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A B757-300 flight crew reported finding a broken slat loss sensing cable for the left outboard wing tucked inside a flap track canoe fairing during a late night preflight of their B757 aircraft. The inbound flight crew had no indication of a possible slat asymmetry as the leading edge disagree light did not illuminate.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 991083 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201201 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0001-0600 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B757-300 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Flap/Slat Indication |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 240 Flight Crew Total 20500 Flight Crew Type 12000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
During preflight on a B757; first officer conducted the walk-around. This was the night departure. I was also on the ramp; returning from operations after picking up my required paperwork. We met at the base of the jet bridge stairs and he requested me to look at the left wing. Approaching the wing; I saw nothing wrong. After illuminating the flap track canoe [fairing]; I was able to see a small diameter cable that appeared to be attached under the leading edge of the wing. The aft end of the cable was tucked into the aft end of the canoe; which caused an unsafe aircraft condition.maintenance was notified; and in their actions they lowered the leading edge slats. It was then noted; the outboard lengthwise cable was broken in the slat asymmetry system. Further; the inbound flight crew had no indication due to the apparent lack of the leading edge disagree light not illuminating. The discovery of this thin; broken cable during nighttime conditions was; in my opinion; an unlikely possibility. Due to the heightened observation by this first officer and his commitment to safety; this mechanical issue was attended to while the aircraft was still on the ground and before it became an issue after departure or in flight. I would like to commend my co-worker for an outstanding job detecting this broken cable.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A B757-300 flight crew reported finding a broken slat loss sensing cable for the left outboard wing tucked inside a flap track canoe fairing during a late night preflight of their B757 aircraft. The inbound flight crew had no indication of a possible slat asymmetry as the leading edge disagree light did not illuminate.
Narrative: During preflight on a B757; First Officer conducted the walk-around. This was the night departure. I was also on the ramp; returning from Operations after picking up my required paperwork. We met at the base of the jet bridge stairs and he requested me to look at the left wing. Approaching the wing; I saw nothing wrong. After illuminating the flap track canoe [fairing]; I was able to see a small diameter cable that appeared to be attached under the leading edge of the wing. The aft end of the cable was tucked into the aft end of the canoe; which caused an unsafe aircraft condition.Maintenance was notified; and in their actions they lowered the leading edge slats. It was then noted; the outboard lengthwise cable was broken in the slat asymmetry system. Further; the inbound flight crew had no indication due to the apparent lack of the leading edge disagree light not illuminating. The discovery of this thin; broken cable during nighttime conditions was; in my opinion; an unlikely possibility. Due to the heightened observation by this First Officer and his commitment to safety; this mechanical issue was attended to while the aircraft was still on the ground and before it became an issue after departure or in flight. I would like to commend my co-worker for an outstanding job detecting this broken cable.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.