Narrative:

Aircraft took off from ewr en route to ord. Climbing through FL270 oil filter bypass light illuminated (#3 engine). Procedures call for engine shutdown. We could not return to ewr--WX was bad--gusty winds of up to 40 KTS crosswind. Decided upon buf as alternate. ATC quickly responded and turned us direct to buf. They were very helpful. As can be expected cockpit was very busy gathering engine parameters, downloading electrics and xfeeding fuel while getting WX and informing dispatch and reading checklists. Crew coordination was exceptional. F/a's were very helpful in preparing cabin and leaving us along after the briefing. Landing was uneventful. Airplane had history of problems with engine filter system. Same aircraft had shutdown engine earlier in day. Maintenance found carbon deposits in main oil filter and had changed filter and oil pressure switch. After second shutdown filter was found clean to human eye and mx MEL system as being indicator problem. Seems that maintenance was having pressure put on them to get aircraft back in service. A precautionary engine change since carbon deposit had been found and engine reacted the same on the very next flight. Would seem that it is more than indication problem. We earned our pay today--previous aircraft had cockpit fire. We were all getting pretty tired and stress level was getting high after 2 incidents in one day within a period of 6 hours. System control and crew scheduling were absolutely no help with our problem. They wanted us to first go to the hotel and ferry the aircraft back T ewr in the morning. Now buf-ewr has hourly service and all crew members were off the next day and we had no clothes since it was a 1 day trip. We could go home on the next flight from buf that evening and they could dead head a crew up the next morning. Then they decide they want us to fly on to ord with passenger. Now if I was a passenger and the first aircraft I was on caught on fire and the second one had an engine shutdown in flight, I would not get back on that airplane. We refused to fly to ord with the MEL and passenger, thus we repositioned the aircraft back to ewr. Using runway 4R in ewr with winds at 1000' at 110 at 50 KTS and field reporting 090 degree winds 25 KTS gusting to 39 KTS, need I say the below 6000' moderate to severe turbulence was reported and it was one hell of an approach, especially for what we had encountered earlier that day. If we had gone into ewr with engine out we probably would have either overshot the runway and landed long due to the speed and winds, or we would have compressor stalled one of the remaining engines and would have had the ride of our lives. I think maintenance wouldn't have liked to be on the airplane that they supposedly fixed and have gone through this day. Gratitude from the company--sorry not at air carrier. Thank you's from passenger and F/a's. Nothing from company. They wonder why we are all leaving and going to better airlines.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ENGINE SHUTDOWN ACCOUNT OIL BYPASS LIGHT ON. DIVERTED TO NEAREST ARPT.

Narrative: ACFT TOOK OFF FROM EWR ENRTE TO ORD. CLBING THROUGH FL270 OIL FILTER BYPASS LIGHT ILLUMINATED (#3 ENG). PROCS CALL FOR ENG SHUTDOWN. WE COULD NOT RETURN TO EWR--WX WAS BAD--GUSTY WINDS OF UP TO 40 KTS XWIND. DECIDED UPON BUF AS ALTERNATE. ATC QUICKLY RESPONDED AND TURNED US DIRECT TO BUF. THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL. AS CAN BE EXPECTED COCKPIT WAS VERY BUSY GATHERING ENG PARAMETERS, DOWNLOADING ELECTRICS AND XFEEDING FUEL WHILE GETTING WX AND INFORMING DISPATCH AND READING CHKLISTS. CREW COORD WAS EXCEPTIONAL. F/A'S WERE VERY HELPFUL IN PREPARING CABIN AND LEAVING US ALONG AFTER THE BRIEFING. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AIRPLANE HAD HISTORY OF PROBS WITH ENG FILTER SYS. SAME ACFT HAD SHUTDOWN ENG EARLIER IN DAY. MAINT FOUND CARBON DEPOSITS IN MAIN OIL FILTER AND HAD CHANGED FILTER AND OIL PRESSURE SWITCH. AFTER SECOND SHUTDOWN FILTER WAS FOUND CLEAN TO HUMAN EYE AND MX MEL SYS AS BEING INDICATOR PROB. SEEMS THAT MAINT WAS HAVING PRESSURE PUT ON THEM TO GET ACFT BACK IN SVC. A PRECAUTIONARY ENG CHANGE SINCE CARBON DEPOSIT HAD BEEN FOUND AND ENG REACTED THE SAME ON THE VERY NEXT FLT. WOULD SEEM THAT IT IS MORE THAN INDICATION PROB. WE EARNED OUR PAY TODAY--PREVIOUS ACFT HAD COCKPIT FIRE. WE WERE ALL GETTING PRETTY TIRED AND STRESS LEVEL WAS GETTING HIGH AFTER 2 INCIDENTS IN ONE DAY WITHIN A PERIOD OF 6 HRS. SYS CTL AND CREW SCHEDULING WERE ABSOLUTELY NO HELP WITH OUR PROB. THEY WANTED US TO FIRST GO TO THE HOTEL AND FERRY THE ACFT BACK T EWR IN THE MORNING. NOW BUF-EWR HAS HOURLY SVC AND ALL CREW MEMBERS WERE OFF THE NEXT DAY AND WE HAD NO CLOTHES SINCE IT WAS A 1 DAY TRIP. WE COULD GO HOME ON THE NEXT FLT FROM BUF THAT EVENING AND THEY COULD DEAD HEAD A CREW UP THE NEXT MORNING. THEN THEY DECIDE THEY WANT US TO FLY ON TO ORD WITH PAX. NOW IF I WAS A PAX AND THE FIRST ACFT I WAS ON CAUGHT ON FIRE AND THE SECOND ONE HAD AN ENG SHUTDOWN IN FLT, I WOULD NOT GET BACK ON THAT AIRPLANE. WE REFUSED TO FLY TO ORD WITH THE MEL AND PAX, THUS WE REPOSITIONED THE ACFT BACK TO EWR. USING RWY 4R IN EWR WITH WINDS AT 1000' AT 110 AT 50 KTS AND FIELD RPTING 090 DEG WINDS 25 KTS GUSTING TO 39 KTS, NEED I SAY THE BELOW 6000' MODERATE TO SEVERE TURB WAS RPTED AND IT WAS ONE HELL OF AN APCH, ESPECIALLY FOR WHAT WE HAD ENCOUNTERED EARLIER THAT DAY. IF WE HAD GONE INTO EWR WITH ENG OUT WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE EITHER OVERSHOT THE RWY AND LANDED LONG DUE TO THE SPD AND WINDS, OR WE WOULD HAVE COMPRESSOR STALLED ONE OF THE REMAINING ENGS AND WOULD HAVE HAD THE RIDE OF OUR LIVES. I THINK MAINT WOULDN'T HAVE LIKED TO BE ON THE AIRPLANE THAT THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED AND HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS DAY. GRATITUDE FROM THE COMPANY--SORRY NOT AT ACR. THANK YOU'S FROM PAX AND F/A'S. NOTHING FROM COMPANY. THEY WONDER WHY WE ARE ALL LEAVING AND GOING TO BETTER AIRLINES.

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.