An A320 flight crew descended to 10;000 ft MSL and continued to their destination after discovering ...

Attributes
ACN	967858
Time
Date	201109
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	ZNY.ARTCC
State Reference	NY
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Climb
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Oxygen System/Crew
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

Narrative:

We were climbing to FL360 when I checked the ECAM and noticed that the oxygen level was down to 450 psi. The first officer checked masks on his side and found that the observer's mask was releasing oxygen. We leveled off at FL280 to assess the situation. The first officer checked manuals to look for guidance while I contacted the dispatcher via ACARS. The first officer found no guidance in the manuals. The dispatcher and I considered the weather at our destination; deleted our alternate; and determined the fuel burn to destination at 10;000 ft MSL. We declared an emergency; advised the flight attendants; dispatch; and the passengers and proceeded without incident.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An A320 flight crew descended to 10;000 FT MSL and continued to their destination after discovering the oxygen system pressure had dropped to 450 PSI due to a leaking observer mask.

Narrative: We were climbing to FL360 when I checked the ECAM and noticed that the oxygen level was down to 450 PSI. The First Officer checked masks on his side and found that the observer's mask was releasing oxygen. We leveled off at FL280 to assess the situation. The First Officer checked manuals to look for guidance while I contacted the Dispatcher via ACARS. The First Officer found no guidance in the manuals. The Dispatcher and I considered the weather at our destination; deleted our alternate; and determined the fuel burn to destination at 10;000 FT MSL. We declared an emergency; advised the Flight Attendants; Dispatch; and the passengers and proceeded without incident.

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.

An A320 flight crew descended to 10;000 ft MSL and continued to their destination after discovering the oxygen system pressure had dropped to 450 psi due to a leaking observer mask.