DC10-30 CREW HAD ALT OVERSHOOT IN I90 CLASS B.

Date: 2000-10 · Aircraft: DC-10 30F · Phase: climb

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-altitude-overshoot|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-compass-and-flt-director-problems

Synopsis

DC10-30 CREW HAD ALT OVERSHOOT IN I90 CLASS B.

Narrative

DEPARTED ELLINGTON FIELD; TX; TO FERRY DC10-30 TO LAS VEGAS; NV. DEP INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO TURN TO 130 DEG HDG (DEP RWY 17) AND CLB TO 2000 FT. FO WAS FLYING ACFT AT TKOF; AND AFTER LIFTOFF WHILE PREPARING TO TURN TO 130 DEGS; HIS COMPASSES WERE OFF 30 DEGS FROM MINE; BUT WITH NO FLAGS. I NOTICED; TOLD HIM TO TURN; GIVING HIM INSTRUCTIONS USING MY COMPASS. HE CALLED FOR GEAR RETRACTION WHICH I DID; AND AT 1000 FT CALLED FOR FLAPS 0 DEG; CLB THRUST. I WAS DOING THESE TASKS AS WELL AS SETTING THRUST COMPUTER AND TURNING AUTOTHROTTLES ON. THE AIRPLANE WAS VERY LIGHT AND CLBING RAPIDLY. AFTER RETRACTING GEAR; SETTING FLAPS AND AUTOTHROTTLES AND TELLING FO TO TURN; I LOOKED AT MY ALTIMETER AND NOTICED WE WERE AT 2800 FT MSL. I IMMEDIATELY TOLD THE FO TO RETURN TO 2000 FT AS ASSIGNED. DEP CTL ASKED WHAT ALT WE WERE AT; AND I REPLIED WE WERE LEVELING AT 2000 FT. HE SAID WE HAD VFR TFC AT 2500 FT. WE SAW TFC; NO ALERTS OR TCASII WARNINGS. WE WERE THEN CLRED ENRTE WITH NOTHING MORE SAID ABOUT THE ALT EXCURSION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 489797: OUR DEP CLRNC WAS TO TURN L 130 DEGS; RADAR VECTORS TO INDUSTRY VOR AND TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 2000 FT. WHEN WE CHKED OUR COMPASSES DURING OUR TAXI CHK MY HSI COMPASS APPEARED NORMAL. BUT AFTER TKOF WHEN I SELECTED AND CALLED FOR HEADING SELECT THE FLT GUIDANCE ROLL BAR WAS COMMANDING ME TO STEER R; INSTEAD OF L. I ASKED THE FE TO CHK FOR A CIRCUIT BREAKER THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN OUT. HE SAID ALL BREAKERS WERE OK; BUT THE 'GYROSCOPE NEEDED TO BE SLEWED.' MY PITCH BAR WAS STILL COMMANDING UP EVEN THOUGH OUR TARGET ALT OF 2000 FT WAS ARMED. THIS DISTR WAS A FACTOR IN GOING THROUGH OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF 2000 FT. THE CAPT WAS BUSY RETRACTING FLAPS AND SETTING CLB PWR AND DID NOT SEE THE ALT BUST RIGHT AWAY. I SAW IT AND CORRECTED IT IMMEDIATELY. AFTER TURNING OFF ALL FLT GUIDANCE; WE ENDED UP 800 FT HIGHER FOR LESS THAN 15 SECONDS AND THERE WERE NO TCASII WARNINGS OR EVASIVE ACTIONS TAKEN. FATIGUE IS ALSO A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR AS WELL. THE CREW HAD BEEN IN FRANKFURT; GERMANY; THE DAY BEFORE AND EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE LEGAL TO FLY; THEY WERE ALL STILL FATIGUED. LATER ON APCH TO LAS THERE WERE MISMATCHED GS INDICATIONS BTWN CAPT AND FO; FURTHER SUGGESTING PROBS WITH THE FLT GUIDANCE SYS. THE CRUISE; DSCNT AND APCH TO LAS WERE UNEVENTFUL AND NORMAL.

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