CL65 CREW HAD POSSIBLE PAX ORIGINATED RF INTERFERENCE WITH AN AUTOFLT SYS DURING VECTORS FOR THE APCH.

Date: 2002-01 · Aircraft: Regional Jet CL65; Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|flight-deck-cabin-aircraft-event-passenger-misconduct|flight-deck-cabin-aircraft-event-passenger-electronic-device

Synopsis

CL65 CREW HAD POSSIBLE PAX ORIGINATED RF INTERFERENCE WITH AN AUTOFLT SYS DURING VECTORS FOR THE APCH.

Narrative

CONDITIONS: VMC; CLRED FOR VISUAL TO CVG RWY 18R; AUTOPLT ON; HDG MODE SET TO 150 DEGS TO INTERCEPT; RWY 18R LOC (111.55/184 DEGS) TUNED AND IDENTED; GREEN DATA SELECTED; APCH ARMED. EVENT: WHILE IN LEVEL FLT AWAITING CAPTURE OF THE LOC; THE AUTOPLT BEGAN A STANDARD RATE TURN TO THE INBOUND COURSE APPROX 7 MI PRIOR TO INTERCEPTING THE LOC. SINCE WE WERE VMC; WE IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THE ERROR AND DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT. THE REST OF THE APCH WAS HAND FLOWN. UPON LNDG; I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT IF SHE NOTICED ANYBODY USING THEIR PHONE INFLT. SHE STATED THAT SHE OBSERVED A PAX IN SEAT XYZ PLACING A CALL DURING THE TIME WE WERE ON APCH TO CVG. COMMENTS: THIS TYPE OF AUTOPLT ERROR HAS HAPPENED TO ME AT OKC AND AT ANOTHER ARPT; AND DURING THOSE OCCURRENCES I SUSPECTED CELL PHONE INTERFERENCE; HOWEVER; I WAS NEVER ABLE TO PROVE THAT SOMEONE WAS ACTUALLY USING THEIR PHONE INFLT. ON THIS OCCASION; IT WAS CONFIRMED BY THE FLT ATTENDANT. MY CONCERN IS THAT IF THIS TYPE OF INTERFERENCE OCCURS WHILE IMC; IT COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. MISSED APCH; TFC CONFLICTS; CREW VIOLATIONS; OR EVEN CFIT COULD BE POSSIBLE. UNFORTUNATELY; WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO WAY OF KNOWING IF A PED IS ON DURING FLT; AND THEREFORE; HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF OUR NAV EQUIP IS BEING DEGRADED. CELL PHONES; WIRELESS PDA'S; THE NEW 'BLACKBERRY' DEVICES; AND OTHER WIRELESS DEVICES ARE COMMONPLACE AND IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE NOT INADVERTENTLY LEFT ON OR USED WHILE AIRBORNE. (IN FACT; SEVERAL MONTHS AGO; ONE OF THE TELEVISION ADS FOR A BLACKBERRY DEVICE SHOWED A PAX CHKING HIS E-MAIL WHILE INFLT.) I ASK FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN ADDRESSING THIS SIT. I AM CONCERNED BY THE POSSIBILITY THAT THIS TYPE OF INTERFERENCE COULD LEAD TO LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS OR AN ACCIDENT. I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A POSSIBLE SOLUTION. IMPLEMENT A RECEIVER/DETECTOR ON BOARD THE ACFT WHICH CAN DETECT XMISSIONS BY THESE TYPES OF DEVICES. SINCE THESE DEVICES ARE ASSIGNED FREQS; THE PRESENCE OF THESE FREQS ON THE ACFT WOULD INDICATE THAT SUCH A DEVICE IS ON AND THAT THE ACCURACY OF THE NAV EQUIP MAY BE DEGRADED. WITH THIS INFO; THE CREW WOULD AT LEAST HAVE SOME INDICATION IN THAT THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF INTERFERENCE. THE CREW WOULD THEN TAKE AN APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION. REGARDLESS OF HOW A LONG-TERM SOLUTION IS DEVISED; I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT FLT ATTENDANTS IMMEDIATELY (EVEN IF STERILE COCKPIT IS IN EFFECT) ADVISE THE CREW IF THEY OBSERVE A PAX USING A PED ON APCH; OR CLBOUT; SINCE THIS IS AN ISSUE OF SAFETY.

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