Narrative:

Prior to pushback maintenance informed us that they were having a problem getting the cargo doors to close and were working on a solution. A few min later we were informed that some wires had come loose in the cargo bin, they had fixed the problem and were able to close the cargo door. We pushed back a few mins behind schedule. Taxi and takeoff were normal but when we raised the gear the left generator failed. Considering we were IFR the captain asked for the APU to be started and once we climbed to a safe altitude, captain called for and I ran the left generator off checklist. The checklist reestablished our left generator but we soon realized the APU did not start. After a couple of more attempts we decided we were uncomfortable continuing under ETOPS with a bad APU and possibly a faulty left generator and an electrical problem that had just been fixed in the cargo compartment. We returned to lax. After coordination with dispatch and maintenance, it was decided best to land 40000 pounds overweight as opposed to burning off the fuel (can't dump from the mains on a B767). We coordinated with dispatch to have the trucks standing by and issued a cabin advisory due to the very slight chance of having hot brakes. Coordinated with ATC to get the longest runway and the captain landed uneventfully. At the gate we were met by many departments and everyone worked to get the flight back underway. Maintenance worked on the APU, the overweight landing procedure and servicing the left idg the cause of the generator malfunction. We pushed back at XA18Z after consulting with maintenance and reviewing the mrd. The mrd called for us to perform an APU start above FL240. Once airborne above FL240 the captain attempted the APU start and it did not start. We 'acarsed' dispatch and asked them to ask maintenance if we should try additional starts. They said yes so we did, still no APU. We again asked dispatch to ask maintenance if there is anything they can suggest we do to get it started. They had no suggestions and said it was up to use if we continued ETOPS or not. Dispatch said that we had to get the APU started to continue. After several attempts the captain tried holding the start switch till the APU started and continued on to hnl. Prior to landing in hnl we had accumulated, I think it was 9 write-ups, mostly cabin items. The APU message to maintenance and a failed first officer symbol generator.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300 EXPERIENCED A L GENERATOR TRIP ON TKOF UNDER ETOPS RULES. THE GENERATOR TRIP WAS RESET, HOWEVER, THE APU WOULD NOT START. FLT RETURNED FOR AN OVERWT LNDG. GENERATOR-IDG SVCED AND APU STARTED ON SUBSEQUENT FLT.

Narrative: PRIOR TO PUSHBACK MAINT INFORMED US THAT THEY WERE HAVING A PROB GETTING THE CARGO DOORS TO CLOSE AND WERE WORKING ON A SOLUTION. A FEW MIN LATER WE WERE INFORMED THAT SOME WIRES HAD COME LOOSE IN THE CARGO BIN, THEY HAD FIXED THE PROB AND WERE ABLE TO CLOSE THE CARGO DOOR. WE PUSHED BACK A FEW MINS BEHIND SCHEDULE. TAXI AND TKOF WERE NORMAL BUT WHEN WE RAISED THE GEAR THE L GENERATOR FAILED. CONSIDERING WE WERE IFR THE CAPT ASKED FOR THE APU TO BE STARTED AND ONCE WE CLBED TO A SAFE ALT, CAPT CALLED FOR AND I RAN THE L GENERATOR OFF CHKLIST. THE CHKLIST REESTABLISHED OUR L GENERATOR BUT WE SOON REALIZED THE APU DID NOT START. AFTER A COUPLE OF MORE ATTEMPTS WE DECIDED WE WERE UNCOMFORTABLE CONTINUING UNDER ETOPS WITH A BAD APU AND POSSIBLY A FAULTY L GENERATOR AND AN ELECTRICAL PROB THAT HAD JUST BEEN FIXED IN THE CARGO COMPARTMENT. WE RETURNED TO LAX. AFTER COORD WITH DISPATCH AND MAINT, IT WAS DECIDED BEST TO LAND 40000 LBS OVERWT AS OPPOSED TO BURNING OFF THE FUEL (CAN'T DUMP FROM THE MAINS ON A B767). WE COORDINATED WITH DISPATCH TO HAVE THE TRUCKS STANDING BY AND ISSUED A CABIN ADVISORY DUE TO THE VERY SLIGHT CHANCE OF HAVING HOT BRAKES. COORDINATED WITH ATC TO GET THE LONGEST RWY AND THE CAPT LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. AT THE GATE WE WERE MET BY MANY DEPTS AND EVERYONE WORKED TO GET THE FLT BACK UNDERWAY. MAINT WORKED ON THE APU, THE OVERWT LNDG PROC AND SVCING THE L IDG THE CAUSE OF THE GENERATOR MALFUNCTION. WE PUSHED BACK AT XA18Z AFTER CONSULTING WITH MAINT AND REVIEWING THE MRD. THE MRD CALLED FOR US TO PERFORM AN APU START ABOVE FL240. ONCE AIRBORNE ABOVE FL240 THE CAPT ATTEMPTED THE APU START AND IT DID NOT START. WE 'ACARSED' DISPATCH AND ASKED THEM TO ASK MAINT IF WE SHOULD TRY ADDITIONAL STARTS. THEY SAID YES SO WE DID, STILL NO APU. WE AGAIN ASKED DISPATCH TO ASK MAINT IF THERE IS ANYTHING THEY CAN SUGGEST WE DO TO GET IT STARTED. THEY HAD NO SUGGESTIONS AND SAID IT WAS UP TO USE IF WE CONTINUED ETOPS OR NOT. DISPATCH SAID THAT WE HAD TO GET THE APU STARTED TO CONTINUE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS THE CAPT TRIED HOLDING THE START SWITCH TILL THE APU STARTED AND CONTINUED ON TO HNL. PRIOR TO LNDG IN HNL WE HAD ACCUMULATED, I THINK IT WAS 9 WRITE-UPS, MOSTLY CABIN ITEMS. THE APU MESSAGE TO MAINT AND A FAILED FO SYMBOL GENERATOR.

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.