MD80 CREW HAD A FAILED FO CENTRAL AIR DATA COMPUTER THAT GAVE ERRONEOUS READINGS ON THE FO'S INSTRUMENTATION.

Date: 2003-08 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical

Synopsis

MD80 CREW HAD A FAILED FO CENTRAL AIR DATA COMPUTER THAT GAVE ERRONEOUS READINGS ON THE FO'S INSTRUMENTATION.

Narrative

ALL GND OPS NORMAL. WX; VFR CONDITIONS AT MCO. DEPARTING RWY 18L. TKOF GND ROLL WAS NORMAL UP TO ABOUT 10-15 KTS PRIOR TO V1. AT THIS TIME; FO INSTS HAD AN INTERMITTENT INDICATION OF FULL SCALE AIRSPD; ALTIMETER RAPIDLY WINDING UP AND VSI INDICATING CLB CONDITION. THE INSTS RETURNED TO MATCH THE CAPT'S INSTS AFTER ABOUT 1-2 SECONDS. CAPT AND STANDBY INSTS AGREED WITH EACH OTHER AND APPEARED ACCURATE THROUGHOUT FLT. NORMAL ROTATION AND CLBOUT THROUGH GEAR UP WERE ACCOMPLISHED. PASSING ABOUT 1000 FT; FO INSTS AGAIN GAVE SAME ERRONEOUS INDICATIONS AS ABOVE FOR ABOUT 1-2 SECONDS. CONTINUED WITH NORMAL PROCS OF HALF RATE; FLAPS UP AND CLB PWR. WE SUSPECTED A PITOT STATIC PROB AND WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ACFT WASH THAT WAS COMPLETED THE NIGHT BEFORE. CAPT DECIDED TO RETURN TO MCO FOR MAINT. APPROX 2000-3000 FT; THE FO INSTS FROZE WITH THE FOLLOWING INDICATIONS: AIRSPD PEGGED AT FULL SCALE; ALTIMETER AT 10000 FT; AND VSI AT 1000 FT CLB. ADDITIONALLY; FMA ALT WINDOW WAS BLANK AND DFGC ALT SELECTOR WINDOW WAS BLANK. THE INSTS REMAINED FROZEN UNTIL LNDG GND ROLL WHEN THEY RETURNED TO NORMAL. CAPT FLEW A NORMAL PATTERN FOR AN ILS RWY 18R AND COMPLETED A NORMAL LNDG. AT THE GATE; MAINT COULD NOT FIND ANY PROB WITH THE ACFT. THEY ACCOMPLISHED A BITE CHK ON THE CDC #2 AND IT CHKED NORMAL. THEY STILL SUSPECTED A COMPUTER PROB; SO THEY REPLACED THE CDC #2 ANYWAY AND CHKED THE PITOT STATIC SYS FOR LEAKS (NONE FOUND). ONCE REPAIRED; WE FLEW THE ACFT UNEVENTFULLY TO LGA. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 589680: AFTER WATCHING THE GND CREW'S TAPING OFF ALL ACFT OPENINGS; THE PREVIOUS NIGHT IN PREPARATION FOR ACFT WASHING; I SUSPECTED THAT SOME OF THE STATIC PORTS WERE STILL COVERED. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURNED FOR AN OVERWT LNDG AT MCO. LNDG WT OF 136300 LBS. LNDG WAS NORMAL.

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