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Jetstar flight crew reports violent pitch down as automatic pilot is capturing FL360; causing 500 foot altitude loss before recovery. No injuries.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 772471 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200802 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : jfk.airport |
| State Reference | NY |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 35500 msl bound upper : 36000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zdc.artcc |
| Operator | general aviation : corporate |
| Make Model Name | MD-90 Series (DC-9-90) Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : corporate |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 19000 flight time type : 50 |
| ASRS Report | 772471 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : corporate |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : multi engine pilot : cfi pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 6000 flight time type : 760 |
| ASRS Report | 772470 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : less severe altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : clearance |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance flight crew : returned to assigned altitude flight crew : overcame equipment problem |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
Aircraft was climbing to FL360 with autoplt on and altitude preselect selected. Both pilots were monitoring the leveloff and my left hand was guarding the control wheel. The aircraft began the leveloff normally when suddenly the control wheel was pulled violently forward; literally out of my hand; resulting in a sudden nose down pitch attitude with a loss of 400-500 ft before recovery procedures could be completed and the aircraft returned to the leveloff altitude. ATC was advised by the first officer of the deviation as recovery was being conducted. No further problems were experienced with the autoplt during the remainder of the flight. Altitude preselect was not used during a later climb to FL380 nor during the descent.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: JETSTAR FLT CREW REPORTS VIOLENT PITCH DOWN AS AUTO PILOT IS CAPTURING FL360; CAUSING 500 FOOT ALTITUDE LOSS BEFORE RECOVERY. NO INJURIES.
Narrative: ACFT WAS CLBING TO FL360 WITH AUTOPLT ON AND ALT PRESELECT SELECTED. BOTH PLTS WERE MONITORING THE LEVELOFF AND MY L HAND WAS GUARDING THE CTL WHEEL. THE ACFT BEGAN THE LEVELOFF NORMALLY WHEN SUDDENLY THE CTL WHEEL WAS PULLED VIOLENTLY FORWARD; LITERALLY OUT OF MY HAND; RESULTING IN A SUDDEN NOSE DOWN PITCH ATTITUDE WITH A LOSS OF 400-500 FT BEFORE RECOVERY PROCS COULD BE COMPLETED AND THE ACFT RETURNED TO THE LEVELOFF ALT. ATC WAS ADVISED BY THE FO OF THE DEV AS RECOVERY WAS BEING CONDUCTED. NO FURTHER PROBS WERE EXPERIENCED WITH THE AUTOPLT DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. ALT PRESELECT WAS NOT USED DURING A LATER CLB TO FL380 NOR DURING THE DSCNT.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.