Narrative:

Upon my arrival at the aircraft in ZZZ maintenance personnel were busy trying to troubleshoot why APU would not start as mechanic stated he was unable to correct the problem and that he would pass information of what he had attempted/accomplished to his shift supervisor for action when the plane returned from the turn to sat. The APU control circuit breaker was pulled and collared and the item deferred in the maintenance log. On approach to sat I noted that the aircraft required an inordinate amount of extra thrust to sustain speed and altitude when turning to intersection ILS final at sat. The short time on the ground at sat may have caused the first officer to miss that the APU ram air door was in the open position. The crew chief reported the right nose tire was scuffed and treadless compared to the other nose tire, which accounted for the shimmy felt on departure at ZZZ. Equipment rescheduled out of ZZZ for 3RD leg, and night fall may have caused the maintenance representatives at ZZZ to not look at the APU write-up and again the first officer may have missed seeing the deployed APU ram air intake nor notice the power increase as we were vectored close abeam for a runway 13 visual approach. The open APU ram air door was noted on arrival at lga. I had little time in between flts to make a walkaround and trusted the mechanics to dispatch us in the correct door confign from ZZZ on either leg considering that we had to have an air cart to start engines and positive control area to keep the plane cool, all of which had to be plugged in under the tail of the aircraft in the vicinity of the APU inlet doors. Did all of these folks miss the deployed ram inlet door?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 MECHS THAT MELED THE APU INOP DID NOT CLOSE AND DEACTIVATE THE APU RAM INLET DOOR CLOSED.

Narrative: UPON MY ARR AT THE ACFT IN ZZZ MAINT PERSONNEL WERE BUSY TRYING TO TROUBLESHOOT WHY APU WOULD NOT START AS MECH STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT THE PROB AND THAT HE WOULD PASS INFO OF WHAT HE HAD ATTEMPTED/ACCOMPLISHED TO HIS SHIFT SUPVR FOR ACTION WHEN THE PLANE RETURNED FROM THE TURN TO SAT. THE APU CTL CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS PULLED AND COLLARED AND THE ITEM DEFERRED IN THE MAINT LOG. ON APCH TO SAT I NOTED THAT THE ACFT REQUIRED AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF EXTRA THRUST TO SUSTAIN SPD AND ALT WHEN TURNING TO INTXN ILS FINAL AT SAT. THE SHORT TIME ON THE GND AT SAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FO TO MISS THAT THE APU RAM AIR DOOR WAS IN THE OPEN POS. THE CREW CHIEF RPTED THE R NOSE TIRE WAS SCUFFED AND TREADLESS COMPARED TO THE OTHER NOSE TIRE, WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR THE SHIMMY FELT ON DEP AT ZZZ. EQUIP RESCHEDULED OUT OF ZZZ FOR 3RD LEG, AND NIGHT FALL MAY HAVE CAUSED THE MAINT REPRESENTATIVES AT ZZZ TO NOT LOOK AT THE APU WRITE-UP AND AGAIN THE FO MAY HAVE MISSED SEEING THE DEPLOYED APU RAM AIR INTAKE NOR NOTICE THE PWR INCREASE AS WE WERE VECTORED CLOSE ABEAM FOR A RWY 13 VISUAL APCH. THE OPEN APU RAM AIR DOOR WAS NOTED ON ARR AT LGA. I HAD LITTLE TIME IN BTWN FLTS TO MAKE A WALKAROUND AND TRUSTED THE MECHS TO DISPATCH US IN THE CORRECT DOOR CONFIGN FROM ZZZ ON EITHER LEG CONSIDERING THAT WE HAD TO HAVE AN AIR CART TO START ENGS AND PCA TO KEEP THE PLANE COOL, ALL OF WHICH HAD TO BE PLUGGED IN UNDER THE TAIL OF THE ACFT IN THE VICINITY OF THE APU INLET DOORS. DID ALL OF THESE FOLKS MISS THE DEPLOYED RAM INLET DOOR?

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.