Narrative:

During descent out of FL180; and at idle thrust and 315 KIAS; we received an amber EICAS message 'spoiler fail.' as my first officer was reaching for the flight manual. I leveled off the aircraft at 11000 ft and the EICAS message self-canceled. When I reinitiated another descent out of 11000 ft to 7000 ft; the message represented itself. I had first officer run the abnormal checklist for 'spoiler fail' while I coordination with ATC to delay our approach until all our checklists; both abnormal and normal were complete. I also notified them of a possible spoiler problem and asked for no land and hold short on runway xxr like we had initially been assigned. The controller reassigned us runway xyl and asked us to just notify him when we were ready to proceed with the approach. My first officer complied completely with the checklist; which referred him to the 'inadvertent spoiler opening in-flight' checklist; which had him secure several circuit breakers associated with the flight and ground spoilers; and the checklist also instructed us to land at flaps 22 degrees and add a malfunction increment to flaps 45 speeds; which we did. Since I had not experienced any untoward rolling or pitch excursions during this episode; I did not consider this an emergency and did not ask for equipment to meet us; as we had no abnormal flying qualities exhibited other than the presentation of the EICAS message. As a matter of hindsight; though; my first officer did not mention to me that the abnormal checklist of 'spoiler fail' sent him to an emergency checklist of 'inadvertent spoiler opening in-flight;' and had I been made aware of this higher priority assigned to this problem; I would have requested emergency equipment as a precaution; despite my lack of untoward flight characteristics up to that point. We landed without further incident on runway xyl and we wrote the discrepancy up in the log after notifying both operations and maintenance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMB135 FLT CREW REPORTS SPOILER FAIL EICAS DURING DESCENT. CHECKLIST PROCEDURES ARE COMPLIED WITH EXCEPT THE FACT THAT PROCEDURE CONSTITUTES AN EMERGENCY. NONE IS DECLARED.

Narrative: DURING DSCNT OUT OF FL180; AND AT IDLE THRUST AND 315 KIAS; WE RECEIVED AN AMBER EICAS MESSAGE 'SPOILER FAIL.' AS MY FO WAS REACHING FOR THE FLT MANUAL. I LEVELED OFF THE ACFT AT 11000 FT AND THE EICAS MESSAGE SELF-CANCELED. WHEN I REINITIATED ANOTHER DSCNT OUT OF 11000 FT TO 7000 FT; THE MESSAGE REPRESENTED ITSELF. I HAD FO RUN THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST FOR 'SPOILER FAIL' WHILE I COORD WITH ATC TO DELAY OUR APCH UNTIL ALL OUR CHKLISTS; BOTH ABNORMAL AND NORMAL WERE COMPLETE. I ALSO NOTIFIED THEM OF A POSSIBLE SPOILER PROB AND ASKED FOR NO LAND AND HOLD SHORT ON RWY XXR LIKE WE HAD INITIALLY BEEN ASSIGNED. THE CTLR REASSIGNED US RWY XYL AND ASKED US TO JUST NOTIFY HIM WHEN WE WERE READY TO PROCEED WITH THE APCH. MY FO COMPLIED COMPLETELY WITH THE CHKLIST; WHICH REFERRED HIM TO THE 'INADVERTENT SPOILER OPENING INFLT' CHKLIST; WHICH HAD HIM SECURE SEVERAL CIRCUIT BREAKERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FLT AND GND SPOILERS; AND THE CHKLIST ALSO INSTRUCTED US TO LAND AT FLAPS 22 DEGS AND ADD A MALFUNCTION INCREMENT TO FLAPS 45 SPDS; WHICH WE DID. SINCE I HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY UNTOWARD ROLLING OR PITCH EXCURSIONS DURING THIS EPISODE; I DID NOT CONSIDER THIS AN EMER AND DID NOT ASK FOR EQUIP TO MEET US; AS WE HAD NO ABNORMAL FLYING QUALITIES EXHIBITED OTHER THAN THE PRESENTATION OF THE EICAS MESSAGE. AS A MATTER OF HINDSIGHT; THOUGH; MY FO DID NOT MENTION TO ME THAT THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST OF 'SPOILER FAIL' SENT HIM TO AN EMER CHKLIST OF 'INADVERTENT SPOILER OPENING INFLT;' AND HAD I BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS HIGHER PRIORITY ASSIGNED TO THIS PROB; I WOULD HAVE REQUESTED EMER EQUIP AS A PRECAUTION; DESPITE MY LACK OF UNTOWARD FLT CHARACTERISTICS UP TO THAT POINT. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT ON RWY XYL AND WE WROTE THE DISCREPANCY UP IN THE LOG AFTER NOTIFYING BOTH OPS AND MAINT.

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.