Narrative:

I arrived at the lax airport and assumed normal preflight activity. Departed the gate on schedule. After lift off the aircraft had a considerable right roll. It took 6-8 degrees left aileron to hold the wings level. I suspected spoiler float. After the flaps and slats were retracted and we reached a safe altitude, I asked the F/east to go back to the cabin window for a visual inspection of the wings. He reported that our right ground spoiler was up. We then went to the abnormal section of the aircraft procedure manual. We were unable to retract the spoiler, so I elected to return to lax. I decided not to dump fuel and entailed an overweight landing. All appropriate in range and before landing checklists were completed. Gross weight computation for V reference speed for overweight landing was completed. A normal landing was executed. We taxied to the gate, set the parking brake and then made a notation of the malfunction in the logbook before any maintenance inspections were done. At that time we informed maintenance and I walked to the right wing with them. We all observed that the spoiler was not up. Maintenance then informed me that they could find nothing wrong at that point. They carried the examination further by pulling the inspection panel on the underneath side of the wing directly below the ground spoiler #10. When the inspection panel was removed a steel spoiler locking block that is used by maintenance to secure the spoiler fell to the ground. This locking block had been left inside the wing from the previous night's maintenance check. I was satisfied with the completion of this chkout. We allowed the brakes to cool off the prescribed amount of time. The aircraft was inspected due to the overweight landing and everything was then signed off in the aircraft logbook by maintenance. A normal flight was then operated from lax to pit. Supplemental information from acn 80725: while advancing throttles fot takeoff, rolling, air carrier X medium large transport said, 'your spoilers are out.' with the power set at 70 K I mentioned to the captain that air carrier X said our spoilers were deployed. The captain said it was some other aircraft. The captain did not use his headset and with the cockpit noise it's easy to misunderstand the radios. Supplemental information from acn 80891: we arrived at operations in la at the normal check-in time (1:00 prior to pushback). The aircraft was sitting at the gate, having come from overnight maintenance external power was plugged in and on the aircraft bus. Both B system hydraulic pumps were off and the ground interconnect was closed. During the preflight walkaround, a spoiler was found in an unstowed position on the right wing. No particular note was made of this since the aircraft had come from maintenance and appeared to have been hydraulically unpowered for quite some time. I would suggest streamers on all control locks.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LGT MADE A TKOF WITH A SPOILER UP. RETURN LAND.

Narrative: I ARRIVED AT THE LAX ARPT AND ASSUMED NORMAL PREFLT ACTIVITY. DEPARTED THE GATE ON SCHEDULE. AFTER LIFT OFF THE ACFT HAD A CONSIDERABLE RIGHT ROLL. IT TOOK 6-8 DEGS LEFT AILERON TO HOLD THE WINGS LEVEL. I SUSPECTED SPOILER FLOAT. AFTER THE FLAPS AND SLATS WERE RETRACTED AND WE REACHED A SAFE ALT, I ASKED THE F/E TO GO BACK TO THE CABIN WINDOW FOR A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE WINGS. HE RPTED THAT OUR RIGHT GND SPOILER WAS UP. WE THEN WENT TO THE ABNORMAL SECTION OF THE ACFT PROC MANUAL. WE WERE UNABLE TO RETRACT THE SPOILER, SO I ELECTED TO RETURN TO LAX. I DECIDED NOT TO DUMP FUEL AND ENTAILED AN OVERWEIGHT LNDG. ALL APPROPRIATE IN RANGE AND BEFORE LNDG CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED. GROSS WT COMPUTATION FOR V REF SPD FOR OVERWT LNDG WAS COMPLETED. A NORMAL LNDG WAS EXECUTED. WE TAXIED TO THE GATE, SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND THEN MADE A NOTATION OF THE MALFUNCTION IN THE LOGBOOK BEFORE ANY MAINT INSPECTIONS WERE DONE. AT THAT TIME WE INFORMED MAINT AND I WALKED TO THE RIGHT WING WITH THEM. WE ALL OBSERVED THAT THE SPOILER WAS NOT UP. MAINT THEN INFORMED ME THAT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AT THAT POINT. THEY CARRIED THE EXAMINATION FURTHER BY PULLING THE INSPECTION PANEL ON THE UNDERNEATH SIDE OF THE WING DIRECTLY BELOW THE GND SPOILER #10. WHEN THE INSPECTION PANEL WAS REMOVED A STEEL SPOILER LOCKING BLOCK THAT IS USED BY MAINT TO SECURE THE SPOILER FELL TO THE GND. THIS LOCKING BLOCK HAD BEEN LEFT INSIDE THE WING FROM THE PREVIOUS NIGHT'S MAINT CHK. I WAS SATISFIED WITH THE COMPLETION OF THIS CHKOUT. WE ALLOWED THE BRAKES TO COOL OFF THE PRESCRIBED AMOUNT OF TIME. THE ACFT WAS INSPECTED DUE TO THE OVERWT LNDG AND EVERYTHING WAS THEN SIGNED OFF IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK BY MAINT. A NORMAL FLT WAS THEN OPERATED FROM LAX TO PIT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 80725: WHILE ADVANCING THROTTLES FOT TKOF, ROLLING, ACR X MLG SAID, 'YOUR SPOILERS ARE OUT.' WITH THE PWR SET AT 70 K I MENTIONED TO THE CAPT THAT ACR X SAID OUR SPOILERS WERE DEPLOYED. THE CAPT SAID IT WAS SOME OTHER ACFT. THE CAPT DID NOT USE HIS HEADSET AND WITH THE COCKPIT NOISE IT'S EASY TO MISUNDERSTAND THE RADIOS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 80891: WE ARRIVED AT OPERATIONS IN LA AT THE NORMAL CHK-IN TIME (1:00 PRIOR TO PUSHBACK). THE ACFT WAS SITTING AT THE GATE, HAVING COME FROM OVERNIGHT MAINT EXTERNAL PWR WAS PLUGGED IN AND ON THE ACFT BUS. BOTH B SYS HYD PUMPS WERE OFF AND THE GND INTERCONNECT WAS CLOSED. DURING THE PREFLT WALKAROUND, A SPOILER WAS FOUND IN AN UNSTOWED POS ON THE RIGHT WING. NO PARTICULAR NOTE WAS MADE OF THIS SINCE THE ACFT HAD COME FROM MAINT AND APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN HYDRAULICALLY UNPOWERED FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I WOULD SUGGEST STREAMERS ON ALL CTL LOCKS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.