Narrative:

We departed a few minutes late from ZZZ. There had been severe WX in the ZZZ area for days and it was still there. During climb out; after the relief pilot left to take his break; we were in heavy rain and massive st elmo's fire; lots of lightning and moderate chop/turbulence. We were climbing through FL270 and doing 270 KTS with the autoplt on. After several minutes of this there was a strong burning smell in the cockpit. I had experienced this before in the 757 during st elmo's fire; but the copilot hadn't. The smell got stronger and then the captain's airspeed indicator indicated about 120 KTS. Then my altimeter failed. I got a flashing 'fast slow' indicator. We then got a 'rudder ratio' and 'mach speed trim' warning on the EICAS. Then more instruments failed. The copilot's airspeed was indicating faster than normal. More electrical instruments seemed to be failing or giving false information on my side and the problem was spreading to the copilot's side. There were more EICAS warnings than we could read. Then the autoplt did a pitch up of over 10 degrees and we got a strong; violent buffet. I disconnected the autoplt. We declared an emergency to return to ZZZ. Problem; radios seemed to have failed. (We later found out the flight attendant tried to call us but couldn't.) on standby instruments; I slowly turned back to ZZZ. There was another extreme buffet and the entire airplane shook. My opinion is that both times autoslats extended or were trying to extend. After repeated calls; the radio started to work. We told ZZZ of our problem and our intention to return. An emergency was officially declared. The copilot was now able to contact the relief pilot and we let him and the flight attendant in the cockpit. During this time; instruments were starting to come back; one by one. The burning smell was also going away. I briefed the flight attendant and the relief pilot took a position to help us. By the time we were established back to ZZZ; all warnings started to go away and everything worked normally. We now had to re-penetrate and deviation through the WX we had just come through. All checklists were done and we landed overweight by about 31000 pounds. By the time of our return; everything worked normally. The landing was extremely smooth on a very wet runway. Fire rescue was standing by and followed us in as a precaution from brake fire or blown tires. There were no problems. We parked at the gate and passenger deplaned and another aircraft was found. It is my understanding (unconfirmed) that maintenance found nothing wrong with the aircraft. The only explanation that I or either copilot can come up with is that there was a massive static buildup/discharge or lightning strike that temporarily knocked out most of our electrical system. There was no loud bang or sound normally associated with a lightning strike or static discharge. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter advised the aircraft received an extensive maintenance inspection based on the possibility of a lightning strike. He does not believe the flight data recorder was pulled or read. He is concerned about the failure to do so because he remains convinced the buffets and pitch-ups noted in the report were the likely result of autoslat deployment acting in response to the inaccurately degraded captain's IAS. He stated that if; in fact; the slats had deployed at the 270 KIAS shown on the standby IAS indicator; the flap/slat extension speed limitation was grossly exceeded and would have required a specific and separate inspection. He feels this may not have risen to the attention of maintenance because his log book write up was a single entry addressing the entire episode rather than the distinct entry for each anomaly. He further stated that he had spoken with another B757-200 flight crew which experienced a nearly identical experience in the same general airspace/WX area the afternoon of the reported flight (which occurred the same day shortly after midnight). The flight was reported to have encountered severe turbulence as well as the electrical anomalies and had to divert to another airport for treatment of injured passenger.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757-200 FLT CREW EXPERIENCES MULTIPLE SYSTEM FAILURES DURING DEP FROM ZZZ IN HEAVY CONVECTIVE CONDITIONS. CREW CONCERNED THAT STANDARD POST LIGHTNING INSPECTION MAY NOT ADEQUATELY CHECK ALL AFFECTED SYSTEMS.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED A FEW MINUTES LATE FROM ZZZ. THERE HAD BEEN SEVERE WX IN THE ZZZ AREA FOR DAYS AND IT WAS STILL THERE. DURING CLB OUT; AFTER THE RELIEF PLT LEFT TO TAKE HIS BREAK; WE WERE IN HEAVY RAIN AND MASSIVE ST ELMO'S FIRE; LOTS OF LIGHTNING AND MODERATE CHOP/TURB. WE WERE CLBING THROUGH FL270 AND DOING 270 KTS WITH THE AUTOPLT ON. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES OF THIS THERE WAS A STRONG BURNING SMELL IN THE COCKPIT. I HAD EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE IN THE 757 DURING ST ELMO'S FIRE; BUT THE COPLT HADN'T. THE SMELL GOT STRONGER AND THEN THE CAPT'S AIRSPD INDICATOR INDICATED ABOUT 120 KTS. THEN MY ALTIMETER FAILED. I GOT A FLASHING 'FAST SLOW' INDICATOR. WE THEN GOT A 'RUDDER RATIO' AND 'MACH SPD TRIM' WARNING ON THE EICAS. THEN MORE INSTRUMENTS FAILED. THE COPLT'S AIRSPD WAS INDICATING FASTER THAN NORMAL. MORE ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS SEEMED TO BE FAILING OR GIVING FALSE INFO ON MY SIDE AND THE PROB WAS SPREADING TO THE COPLT'S SIDE. THERE WERE MORE EICAS WARNINGS THAN WE COULD READ. THEN THE AUTOPLT DID A PITCH UP OF OVER 10 DEGS AND WE GOT A STRONG; VIOLENT BUFFET. I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT. WE DECLARED AN EMER TO RETURN TO ZZZ. PROB; RADIOS SEEMED TO HAVE FAILED. (WE LATER FOUND OUT THE FLT ATTENDANT TRIED TO CALL US BUT COULDN'T.) ON STANDBY INSTRUMENTS; I SLOWLY TURNED BACK TO ZZZ. THERE WAS ANOTHER EXTREME BUFFET AND THE ENTIRE AIRPLANE SHOOK. MY OPINION IS THAT BOTH TIMES AUTOSLATS EXTENDED OR WERE TRYING TO EXTEND. AFTER REPEATED CALLS; THE RADIO STARTED TO WORK. WE TOLD ZZZ OF OUR PROB AND OUR INTENTION TO RETURN. AN EMER WAS OFFICIALLY DECLARED. THE COPLT WAS NOW ABLE TO CONTACT THE RELIEF PLT AND WE LET HIM AND THE FLT ATTENDANT IN THE COCKPIT. DURING THIS TIME; INSTRUMENTS WERE STARTING TO COME BACK; ONE BY ONE. THE BURNING SMELL WAS ALSO GOING AWAY. I BRIEFED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND THE RELIEF PLT TOOK A POSITION TO HELP US. BY THE TIME WE WERE ESTABLISHED BACK TO ZZZ; ALL WARNINGS STARTED TO GO AWAY AND EVERYTHING WORKED NORMALLY. WE NOW HAD TO RE-PENETRATE AND DEV THROUGH THE WX WE HAD JUST COME THROUGH. ALL CHKLISTS WERE DONE AND WE LANDED OVERWEIGHT BY ABOUT 31000 POUNDS. BY THE TIME OF OUR RETURN; EVERYTHING WORKED NORMALLY. THE LNDG WAS EXTREMELY SMOOTH ON A VERY WET RWY. FIRE RESCUE WAS STANDING BY AND FOLLOWED US IN AS A PRECAUTION FROM BRAKE FIRE OR BLOWN TIRES. THERE WERE NO PROBS. WE PARKED AT THE GATE AND PAX DEPLANED AND ANOTHER ACFT WAS FOUND. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING (UNCONFIRMED) THAT MAINT FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ACFT. THE ONLY EXPLANATION THAT I OR EITHER COPLT CAN COME UP WITH IS THAT THERE WAS A MASSIVE STATIC BUILDUP/DISCHARGE OR LIGHTNING STRIKE THAT TEMPORARILY KNOCKED OUT MOST OF OUR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THERE WAS NO LOUD BANG OR SOUND NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH A LIGHTNING STRIKE OR STATIC DISCHARGE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ADVISED THE ACFT RECEIVED AN EXTENSIVE MAINT INSPECTION BASED ON THE POSSIBILITY OF A LIGHTNING STRIKE. HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THE FLT DATA RECORDER WAS PULLED OR READ. HE IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE FAILURE TO DO SO BECAUSE HE REMAINS CONVINCED THE BUFFETS AND PITCH-UPS NOTED IN THE RPT WERE THE LIKELY RESULT OF AUTOSLAT DEPLOYMENT ACTING IN RESPONSE TO THE INACCURATELY DEGRADED CAPT'S IAS. HE STATED THAT IF; IN FACT; THE SLATS HAD DEPLOYED AT THE 270 KIAS SHOWN ON THE STANDBY IAS INDICATOR; THE FLAP/SLAT EXTENSION SPD LIMITATION WAS GROSSLY EXCEEDED AND WOULD HAVE REQUIRED A SPECIFIC AND SEPARATE INSPECTION. HE FEELS THIS MAY NOT HAVE RISEN TO THE ATTENTION OF MAINT BECAUSE HIS LOG BOOK WRITE UP WAS A SINGLE ENTRY ADDRESSING THE ENTIRE EPISODE RATHER THAN THE DISTINCT ENTRY FOR EACH ANOMALY. HE FURTHER STATED THAT HE HAD SPOKEN WITH ANOTHER B757-200 FLT CREW WHICH EXPERIENCED A NEARLY IDENTICAL EXPERIENCE IN THE SAME GENERAL AIRSPACE/WX AREA THE AFTERNOON OF THE RPTED FLT (WHICH OCCURRED THE SAME DAY SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT). THE FLT WAS RPTED TO HAVE ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB AS WELL AS THE ELECTRICAL ANOMALIES AND HAD TO DIVERT TO ANOTHER ARPT FOR TREATMENT OF INJURED PAX.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.