AN ACR MLG CAPT PERFORMED AN UNAUTH PROC CAUSING LOSS OF ACFT CTL AND FLT ATTENDANT INJURY.

Date: 1994-10 · Aircraft: A320

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|other-unspecified

Synopsis

AN ACR MLG CAPT PERFORMED AN UNAUTH PROC CAUSING LOSS OF ACFT CTL AND FLT ATTENDANT INJURY.

Narrative

ON CLB OUT; I ASKED FOR AUTOPLT #2. CAPT SAID #2 WOULD NOT ENGAGE; SO HE ENGAGED AUTOPLT #1. WE DECIDED TO DO THE COMPUTER RESET PROC AT CRUISE LATER. AT FL370 IN CRUISE; SMOOTH RIDE; THE CAPT DID THE APPROVED COMPUTER RESET PROC OUT OF OUR COCKPIT OPERATING MANUAL. IT DID NOT RESTORE AUTOPLT #2 OR FLT DIRECTOR #2. HE SAT DOWN IN HIS SEAT; TOLD ME TO HAND FLY THE ACFT WHILE HE TRIED TO RESET. I COMPLIED AND SHUT OFF THE AUTOPLT. I ASSUMED HE WAS GOING TO TRY THE COMPUTER PROC AGAIN. IN A MATTER OF SECONDS; THE ACFT PITCHED UP VIOLENTLY. I ATTEMPTED TO CTL THE PITCH WITH MY SIDE STICK; BUT IT DID NOT RESPOND. MY PFD SAID 'MAN PITCH TRIM ONLY' IN RED. WE WERE DOWN TO PITCH BACK UP LAW. I USED THE TRIM WHEEL TO BRING THE NOSE DOWN; BUT I MUST HAVE TRIMMED TOO MUCH BECAUSE THE ACFT PUSHED DOWN REALLY HARD. (THE REAR FLT ATTENDANT HIT THE CEILING IN THE REAR GALLEY AND WAS INJURED). I GOT THE ACFT LEVEL AT FL37.6. CAPT WAS RESETTING COMPUTERS; NORMAL LAW RETURNED; AUTOPLT #1 REENGAGED; RETURN TO FL370. CAPT LATER TOLD ME HE WAS TRYING TO RESET FMGC #2 BY TURNING OFF ONE ELAC AT A TIME; BUT GOOFED UP AND TURNED OFF BOTH ELACS AT ONCE. REST OF FLT SMOOTH AND UNEVENTFUL. THE CAUSE OF THIS WAS THE CAPT NOT FOLLOWING APPROVED PROCS AND NOT LETTING THE FO KNOW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO. IF HE WOULD HAVE TOLD ME; I WOULD HAVE NOT LET HIM DO IT. THE CAPT STATED THAT HIS ELAC RESET THING 'WORKS IN THE SIMULATOR.' I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH OR HAVE I EVER SEEN THIS DONE IN OUR SIMULATOR. I CALLED ATC WHEN I GOT CTL OF THE ACFT AND TOLD THEM WE HAD A FLT CTL PROB; WE WERE AT 37600 FT AND WERE DSNDING DOWN TO FL370. HE SAID 'NO PROB; NO TFC IN AREA.' AT COMPANY SAFETY HEARING; CAPT ADMITTED THAT HE SHUT DOWN (TURNED OFF) ALL FLT COMPUTERS WHICH ARE 2 ELACS; 3 SECONDS; AND 2 FACS. HE SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHY HE DID THAT. HE SAID HE WAS HAVING PERSONAL PROBS AND SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FLYING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE A-320 AS FO FOR A MAJOR US ACR. THE SUBJECT TRIP WAS THE FIRST THAT HE HAD EVER FLOWN WITH THIS CAPT. THE ACFT HAS 2 ELAC (ELEVATOR AND AILERON COMPUTERS); 3 SEC (SPOILER AND ELEVATOR COMPUTERS) AND 2 FAC (FLT AUGMENTATION COMPUTERS). WHEN THESE ARE DISABLED; THE ACFT REVERTS TO 'MANUAL LAW.' THIS IS PRACTICED AT LOW ALT WHEN IN THE SIMULATOR; NEVER AT 37000 FT; AND APPARENTLY FACTORY TEST PLTS HAVE NEVER BEEN IN 'MANUAL LAW' AT HIGH ALT. WHEN THE CAPT DISABLED ALL OF THESE SYS WITHOUT TELLING THE FO; THE ACFT WAS IN 'MANUAL LAW' AND PITCHED UP. THE RPTING FO USED TOO MUCH TRIM TO REGAIN CTL; INJURING THE FLT ATTENDANT. THE FO STATED THAT HE WOULD NOT HAVE LET THE CAPT DO THIS IF HE HAD KNOWN WHAT WAS GOING ON; THE CAPT DID A 'FIX' THAT WAS DONE IN THE SIMULATOR TO GET IT BACK ON-LINE. THE CAPT LIED TO THE FO ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE; MADE A VERY POOR WRITE UP IN THE LOGBOOK; THEN TRIED TO FURTHER COVER UP THE INCIDENT. THE ECAM STORED THE CAPT'S ATTEMPTS TO FIX THE PROB; THIS WAS NOTED AT A COMPANY HEARING. THE CAPT IS OFF ON 'LONG TERM SICK;' A MUTUAL AGREEMENT WITH HIM; HIS UNION AND THE ACR. THE RPTING FO GOT A 2 LEG ACR LINE CHK. AN ACI THEN 'JUST HAPPENED' TO RIDE WITH HIM AND EXTENSIVELY INTERVIEWED HIM ON THIS INCIDENT.

More incidents for this aircraft family →

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