Incident Details
On 9 July 2013, an Embraer 170-200 aircraft was preparing for a scheduled flight from Warsaw Chopin Airport (EPWA) to Bucharest Otopeni Airport (OTP). During the takeoff roll, the flight crew received a SPOILER FAULT indication, followed by FLIGHT CONTROLS NO DISPATCH and NO TAKEOFF messages. The crew rejected the takeoff at a speed of 70 knots. The aircraft returned to the parking stand and was withdrawn from service for troubleshooting.
Investigation
The investigation reviewed data from the flight data recorder and the Merlin system. Analysis of the flight data recorder showed that spoiler number 5 had deployed during the takeoff roll. Immediately after this deployment, the takeoff was rejected. The actions of the flight crew, including the decision to abort the takeoff, were assessed as correct.
Examination of Merlin system records indicated that between 9 June 2013 and 30 July 2013, no other spoiler faults had occurred on this particular aircraft.
Cause
The cause of the incident was determined to be a malfunction of the multifunction spoiler power-control unit (SPCU). The SPCU was replaced in accordance with Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) task 27-65-01. It was concluded that the incident was an isolated event and that the maintenance actions effectively resolved the fault.
Actions Taken
No specific preventive measures were proposed, and the investigation commission did not issue any safety recommendations.