Narrative:

Descending out of FL180, the hydraulic pumps were switched from low to high pressure. Pressures and quantities appeared normal. Descended to 11000 ft MSL, slowed to 210 KTS approaching dietz intersection. As the aircraft slowed, the first officer noted fluctuations in the right hydraulic pressure. Given a descent to 6000 ft MSL. First officer brought the pressure fluctuations to my attention and noted the right hydraulic quantity decreasing. It was approximately 4 quarts. I directed him to do the loss of right hydraulic system checklist and I took the radios in addition to flying the airplane. As he went through the checklists, I told approach we had hydraulic problems, but were not declaring an emergency. I requested a 15 mi final and we continued the descent. The first officer pointed out to me that although the checklist led us to pump the landing gear down manually, if we extended them normally while we still had pressure, the main gear doors would retract normally after gear extension, lessening aircraft damage. We still had a quantity indicated and pressure indicated on the right system and I concurred with this assessment, so I called for landing gear extension. The main gear normally takes longer than the nose, but in this case the main gear came down immediately and the nose gear came down slowly. All gave down and locked indications and the gear doors gave up and closed indications. I continued to descend and slowed to 200 KIAS. The first officer continued through the checklists and moved on to the landing checklist. We briefly discussed the need to pin the gear prior to taxi and the restr nose gear steering. At that point, I realized we would have to stop on the runway and declared the emergency. I flew at 140 KTS until over the runway, then pulled the throttles to idle and landed. We stopped on the runway and coordination with tower, crash fire rescue equipment and company maintenance to get the aircraft pinned and towed to the gate. We shut the engine driven pump down on the runway after landing. We then shut down the right engine, waited for maintenance and were pinned and towed to the gate. We were in VFR WX and in sight of the runways from the time the right system went out until landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF MD80 EXPERIENCE R HYD SYS FAILURE ON APCH TO DFW. FOLLOW APPROPRIATE EMER PROC CHKLIST, DECLARE EMER AND LAND SAFELY. TOWED FROM RWY.

Narrative: DSNDING OUT OF FL180, THE HYD PUMPS WERE SWITCHED FROM LOW TO HIGH PRESSURE. PRESSURES AND QUANTITIES APPEARED NORMAL. DSNDED TO 11000 FT MSL, SLOWED TO 210 KTS APCHING DIETZ INTXN. AS THE ACFT SLOWED, THE FO NOTED FLUCTUATIONS IN THE R HYD PRESSURE. GIVEN A DSCNT TO 6000 FT MSL. FO BROUGHT THE PRESSURE FLUCTUATIONS TO MY ATTN AND NOTED THE R HYD QUANTITY DECREASING. IT WAS APPROX 4 QUARTS. I DIRECTED HIM TO DO THE LOSS OF R HYD SYS CHKLIST AND I TOOK THE RADIOS IN ADDITION TO FLYING THE AIRPLANE. AS HE WENT THROUGH THE CHKLISTS, I TOLD APCH WE HAD HYD PROBS, BUT WERE NOT DECLARING AN EMER. I REQUESTED A 15 MI FINAL AND WE CONTINUED THE DSCNT. THE FO POINTED OUT TO ME THAT ALTHOUGH THE CHKLIST LED US TO PUMP THE LNDG GEAR DOWN MANUALLY, IF WE EXTENDED THEM NORMALLY WHILE WE STILL HAD PRESSURE, THE MAIN GEAR DOORS WOULD RETRACT NORMALLY AFTER GEAR EXTENSION, LESSENING ACFT DAMAGE. WE STILL HAD A QUANTITY INDICATED AND PRESSURE INDICATED ON THE R SYS AND I CONCURRED WITH THIS ASSESSMENT, SO I CALLED FOR LNDG GEAR EXTENSION. THE MAIN GEAR NORMALLY TAKES LONGER THAN THE NOSE, BUT IN THIS CASE THE MAIN GEAR CAME DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND THE NOSE GEAR CAME DOWN SLOWLY. ALL GAVE DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATIONS AND THE GEAR DOORS GAVE UP AND CLOSED INDICATIONS. I CONTINUED TO DSND AND SLOWED TO 200 KIAS. THE FO CONTINUED THROUGH THE CHKLISTS AND MOVED ON TO THE LNDG CHKLIST. WE BRIEFLY DISCUSSED THE NEED TO PIN THE GEAR PRIOR TO TAXI AND THE RESTR NOSE GEAR STEERING. AT THAT POINT, I REALIZED WE WOULD HAVE TO STOP ON THE RWY AND DECLARED THE EMER. I FLEW AT 140 KTS UNTIL OVER THE RWY, THEN PULLED THE THROTTLES TO IDLE AND LANDED. WE STOPPED ON THE RWY AND COORD WITH TWR, CFR AND COMPANY MAINT TO GET THE ACFT PINNED AND TOWED TO THE GATE. WE SHUT THE ENG DRIVEN PUMP DOWN ON THE RWY AFTER LNDG. WE THEN SHUT DOWN THE R ENG, WAITED FOR MAINT AND WERE PINNED AND TOWED TO THE GATE. WE WERE IN VFR WX AND IN SIGHT OF THE RWYS FROM THE TIME THE R SYS WENT OUT UNTIL LNDG.

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.