AN A320 WOULD NOT DECELERATE AND LAND FOLLOWING AN AUTOLAND APCH. CREW DISCONNECTED AUTOPLT FOR NORMAL LNDG.

2005-05 · NASA ASRS report 659430

Date: 2005-05 · Aircraft: A320 · Phase: landing

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|other-floowed-autoland-long-landing-flare

Synopsis

AN A320 WOULD NOT DECELERATE AND LAND FOLLOWING AN AUTOLAND APCH. CREW DISCONNECTED AUTOPLT FOR NORMAL LNDG.

Narrative

THIS RPT IS BEING FILED AFTER A CONVERSATION WITH THE A320 FLEET TECHNICIAN SPECIALIST DUE TO POTENTIAL SAFETY RAMIFICATIONS AND AT HIS SUGGESTION. I WAS CAPT AND PF FOR AUTOLAND LAX RWY 25L TO SATISFY ACFT NEED FOR AUTOLAND AND FOR PROFICIENCY. HIGH SPD APCH TO OM (190 ASSIGNED) ACFT CONFIGURED FOR AUTOLAND PRIOR TO 1000 FT AND ABOUT 10 KTS ABOVE VREF. SLOWED TO ABOUT VREF AND 4 KTS BY THRESHOLD. LAND AND FLARE MODES ENGAGED NORMALLY AND AT CORRECT ALTS. AFTER INITIAL FLARE; THE VERT SPD WENT TO ZERO AND THE ACFT FLOATED ABOUT 1000 FT AT ABOUT 3-5 FT ABOVE THE RWY; THEN SEEMED TO REALIZED THAT IT HADN'T LANDED AND PITCHED VERY AGGRESSIVELY DOWN. IT FELT LIKE THE AUTOPLT WAS ABOUT TO DRIVE THE NOSEWHEEL INTO THE GND. I DISCONNECTED AUTOPLT AFTER ABOUT 1-2 DEGS OF PITCH CHANGE AND PULLED ALMOST FULL AFT STICK. MAIN TOUCHDOWN WAS FIRM; BUT NOT A HARD LNDG. TOUCHDOWN ATTITUDE WAS ABOUT NORMAL. I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE THAT AUTOPLT WOULD HAVE RECOVERED. GOT BOTH OF OUR ATTENTIONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED HE HAS NEVER HAD AN ACFT PITCH SO AGGRESSIVELY EITHER UP OR DOWN. IN THIS CASE; HE FEELS SURE THE PITCH WOULD HAVE DRIVEN THE NOSEWHEEL INTO THE GND HAD HE NOT DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND APPLIED FULL UP ELEVATOR. HE HAS ATTEMPTED TO GET TECHNICAL EXPERTS TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE HE DOES NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE NOT KNOWING. IN NO CASE WILL HE TAKE FOR GRANTED THE AUTOLAND CAPABILITY OF THAT AIRPLANE. THE RPTR ADDRESSED THE QUESTION OF A POSSIBLE HEADWIND OR TAILWIND GUST IN THE FLARE AND NEITHER HE NOR THE FO WERE AWARE OF A WIND INVOLVEMENT. HE WAS UNSURE ABOUT THE APCH IDLE POSSIBLY NOT DECELERATING BECAUSE HE DOESN'T MONITOR PWR BELOW 100 FT.

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

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