AN A320 IN CRUISE AT FL390 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO R AC BUS CAUSING FLICKERING LIGHTS IN COCKPIT AND CABIN. FO FLT INSTRUMENTS INTERMITTENT AND NUMEROUS ECAM ALERTS.

Date: 2003-04 · Aircraft: A320 · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|flight-deck-cabin-aircraft-event-smoke-fire-fumes-odor

Synopsis

AN A320 IN CRUISE AT FL390 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO R AC BUS CAUSING FLICKERING LIGHTS IN COCKPIT AND CABIN. FO FLT INSTRUMENTS INTERMITTENT AND NUMEROUS ECAM ALERTS.

Narrative

AT APPROX XA:45Z; FL390 I BEGAN TO NOTICE THE COCKPIT LIGHTS (OVERHEAD AND PANEL LIGHTS BACKGROUND) FLICKER AS IF THERE WAS A POWER INTERRUPTION; THERE WEREN'T ANY ECAM MSGS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THE PURSER CALLED AND INFORMED US THAT THE R SIDE CABIN LIGHTS WERE FLICKERING ON AND OFF. ADDITIONALLY; THE VIDEO SCREENS ON THE R SIDE WERE RETRACTING AND EXTENDING ON THEIR OWN. AT THE SAME TIME THE FO'S ND AND PDF FLICKERED ON AND OFF INCLUDING MOMENTS OF LOSS OF FLT DATA TO THE DISPLAYS. THE ECAM BEGAN TO CYCLE MSGS ABOUT THE NUMBER 2 YAW DAMPER; PACK CTL; PITCH TRIM; FWC; AUTOPLT AND POSSIBLY OTHERS. THE PURSER THEN INFORMED US THAT SHE SMELLED SMOKE. THE FO AGREED THAT HE ALSO SMELLED SMOKE. WHILE NONE WAS VISIBLE IT HAD AN ELECTRICAL ARCING SMELL TO IT. AT THIS TIME WE WERE APPROX 30 NM FROM ZZZ. CONSIDERING THE RPT OF SMOKE AND OR SMELL I SUGGESTED TO THE FO THAT WE BEGIN AN IMMEDIATE DIVERSION AS A PRECAUTION; HE AGREED. ZZZ WAS CONSIDERED AND USED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: CLOSE PROXIMITY; WX WAS VFR; IT WAS AN ACR BASE; IT WAS IN OUR DATABASE; GOOD ARPT FAC; AND THE SIZE OF THE TOWN WAS CONDUCIVE TO HAVING ACCEPTABLE EMER FAC. HE AGREED. AFTER DONNING OUR OXYGEN MASKS AND COMPLETING THE INITIAL QRC 'SMOKE AND FUMES' CHKLIST WE BEGAN OUR DSCNT AND THEN DECLARED AN EMER. I INFORMED THE PURSER THAT WE WOULD BE LNDG AT ZZZ; SHE REMINDED ME THAT WE HAD A DEADHEADING PLT ON BOARD AND WOULD WE LIKE FOR HIM TO COME TO THE COCKPIT AND HELP. GREAT IDEA; I HAD HIM COME TO THE COCKPIT AND HELP RUN THE REQUIRED CHKLISTS FOR US. I HANDED HIM THE QRC/CHKLIST CARD AND THE A320 FLT MANUAL TO COMPLETE THE CURRENT CHKLIST AND BACK US UP ON THE APCH AND FINAL CHKLIST. HE DID A GREAT JOB. THE DSCNT FROM FL390 TO LNDG TOOK ABOUT 10+ MIN. ATC PROVIDED GREAT VECTORS TO FINAL AND HAD CALLED THE ZZZ TWR TELLING THEM OF OUR POSSIBLE PROB. THEY; THE ZZZ TWR; SUBSEQUENTLY CALLED THE FIRE AND CRASH CREWS TO THE ARPT AND WERE THERE WHEN WE LANDED. I CONSIDERED THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EVAC HOWEVER; BECAUSE THE SMELL HAD DISSIPATED AND THE ECAM'S HAD SUBSIDED I CONFERRED WITH THE PURSER AND FELT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY. I BELIEVE I ALSO INFORMED HER THAT THIS WAS 'CABIN ADVISORY' AND TO BE READY SHOULD WE NEED TO EVAC ON LNDG. WHILE TALKING TO THE TWR I TOLD THEM WE WOULD PROBABLY NOT NEED THE CRASH EQUIP. THE LNDG WAS NORMAL AND THERE WERE NO PROBS TAXING IN TO THE RAMP AREA. A NORMAL SHUTDOWN WAS COMPLETED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED ALL THE R COCKPIT AND CABIN LIGHTS WERE FLICKERING AND THE CABIN PAX VIDEO SCREENS WERE RETRACTING AND EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY. THE RPTR SAID THE FO EXPERIENCED LOSS OF FLT DATA TO THE PRIMARY DISPLAYS AND THE ECAM BEGAN TO CYCLE MSGS ABOUT THE YAW DAMPER; PACK CTL; PITCH TRIM AND NUMEROUS OTHER SYSTEMS. THE RPTR STATED THE FO SMELLED SMOKE ASSOCIATED WITH ELECTRICAL ARCING AND THE SAME SMELL WAS RPTED BY THE PURSER; BUT NO SMOKE WAS VISIBLE. THE RPTR SAID THE DECISION WAS MADE TO DECLARE AN EMER AND DIVERT IMMEDIATELY. THE RPTR STATED AT NO TIME DURING THIS EVENT DID THE ECAM INDICATE THIS WAS A GENERATOR LOSS OF PHASE PROB. THE RPTR SAID MAINT FOUND A FEEDER WIRE PIN IN THE FIREWALL CONNECTOR BURNED WITH EVIDENCE OF SEVERE ARCING. THE RPTR STATED THE FAILURE OF THE ECAM SYS TO WARN OF A RIGHT BUS INTERMITTENT LOSS OF PHASE WAS RPTED AND DISCUSSED WITH THE COMPANY.

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