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Multiple aircraft failures and malfunctions lead to a DC10-10 cargo crew's exhaustion when having to deal with many aircraft maintenance discrepancies during night operations in heat and WX near ZZZ, USA.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 550110 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200206 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | DC-10 10 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 5000 |
| ASRS Report | 550110 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | inflight encounter : weather inflight encounter other other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | other Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Maintenance Human Performance Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance Environmental Factor Company Weather |
| Primary Problem | Company |
Narrative:
I fly for an overnight express cargo company. Due to lack of maintenance, we flew multiple consecutive legs in an aircraft with no internal navigation, no TCASII, no autoplts, and no APU. The lack of an APU and adequate ground cooling, caused extreme discomfort when sitting in an oven-like cockpit when on the ground (in hot WX). Having to then hand-fly, using only VOR navigation, in WX, at night, after minimal daytime sleep, was extremely unsafe. The vors in our aircraft are notoriously unreliable, with the CDI constantly swinging slowly from side-to-side. Any one of a number of factors could have helped alleviate this accident-waiting-to-happen: 1) provide INS in all aircraft. 2) provide TCASII. 3) repair autoplts (at least 1 of the 2). 4) repair the APU for ground cooling, or dispatch aircraft to cooler climate. 5) repair VOR receivers. 6) rotate aircraft or crews to eliminate multiple days of intense fatigue. 7) dispatch aircraft to VFR cities only.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: MULTIPLE ACFT FAILURES AND MALFUNCTIONS LEAD TO A DC10-10 CARGO CREW'S EXHAUSTION WHEN HAVING TO DEAL WITH MANY ACFT MAINT DISCREPANCIES DURING NIGHT OPS IN HEAT AND WX NEAR ZZZ, USA.
Narrative: I FLY FOR AN OVERNIGHT EXPRESS CARGO COMPANY. DUE TO LACK OF MAINT, WE FLEW MULTIPLE CONSECUTIVE LEGS IN AN ACFT WITH NO INTERNAL NAV, NO TCASII, NO AUTOPLTS, AND NO APU. THE LACK OF AN APU AND ADEQUATE GND COOLING, CAUSED EXTREME DISCOMFORT WHEN SITTING IN AN OVEN-LIKE COCKPIT WHEN ON THE GND (IN HOT WX). HAVING TO THEN HAND-FLY, USING ONLY VOR NAV, IN WX, AT NIGHT, AFTER MINIMAL DAYTIME SLEEP, WAS EXTREMELY UNSAFE. THE VORS IN OUR ACFT ARE NOTORIOUSLY UNRELIABLE, WITH THE CDI CONSTANTLY SWINGING SLOWLY FROM SIDE-TO-SIDE. ANY ONE OF A NUMBER OF FACTORS COULD HAVE HELPED ALLEVIATE THIS ACCIDENT-WAITING-TO-HAPPEN: 1) PROVIDE INS IN ALL ACFT. 2) PROVIDE TCASII. 3) REPAIR AUTOPLTS (AT LEAST 1 OF THE 2). 4) REPAIR THE APU FOR GND COOLING, OR DISPATCH ACFT TO COOLER CLIMATE. 5) REPAIR VOR RECEIVERS. 6) ROTATE ACFT OR CREWS TO ELIMINATE MULTIPLE DAYS OF INTENSE FATIGUE. 7) DISPATCH ACFT TO VFR CITIES ONLY.
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.