 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
A319 captain reports BCL1 fault during climb out. After reviewing aircraft maintenance history and consulting maintenance; crew elects to divert for repairs. Battery 1 is turned off for the remainder of the flight and BCL1 is changed after landing.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 827259 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200903 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | DEN.Airport |
| State Reference | CO |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | A319 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Takeoff |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | DC Regulator |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Captain |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 45 Flight Crew Total 13400 Flight Crew Type 2200 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural Maintenance |
Narrative:
On initial climbout; noticed an ECAM 'BCL1 fault' with electrical page displayed. Contacted dispatch/maintenance and discussed the issue. The ECAM was chronic with a few occurrences in the past few days. The battery had been changed with obviously no result. Maintenance suggested cycling the battery to 'clear the fault.' crew was concerned that the ECAM was recurring and other indications of an abnormal battery discharge were present. Crew elected to select battery #1 off. This placed the aircraft in a reduced capable electrical state and with the weather on the east coast at IFR limits; crew decided a divert to ZZZ was prudent. Right&east mechanic in ZZZ tested system and said battery charge limiter was definitely at fault. Changed part; continued. As a pilot; I am concerned with maintenance rush to 'clear the fault' instead of determining if the fault is an actual issue. The battery was charging abnormally and with the bcl inoperative and the battery switch on; it is possible the battery could overtemperature or 'runaway;' in a worst case scenario. With a 3 day multiple event history; 'clearing the fault' should be the last priority.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A319 Captain reports BCL1 fault during climb out. After reviewing aircraft maintenance history and consulting maintenance; crew elects to divert for repairs. Battery 1 is turned off for the remainder of the flight and BCL1 is changed after landing.
Narrative: On initial climbout; noticed an ECAM 'BCL1 FAULT' with electrical page displayed. Contacted Dispatch/maintenance and discussed the issue. The ECAM was chronic with a few occurrences in the past few days. The battery had been changed with obviously no result. Maintenance suggested cycling the battery to 'clear the fault.' Crew was concerned that the ECAM was recurring and other indications of an abnormal battery discharge were present. Crew elected to select battery #1 off. This placed the aircraft in a reduced capable electrical state and with the weather on the East Coast at IFR limits; crew decided a divert to ZZZ was prudent. R&E Mechanic in ZZZ tested system and said battery charge limiter was definitely at fault. Changed part; continued. As a pilot; I am concerned with Maintenance rush to 'clear the fault' instead of determining if the fault is an actual issue. The battery was charging abnormally and with the BCL inoperative and the battery switch on; it is possible the battery could overtemperature or 'runaway;' in a worst case scenario. With a 3 day multiple event history; 'clearing the fault' should be the last priority.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.