A B737-200 ON FINAL APCH AT 2500 FT AT FLAPS 1 DEG AND FLAPS 5 DEGS; THE #3 SLAT 'IN TRANSIT' LIGHT WAS ON INTERMITTENTLY. AT FLAPS 10 DEGS LIGHT INDICATIONS WERE OK. FAA INSPECTOR RIDING IN COCKPIT QUESTIONED IF PROCS WERE FOLLOWED PER THE MANUAL.

1998-06 · NASA ASRS report 404715

Date: 1998-06 · Aircraft: B737-200 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

A B737-200 ON FINAL APCH AT 2500 FT AT FLAPS 1 DEG AND FLAPS 5 DEGS; THE #3 SLAT 'IN TRANSIT' LIGHT WAS ON INTERMITTENTLY. AT FLAPS 10 DEGS LIGHT INDICATIONS WERE OK. FAA INSPECTOR RIDING IN COCKPIT QUESTIONED IF PROCS WERE FOLLOWED PER THE MANUAL.

Narrative

AS THE ACTING FO ON ACR FLT XYZ; THESE ARE THE EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRED DURING THE INTERMEDIATE TO FINAL APCH PHASE OF THE FLT. THE CAPT WAS FLYING THE ACFT AT THE TIME. WE WERE ALSO BEING LINE CHKED BY THE FAA (STANDARD SURVEILLANCE). WE HAD JUST COMPLETED OUR APCH CHKLIST AND WERE ON A R DOWNWIND (IN VMC CONDITIONS) FOR RWY 23L. RWY 23R WAS CLOSED. THE CAPT HAD SLOWED THE ACFT TO 230 KTS AND WAS CONTINUING TO SLOW IN ORDER TO EXTEND FLAPS. AT ABOUT 5 MI FROM THE APCH END OF THE RWY WE WERE GIVEN A VECTOR FOR A BASE LEG. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT REQUESTED FLAPS 1 DEG. THE FLAPS EXTENDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ALL INDICATIONS NORMAL. OUR ALT AT THE TIME WAS 2500 FT; AND WE WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH. WE WERE TOLD TO MAINTAIN 210 KTS TILL THE OM IF POSSIBLE. I TOLD ATC WE WOULD DO OUR BEST; AND WERE GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE TO IND TWR. AT THAT POINT A LEADING EDGE FLAP IN TRANSIT LIGHT; LOCATED ON OUR FORWARD INST PANEL; BEGAN TO FLICKER. ALL 3 COCKPIT MEMBERS CHKED THE OVERHEAD ANNUNCIATOR TO SEE IF THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY. THE #3 SLAT WAS SHOWING IN TRANSIT. THE CAPT THEN REQUESTED FLAPS 5 DEGS. THE LIGHT STILL REMAINED INTERMITTENT. OUR DISTANCE WAS NOW 5 MI; SPD 190 KTS; SLOWING TO FLY THE GLIDE PATH ON THE ILS. THE FIELD WAS IN SIGHT. AT THAT POINT; I ASKED THE CAPT WHAT HE WANTED TO DO. IT WAS EITHER CONTINUE TO CONFIGURE (THE SLATS GO TO FULL EXTEND AFTER 5 DEGS) OR GAR. HE THEN CALLED FOR 10 DEGS; AT WHICH POINT WE HAD AN ALL GREEN INDICATION. WE THEN CONFIGURED FOR LNDG AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE FAA QUERIED US AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE HAD A WRITTEN PROC FOR WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE ANSWER IS YES AND NO. THE PROC READS AS FOLLOWS: LEADING EDGE FLAPS 'IN TRANSIT' LIGHT AFTER EXTENSION. LEADING EDGE DEVICES POS LIGHTS ANNUNCIATOR -- CHK. IF ONE OR MORE LEADING EDGE DEVICES POS LIGHTS NOT IN FULL EXTEND POS; EXECUTE FLAPS 15 DEG LNDG. GPWS -- INHIBIT. IN ORDER TO GET THE FULL EXTEND YOU NEED TO GO TO 10 DEGS FLAPS. ALSO THE PROC DOES NOT ADDRESS AN INTERMITTENT INDICATION. THE ACFT HAD THIS PROB WRITTEN UP BEFORE AND; ACCORDING TO THE LOGBOOK; THE PREVIOUS CREW SEEMS TO HAVE DONE THE SAME THING. I JUST WISH I HAD BEEN MORE ASSERTIVE IN THIS SIT; RATHER THAN ASKING WHAT THE CAPT WANTED TO DO. I SHOULD HAVE SUGGESTED; 'LET'S TAKE IT AROUND AND WORK THIS PROB OUT.'

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

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