A B757-200 captain complained that the cockpit air conditioning distribution noise was loud enough t...

Narrative:

Cockpit excessively noisy from air distribution. Very loud during taxi and ground ops; louder and distracting during take-off and approach. Very difficult to hear the other pilot verbalizing checklists and briefings. During take-off; climb and approach the noise is so excessive that ATC radio calls can be missed or not fully understood. During approach; both pilots had volume set at the upper limit on the interphone panel and still had difficulty comprehending ATC transmissions through the headset. In the event of smoke/fumes checklist while on oxygen it would be impossible to hear the other pilot and ATC on the cockpit speaker. Ongoing issue with the 757 fleet. Fleet manager has advised that this issue has been addressed. In reality; either the problem has not been fully evaluated and repaired or the initial repairs have subsequently become degraded. Remove the aircraft from service until a permanent fix is found. Configure the 757 fleet with noise canceling headsets. If this aircraft is used on a international leg; the addition of an international relief officer (international relief officer) should be required to alleviate the fatigue symptoms caused by the excessive noise.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 Captain complained that the cockpit air conditioning distribution noise was loud enough to cause interference in communication; including normal and emergency checklists; briefings. He states that the high volume noise contributes to fatigue on prolonged flights.

Narrative: Cockpit excessively noisy from air distribution. Very loud during taxi and ground ops; louder and distracting during take-off and approach. Very difficult to hear the other pilot verbalizing checklists and briefings. During take-off; climb and approach the noise is so excessive that ATC radio calls can be missed or not fully understood. During approach; both pilots had volume set at the upper limit on the interphone panel and still had difficulty comprehending ATC transmissions through the headset. In the event of smoke/fumes checklist while on oxygen it would be impossible to hear the other pilot and ATC on the cockpit speaker. Ongoing issue with the 757 fleet. Fleet Manager has advised that this issue has been addressed. In reality; either the problem has not been fully evaluated and repaired or the initial repairs have subsequently become degraded. Remove the aircraft from service until a permanent fix is found. Configure the 757 fleet with noise canceling headsets. If this aircraft is used on a international leg; the addition of an IRO (International Relief Officer) should be required to alleviate the fatigue symptoms caused by the excessive noise.

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.

Attributes
ACN	955177
Time
Date	201106
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B757-200
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Air Conditioning Distribution System
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

A B757-200 captain complained that the cockpit air conditioning distribution noise was loud enough to cause interference in communication; including normal and emergency checklists; briefings. He states that the high volume noise contributes to fatigue on prolonged flights.