE LOST BOTH AUTOPLTS, BOTH FLT DIRECTORS, THE CAPT'S CDI ON NAV DISPLAY, ALL ALT WARNINGS AND PRESETS, AND ALL AIRSPD AND ALT COMMAND, SET FUNCTIONS. WHILE WE TROUBLESHOT THE PROB, I DRIFTED SLIGHTLY OFF COURSE DUE TO INATTENTION TO HIGH XWINDS AT ALTS, NO EXCUSE, JUST MY REASON WHY. NOTIFIED ATC OF THE LOSS OF OUR EQUIP IN DETAIL AND REQUESTED AND RECEIVED RADAR VECTORS TO FINAL. LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. OUR MAGIC B737 WAS BASICALLY A C152 WITH AN ILS. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A CHALLENGE AT NIGHT. AMAZING HOW MUCH WE RELY ON OUR COMMAND BUGS AND ALT SET WINDOW. ALT ALERT SOUNDED CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL LNDG. VERY DISTRACTING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THERE HAS BEEN NO FEEDBACK FROM MAINT AT THIS POINT AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURES MADE USE OF ANY AUTOFLT SYS UNAVAILABLE. THE RETURN TO A BASIC RAW DATA DISPLAY WITH DISTRACTING IMPROPER FLT GUIDANCE DISPLAYS THAT MUST BE IGNORED WERE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH. THIS WAS COMPOUNDED BY THE RPTR'S LACK OF RECENT CURRENCY IN THE ACFT CAUSED BY A MAJOR CUTBACK IN FLYING AT HIS AIRLINE.
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.