PARTIAL PWR LOSS ON BOTH ENGS.

Date: 1994-08 · Aircraft: MD-83

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-unspecified

Synopsis

PARTIAL PWR LOSS ON BOTH ENGS.

Narrative

BOTH ENGS LOST PWR TO APPROX 1-2-1.3 EPR-IAS BLED TO APPROX 220 KTS. MACH .610 (FROM .760). AN IMMEDIATE ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO CONTACT ZMA FOR A LOWER ALT (290). UNABLE TO CONTACT ATC IMMEDIATELY DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION. DSNDED ANYWAY TO FL320 BECAUSE OF IMPENDING STALL BUFFET. AT FL320 CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED WITH MIAMI ATC ADVISING THEM OF THE SIT. BY FL320; PWR WAS RESTORED (AFTER USE OF ENG ANTI-ICE) AND CLB BACK TO FL330 WAS ACCOMPLISHED; WE WERE IN THE CLR AT THE TIME OF THE PWR LOSS. APPROX 15-20 MINS EARLIER ENG ANTI-ICE HAD BEEN USED DUE TO TROPICAL TSTM ACTIVITY AND VISIBLE MOISTURE AS CIRRUS CLOUDS; AND AS PER MD83 PROCS. FUEL HEAT WAS ALSO APPLIED; HOWEVER; THERE WAS NO ANNUNCIATOR PANEL WARNING INDICATING A NEED FOR FUEL HEAT. IT WAS NOTED THERE WAS AN APPROX 15 DEG FUEL TEMP DISPARITY BTWN THE L (PLUS 12 DEG CENTIGRADE) ENG AND THE R (MINUS 30 DEG CENTIGRADE) ENG. THE FLT PROCEEDED ON TO SJU WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. JET FUEL CTLRS? ENG ICE IN CLR AIR? BERMUDA TRIANGLE? CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: EVEN AFTER 3 MONTHS PASSAGE OF TIME. THE RPTR DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROB WAS. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE PERFORMANCE MGMNT SYS BEING IN THE 'PERFORMANCE MODE' AND THEN PARTIALLY FAILING; OR THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE. TURNING ON THE ENG ANTI-ICE BROUGHT THE ENGS BACK TO PWR.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.