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An MD88 returned to the departure station when the cabin failed to pressurize.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 884714 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201004 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | MD-88 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Climb |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Air Conditioning and Pressurization Pack |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
After departure we had difficulty pressurizing the aircraft. The cabin altitude was approximately 1000 higher than normal during the climb through 10;000 ft and eventually the flow light illuminated. I elected to level off early to assess the problem. When the power levers were reduced the cabin rate of climb indicated 1500+ with the outflow valve fully closed. The right pack appeared to fail (no pressure on the peanut gauge) and the flight attendants reported loud wind from the L2 door and a warm cabin temperature. I cycled between both pressurization control systems and manual reversion of the outflow valve and still could not control the cabin rate of climb. It appeared that we had both an air leak and a pack failure. I elected to immediately descend to a lower altitude and return to ZZZ. Via airinc I notified dispatch; the station and maintenance of our return. We landed at 137;000 pounds. The cabin altitude reached approximately 9200 at its highest point. Passenger oxygen masks remained stowed throughout the flight. Passengers remained calm and were advised of a precautionary return due to an abnormal indication in our pressurization system.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: An MD88 returned to the departure station when the cabin failed to pressurize.
Narrative: After departure we had difficulty pressurizing the aircraft. The cabin altitude was approximately 1000 higher than normal during the climb through 10;000 FT and eventually the FLOW light illuminated. I elected to level off early to assess the problem. When the power levers were reduced the cabin rate of climb indicated 1500+ with the outflow valve fully closed. The right pack appeared to fail (no pressure on the peanut gauge) and the flight attendants reported loud wind from the L2 door and a warm cabin temperature. I cycled between both pressurization control systems and manual reversion of the outflow valve and still could not control the cabin rate of climb. It appeared that we had both an air leak and a pack failure. I elected to immediately descend to a lower altitude and return to ZZZ. Via AIRINC I notified Dispatch; the Station and Maintenance of our return. We landed at 137;000 pounds. The cabin altitude reached approximately 9200 at its highest point. Passenger oxygen masks remained stowed throughout the flight. Passengers remained calm and were advised of a precautionary return due to an abnormal indication in our pressurization system.
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.