Narrative:

Instrument malfunction autoplt abnormality. Clear of clouds, FL350, econ cruise 'mach .78,' smooth air. The first officer was flying this leg when 30 NM northeast of lefko intersection on green 26 proceeding direct to redfin, jax center cleared us direct remis for a warning area had gone active. At approximately xa:44 ene of remiss we encountered the event. First thing I noticed was the amber autoplt and automatic throttle EICAS message and audible alert for a disconnect. We also noticed solid yellow lines that went through all flight management control data on both captain and first officer ADI's and HSI's. I looked at the top EICAS engine instrument and noted no N1 or egt digital readouts, only white circles remained. Lower EICAS reflected the same. No digital information for N2, ff, oil pressure, oil temperature, oil quantity, vib. Both CDU's were blank. An immediate check of the electrical panel indicated no malfunctions, a test of indicator lights revealed no burned out lights. Center autoplt was engaged and showing panel active with normal indications. Standby ADI indicated we were starting a left bank. With warning of autoplt and automatic throttle disconnect I grabbed the yoke and hit the autoplt disconnect switch and directed the first officer to fly. He maintained level flight and stated that the autoplt was still engaged. I attempted to disengage the autoplt with the disengage bar by pulling it down and waiting. The white autoplt cmd light remained on. I went back to the yoke and again hit the disconnect and felt the yoke pressure the first officer was holding. I called ATC and advised we were having some kind of an electrical anomaly. Just after the call to ATC the autoplt disengaged and the white cmd light went out and all systems returned to normal operations. I directed the flight attendant 1 to search the aircraft for unauthorized electronic equipment being used. I then reported to ATC that operations were normal. The event lasted approximately 45 seconds. I questioned ATC reference military activity in the area which may have affected our equipment. Dispatcher was called. Flight attendant 1 reported a cell phone was in use by passenger. I directed flight attendant 1 to have it turned off and confiscated to me. Passenger stated it was a new phone by at&T, model siemens CEO168, he was installing new phone numbers in data bank and not talking on phone. Maintenance was called and stated the aircraft had no previous history of this type of event. One area of concern was a potable water tank gauge quantity problem. The first officer and I completed a complete systems check concluding operations normal. With passenger's cell phone off and in my possession the first officer and I agreed with dispatcher to continue the flight with caveat that should any other similar event occur we would land as soon as possible. The first officer and I noted no recall EICAS or status history. From navigation point remiss we proceeded uneventfully to sfo. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the aircraft had just been vectored to clear a military area over the gulf of mexico at the time of the incident. Even though there was some suspicion that there may have been a military activity that could have caused the problem this could not be determined. The cell phone that was on at the same time is reported to be a powerful new type in the search mode. The location of the phone during the incident was the cabin at seat row X which is roughly above the electronics area. During the failure the standby engine instruments activated. In maintenance follow up action it was thought that a voltage spike off the left generator control could have been a possible cause. There was reported to have been five different 'black box' components replaced during maintenance. The digital recorder was read and it verified the failures occurred as reported by the crew. During the course of the failures there were no status or alert messages displayed and none were able to be recalled after the fact. The reporter reiterated again that the total time of the incident was no more than 1.5 mins.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767 HAS MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS INCLUDING LOSS OF ENG AND FLT INSTRUMENTS AS WELL AS CTL OF AUTO FLT SYSTEMS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME DURING CRUISE FLT.

Narrative: INSTRUMENT MALFUNCTION AUTOPLT ABNORMALITY. CLR OF CLOUDS, FL350, ECON CRUISE 'MACH .78,' SMOOTH AIR. THE FO WAS FLYING THIS LEG WHEN 30 NM NE OF LEFKO INTXN ON GREEN 26 PROCEEDING DIRECT TO REDFIN, JAX CENTER CLRED US DIRECT REMIS FOR A WARNING AREA HAD GONE ACTIVE. AT APPROX XA:44 ENE OF REMISS WE ENCOUNTERED THE EVENT. FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS THE AMBER AUTOPLT AND AUTO THROTTLE EICAS MSG AND AUDIBLE ALERT FOR A DISCONNECT. WE ALSO NOTICED SOLID YELLOW LINES THAT WENT THROUGH ALL FLT MGMNT CTL DATA ON BOTH CAPT AND FO ADI'S AND HSI'S. I LOOKED AT THE TOP EICAS ENG INSTRUMENT AND NOTED NO N1 OR EGT DIGITAL READOUTS, ONLY WHITE CIRCLES REMAINED. LOWER EICAS REFLECTED THE SAME. NO DIGITAL INFO FOR N2, FF, OIL PRESSURE, OIL TEMP, OIL QUANTITY, VIB. BOTH CDU'S WERE BLANK. AN IMMEDIATE CHK OF THE ELECTRICAL PANEL INDICATED NO MALFUNCTIONS, A TEST OF INDICATOR LIGHTS REVEALED NO BURNED OUT LIGHTS. CENTER AUTOPLT WAS ENGAGED AND SHOWING PANEL ACTIVE WITH NORMAL INDICATIONS. STANDBY ADI INDICATED WE WERE STARTING A LEFT BANK. WITH WARNING OF AUTOPLT AND AUTO THROTTLE DISCONNECT I GRABBED THE YOKE AND HIT THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECT SWITCH AND DIRECTED THE FO TO FLY. HE MAINTAINED LEVEL FLT AND STATED THAT THE AUTOPLT WAS STILL ENGAGED. I ATTEMPTED TO DISENGAGE THE AUTOPLT WITH THE DISENGAGE BAR BY PULLING IT DOWN AND WAITING. THE WHITE AUTOPLT CMD LIGHT REMAINED ON. I WENT BACK TO THE YOKE AND AGAIN HIT THE DISCONNECT AND FELT THE YOKE PRESSURE THE FO WAS HOLDING. I CALLED ATC AND ADVISED WE WERE HAVING SOME KIND OF AN ELECTRICAL ANOMALY. JUST AFTER THE CALL TO ATC THE AUTOPLT DISENGAGED AND THE WHITE CMD LIGHT WENT OUT AND ALL SYSTEMS RETURNED TO NORMAL OPS. I DIRECTED THE FA 1 TO SEARCH THE ACFT FOR UNAUTHORIZED ELECTRONIC EQUIP BEING USED. I THEN RPTED TO ATC THAT OPS WERE NORMAL. THE EVENT LASTED APPROX 45 SECS. I QUESTIONED ATC REFERENCE MILITARY ACTIVITY IN THE AREA WHICH MAY HAVE AFFECTED OUR EQUIP. DISPATCHER WAS CALLED. FA 1 RPTED A CELL PHONE WAS IN USE BY PAX. I DIRECTED FA 1 TO HAVE IT TURNED OFF AND CONFISCATED TO ME. PAX STATED IT WAS A NEW PHONE BY AT&T, MODEL SIEMENS CEO168, HE WAS INSTALLING NEW PHONE NUMBERS IN DATA BANK AND NOT TALKING ON PHONE. MAINT WAS CALLED AND STATED THE ACFT HAD NO PREVIOUS HISTORY OF THIS TYPE OF EVENT. ONE AREA OF CONCERN WAS A POTABLE WATER TANK GAUGE QUANTITY PROB. THE FO AND I COMPLETED A COMPLETE SYSTEMS CHK CONCLUDING OPS NORMAL. WITH PASSENGER'S CELL PHONE OFF AND IN MY POSSESSION THE FO AND I AGREED WITH DISPATCHER TO CONTINUE THE FLT WITH CAVEAT THAT SHOULD ANY OTHER SIMILAR EVENT OCCUR WE WOULD LAND ASAP. THE FO AND I NOTED NO RECALL EICAS OR STATUS HISTORY. FROM NAVIGATION POINT REMISS WE PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY TO SFO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACFT HAD JUST BEEN VECTORED TO CLR A MILITARY AREA OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS SOME SUSPICION THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A MILITARY ACTIVITY THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE PROB THIS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE CELL PHONE THAT WAS ON AT THE SAME TIME IS RPTED TO BE A POWERFUL NEW TYPE IN THE SEARCH MODE. THE LOCATION OF THE PHONE DURING THE INCIDENT WAS THE CABIN AT SEAT ROW X WHICH IS ROUGHLY ABOVE THE ELECTRONICS AREA. DURING THE FAILURE THE STANDBY ENG INSTRUMENTS ACTIVATED. IN MAINT FOLLOW UP ACTION IT WAS THOUGHT THAT A VOLTAGE SPIKE OFF THE LEFT GENERATOR CTL COULD HAVE BEEN A POSSIBLE CAUSE. THERE WAS RPTED TO HAVE BEEN FIVE DIFFERENT 'BLACK BOX' COMPONENTS REPLACED DURING MAINT. THE DIGITAL RECORDER WAS READ AND IT VERIFIED THE FAILURES OCCURRED AS RPTED BY THE CREW. DURING THE COURSE OF THE FAILURES THERE WERE NO STATUS OR ALERT MESSAGES DISPLAYED AND NONE WERE ABLE TO BE RECALLED AFTER THE FACT. THE RPTR REITERATED AGAIN THAT THE TOTAL TIME OF THE INCIDENT WAS NO MORE THAN 1.5 MINS.

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.