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A321 flight crew experiences oscillating rolls to the left and right during approach to pit.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 600763 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200311 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : pit.airport |
| State Reference | PA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 200 agl bound upper : 400 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : pit.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | A321 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | ils localizer only : 28l |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach |
| Route In Use | approach : instrument precision |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 1858 flight time type : 880 |
| ASRS Report | 600763 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 3000 |
| ASRS Report | 600944 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical inflight encounter : weather other anomaly |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : took evasive action flight crew : executed go around |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Weather Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
Narrative:
This was about 4 1/2 hours after cold front passage into pit. On descent below 12000 ft we had both engine and wing heat on. First officer flew a coupled approach to runway 28L. Just inside the FAF, I secured the wing heat as we were now in VMC. I called out vref +20 KTS at 500 ft with aircraft stabilized in breezy conditions. About 400 ft, the left wing dipped down, followed by a roll to the right. The first officer disconnected the autoplt and the aircraft continued to roll back and forth. By 200 ft, the decision was made to go around. As soon as the thrust came up to toga, the aircraft flew normally. The go around was flown normally and we decided to fly the next approach at confign 3 versus full flaps that we had just done. At first we flew the confign full because it was a windy evening, but no reports of windshear were heard by us. We received no windshear cautions or warnings by the aircraft windshear prediction and detection system (second approach and landing normal). We have a confign 3 policy with moderate to severe icing. We had about 1/4 inch of mixed icing on the first approach which I would call light to moderate. I believe the rolls may have been caused by a combination of wind and light to moderate icing and will use only confign 3 in the future with similar conditions.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A321 FLT CREW EXPERIENCES OSCILLATING ROLLS TO THE L AND R DURING APCH TO PIT.
Narrative: THIS WAS ABOUT 4 1/2 HRS AFTER COLD FRONT PASSAGE INTO PIT. ON DSCNT BELOW 12000 FT WE HAD BOTH ENG AND WING HEAT ON. FO FLEW A COUPLED APCH TO RWY 28L. JUST INSIDE THE FAF, I SECURED THE WING HEAT AS WE WERE NOW IN VMC. I CALLED OUT VREF +20 KTS AT 500 FT WITH ACFT STABILIZED IN BREEZY CONDITIONS. ABOUT 400 FT, THE L WING DIPPED DOWN, FOLLOWED BY A ROLL TO THE R. THE FO DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND THE ACFT CONTINUED TO ROLL BACK AND FORTH. BY 200 FT, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO GO AROUND. AS SOON AS THE THRUST CAME UP TO TOGA, THE ACFT FLEW NORMALLY. THE GAR WAS FLOWN NORMALLY AND WE DECIDED TO FLY THE NEXT APCH AT CONFIGN 3 VERSUS FULL FLAPS THAT WE HAD JUST DONE. AT FIRST WE FLEW THE CONFIGN FULL BECAUSE IT WAS A WINDY EVENING, BUT NO RPTS OF WINDSHEAR WERE HEARD BY US. WE RECEIVED NO WINDSHEAR CAUTIONS OR WARNINGS BY THE ACFT WINDSHEAR PREDICTION AND DETECTION SYS (SECOND APCH AND LNDG NORMAL). WE HAVE A CONFIGN 3 POLICY WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE ICING. WE HAD ABOUT 1/4 INCH OF MIXED ICING ON THE FIRST APCH WHICH I WOULD CALL LIGHT TO MODERATE. I BELIEVE THE ROLLS MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A COMBINATION OF WIND AND LIGHT TO MODERATE ICING AND WILL USE ONLY CONFIGN 3 IN THE FUTURE WITH SIMILAR CONDITIONS.
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.