Narrative:

While at the gate at ord; ground personnel pulled external power without contacting cockpit. The power change caused numerous system faults (ILS 1; CAT I; and FCDC2) that did not reset on their own. Items were logged and maintenance contacted. All were cleared and new release issued. When climbing through FL300 the aural callout 'retard' sounded intermittently then stopped prior to leveloff at FL380. Soon after leveloff; the 'retard' callout started again and this time was continuous. The emergency cancel had to be pushed and held in order to silence. We also had RA of '5' or '10' illuminated on both pfd's. The GPWS fault light was intermittent. There were a few occasions when navigation would not engage. There was no autoplt warning when autoplt was disconnected on a couple of occasions and the autothrottle would not re-engage. Both the autoplt and autothrottle eventually returned to normal with warning and engagement of autothrottle. Due to numerous electrical issues; a phone patch was established through dispatch to maintenance. Maintenance suggested cycling RA circuit breakers for both system but no help. After discussions of various causes; I concurred with maintenance in pulling the flight warning computer circuit breakers one at a time for each system but neither fixed problem. We then agreed on pulling both circuit breakers with full knowledge of system affected per flight manual. The 'retard' callout ceased but the RA indication remained on both pfd's. All other system were working normally and all system pages indicated normal. After an in-depth discussion of all the issues with both flight warning computer circuit breakers pulled; we all agreed that the flight could proceed safely to ZZZ. I discussed various divert options and WX with dispatch should any other issues develop along the way. The WX was VFR along our route of flight. I discovered amber xx's indicated on the rudder on the flight control page while checking each system page as per the flight manual with inoperative flight warning computers. Dispatch and I decided a divert was now the safest course of action due to another system anomaly. We were approximately 100 NM north of ZZZ1 when the divert decision was made to land at ZZZ1. WX was VFR at ZZZ1 and a normal landing was made. I feel the power surge at the gate may have initiated the problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated after the sudden removal of the ground power the APU was used to power the airplane. When pwred up; the airplane displayed numerous system faults. Maintenance cleared these faults by resetting circuit breakers and the airplane was dispatched. During climb; they got the 'retard' aural warning until emergency cancel was used. At leveloff they again got the 'retard' aural warning and emergency cancel was used but had to be held. Numerous other system displayed faults on the primary flight displays including autoplt and autothrottle disengaging with no warning. Resetting circuit breakers with the maintenance controller's concurrence was no relief. The flight warning computer circuit breakers were pulled and reset but no help. When checking each system page as per the flight manual; the flight control page displayed xx on the rudder and it was then that the decision was made to divert. The correction of these system malfunctions or the maintenance action is unknown.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 IN CRUISE AT FL380 DIVERTED DUE TO FLT WARNING COMPUTER PROBS CAUSING NUMEROUS SYS WARNINGS. BELIEVED CAUSED BY SUDDEN REMOVAL OF GND PWR PRIOR TO DEP.

Narrative: WHILE AT THE GATE AT ORD; GND PERSONNEL PULLED EXTERNAL PWR WITHOUT CONTACTING COCKPIT. THE PWR CHANGE CAUSED NUMEROUS SYS FAULTS (ILS 1; CAT I; AND FCDC2) THAT DID NOT RESET ON THEIR OWN. ITEMS WERE LOGGED AND MAINT CONTACTED. ALL WERE CLRED AND NEW RELEASE ISSUED. WHEN CLBING THROUGH FL300 THE AURAL CALLOUT 'RETARD' SOUNDED INTERMITTENTLY THEN STOPPED PRIOR TO LEVELOFF AT FL380. SOON AFTER LEVELOFF; THE 'RETARD' CALLOUT STARTED AGAIN AND THIS TIME WAS CONTINUOUS. THE EMER CANCEL HAD TO BE PUSHED AND HELD IN ORDER TO SILENCE. WE ALSO HAD RA OF '5' OR '10' ILLUMINATED ON BOTH PFD'S. THE GPWS FAULT LIGHT WAS INTERMITTENT. THERE WERE A FEW OCCASIONS WHEN NAV WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THERE WAS NO AUTOPLT WARNING WHEN AUTOPLT WAS DISCONNECTED ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS AND THE AUTOTHROTTLE WOULD NOT RE-ENGAGE. BOTH THE AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLE EVENTUALLY RETURNED TO NORMAL WITH WARNING AND ENGAGEMENT OF AUTOTHROTTLE. DUE TO NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES; A PHONE PATCH WAS ESTABLISHED THROUGH DISPATCH TO MAINT. MAINT SUGGESTED CYCLING RA CIRCUIT BREAKERS FOR BOTH SYS BUT NO HELP. AFTER DISCUSSIONS OF VARIOUS CAUSES; I CONCURRED WITH MAINT IN PULLING THE FLT WARNING COMPUTER CIRCUIT BREAKERS ONE AT A TIME FOR EACH SYS BUT NEITHER FIXED PROB. WE THEN AGREED ON PULLING BOTH CIRCUIT BREAKERS WITH FULL KNOWLEDGE OF SYS AFFECTED PER FLT MANUAL. THE 'RETARD' CALLOUT CEASED BUT THE RA INDICATION REMAINED ON BOTH PFD'S. ALL OTHER SYS WERE WORKING NORMALLY AND ALL SYS PAGES INDICATED NORMAL. AFTER AN IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION OF ALL THE ISSUES WITH BOTH FLT WARNING COMPUTER CIRCUIT BREAKERS PULLED; WE ALL AGREED THAT THE FLT COULD PROCEED SAFELY TO ZZZ. I DISCUSSED VARIOUS DIVERT OPTIONS AND WX WITH DISPATCH SHOULD ANY OTHER ISSUES DEVELOP ALONG THE WAY. THE WX WAS VFR ALONG OUR RTE OF FLT. I DISCOVERED AMBER XX'S INDICATED ON THE RUDDER ON THE FLT CTL PAGE WHILE CHKING EACH SYS PAGE AS PER THE FLT MANUAL WITH INOP FLT WARNING COMPUTERS. DISPATCH AND I DECIDED A DIVERT WAS NOW THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION DUE TO ANOTHER SYS ANOMALY. WE WERE APPROX 100 NM N OF ZZZ1 WHEN THE DIVERT DECISION WAS MADE TO LAND AT ZZZ1. WX WAS VFR AT ZZZ1 AND A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. I FEEL THE PWR SURGE AT THE GATE MAY HAVE INITIATED THE PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED AFTER THE SUDDEN REMOVAL OF THE GND PWR THE APU WAS USED TO PWR THE AIRPLANE. WHEN PWRED UP; THE AIRPLANE DISPLAYED NUMEROUS SYS FAULTS. MAINT CLRED THESE FAULTS BY RESETTING CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DISPATCHED. DURING CLB; THEY GOT THE 'RETARD' AURAL WARNING UNTIL EMER CANCEL WAS USED. AT LEVELOFF THEY AGAIN GOT THE 'RETARD' AURAL WARNING AND EMER CANCEL WAS USED BUT HAD TO BE HELD. NUMEROUS OTHER SYS DISPLAYED FAULTS ON THE PRIMARY FLT DISPLAYS INCLUDING AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLE DISENGAGING WITH NO WARNING. RESETTING CIRCUIT BREAKERS WITH THE MAINT CTLR'S CONCURRENCE WAS NO RELIEF. THE FLT WARNING COMPUTER CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE PULLED AND RESET BUT NO HELP. WHEN CHKING EACH SYS PAGE AS PER THE FLT MANUAL; THE FLT CTL PAGE DISPLAYED XX ON THE RUDDER AND IT WAS THEN THAT THE DECISION WAS MADE TO DIVERT. THE CORRECTION OF THESE SYS MALFUNCTIONS OR THE MAINT ACTION IS UNKNOWN.

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.