Narrative:

Pushback; engine start; taxi and takeoff were normal. We were initially assigned runway heading. The first officer was the PF. As we climbed through roughly 1100 ft and just after we started to clean up the aircraft and were given a right turn to heading 340 degrees; both generators began to simultaneously cycle on and off. The generators cycled on and off about 1 1/2 to 2 times every second. As each cycle occurred there were relatively loud thumps which to me sounded like relays opening and closing. Also; as each cycle occurred the 2 CRT screens in front of me would blank and the instruments would jump which made using the instruments to fly nearly impossible. We tried several times to communicate with departure control without success. We xferred aircraft control to me; the captain; thinking that if we lost all AC power that my standby instruments would at least give us some reference to fly. The first officer alertly suggested starting the APU; which we did immediately. As the APU was starting we continued attempting to contact departure control. The radio would cut in and out as the generators cycled making communications impossible. We were in a very; very slow r-hand turn to heading 340 degrees. When the APU finally started (roughly 60 seconds) the first officer brought it on line to power the aircraft. He also disengaged both aircraft generators. The aircraft was now fully functional on APU power. We contacted departure control and the controller seemed a little upset that we weren't yet on our assigned heading of 340 degrees. We explained what had happened and he immediately began to assist us. We declared an emergency because we didn't know how long the APU would power the AC buses and wanted to get the aircraft on the ground. We wound up getting vectors for an approach to runway 10. As we were being vectored the first officer ran the AC power intermittent checklist. I spoke with the flight attendants and made a PA to the passenger. The approach and landing were without incident. After the fire trucks looked us over we taxied to the gate and deplaned the passenger. I don't know if we ever came 'close' to any other aircraft due to our much slower than normal r-hand turn after takeoff. We knew we needed to make a r-hand turn but our instruments were unusable at the time. Asking for no gyro vectors wouldn't have worked because we couldn't communicate with departure control. In hindsight I could have squawked code 7600 or 7700 but I'm not entirely sure that would have worked either due to the power cycling on and off. All in all I would ay that we were fortunate that this situation occurred during daylight VMC conditions. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter advised the flight was canceled and the flight crew laid over and returned the following day to fly the repaired aircraft. The logbook showed only that the right generator was replaced. Reporter had no information regarding how the 1 generator had caused the apparent multiple generator disruption they had experienced. The aircraft operated normally on the subsequent flts.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD88 FLT CREW EXPERIENCES MULTIPLE GENERATOR MALFUNCTIONS DURING INITIAL CLB WHICH RESULT IN LOST COM AND NAV FAILURES. PWR IS RESTORED BY STARTING APU AND SHUTTING DOWN BOTH GENERATORS.

Narrative: PUSHBACK; ENG START; TAXI AND TKOF WERE NORMAL. WE WERE INITIALLY ASSIGNED RWY HDG. THE FO WAS THE PF. AS WE CLBED THROUGH ROUGHLY 1100 FT AND JUST AFTER WE STARTED TO CLEAN UP THE ACFT AND WERE GIVEN A R TURN TO HDG 340 DEGS; BOTH GENERATORS BEGAN TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CYCLE ON AND OFF. THE GENERATORS CYCLED ON AND OFF ABOUT 1 1/2 TO 2 TIMES EVERY SECOND. AS EACH CYCLE OCCURRED THERE WERE RELATIVELY LOUD THUMPS WHICH TO ME SOUNDED LIKE RELAYS OPENING AND CLOSING. ALSO; AS EACH CYCLE OCCURRED THE 2 CRT SCREENS IN FRONT OF ME WOULD BLANK AND THE INSTS WOULD JUMP WHICH MADE USING THE INSTS TO FLY NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. WE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO COMMUNICATE WITH DEP CTL WITHOUT SUCCESS. WE XFERRED ACFT CTL TO ME; THE CAPT; THINKING THAT IF WE LOST ALL AC PWR THAT MY STANDBY INSTS WOULD AT LEAST GIVE US SOME REF TO FLY. THE FO ALERTLY SUGGESTED STARTING THE APU; WHICH WE DID IMMEDIATELY. AS THE APU WAS STARTING WE CONTINUED ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT DEP CTL. THE RADIO WOULD CUT IN AND OUT AS THE GENERATORS CYCLED MAKING COMS IMPOSSIBLE. WE WERE IN A VERY; VERY SLOW R-HAND TURN TO HDG 340 DEGS. WHEN THE APU FINALLY STARTED (ROUGHLY 60 SECONDS) THE FO BROUGHT IT ON LINE TO PWR THE ACFT. HE ALSO DISENGAGED BOTH ACFT GENERATORS. THE ACFT WAS NOW FULLY FUNCTIONAL ON APU PWR. WE CONTACTED DEP CTL AND THE CTLR SEEMED A LITTLE UPSET THAT WE WEREN'T YET ON OUR ASSIGNED HDG OF 340 DEGS. WE EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND HE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO ASSIST US. WE DECLARED AN EMER BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW LONG THE APU WOULD PWR THE AC BUSES AND WANTED TO GET THE ACFT ON THE GND. WE WOUND UP GETTING VECTORS FOR AN APCH TO RWY 10. AS WE WERE BEING VECTORED THE FO RAN THE AC PWR INTERMITTENT CHKLIST. I SPOKE WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND MADE A PA TO THE PAX. THE APCH AND LNDG WERE WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER THE FIRE TRUCKS LOOKED US OVER WE TAXIED TO THE GATE AND DEPLANED THE PAX. I DON'T KNOW IF WE EVER CAME 'CLOSE' TO ANY OTHER ACFT DUE TO OUR MUCH SLOWER THAN NORMAL R-HAND TURN AFTER TKOF. WE KNEW WE NEEDED TO MAKE A R-HAND TURN BUT OUR INSTS WERE UNUSABLE AT THE TIME. ASKING FOR NO GYRO VECTORS WOULDN'T HAVE WORKED BECAUSE WE COULDN'T COMMUNICATE WITH DEP CTL. IN HINDSIGHT I COULD HAVE SQUAWKED CODE 7600 OR 7700 BUT I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE THAT WOULD HAVE WORKED EITHER DUE TO THE PWR CYCLING ON AND OFF. ALL IN ALL I WOULD AY THAT WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT THIS SIT OCCURRED DURING DAYLIGHT VMC CONDITIONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THE FLT WAS CANCELED AND THE FLT CREW LAID OVER AND RETURNED THE FOLLOWING DAY TO FLY THE REPAIRED ACFT. THE LOGBOOK SHOWED ONLY THAT THE R GENERATOR WAS REPLACED. RPTR HAD NO INFO REGARDING HOW THE 1 GENERATOR HAD CAUSED THE APPARENT MULTIPLE GENERATOR DISRUPTION THEY HAD EXPERIENCED. THE ACFT OPERATED NORMALLY ON THE SUBSEQUENT FLTS.

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.