B737-800 FLT CREW EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TCAS RA'S ALLEGEDLY GENERATED BY A WI-FI ENABLED LAPTOP COMPUTER.

Date: 2005-09 · Aircraft: B737-800

Anomalies: flight-deck-cabin-aircraft-event-passenger-electronic-device

Synopsis

B737-800 FLT CREW EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TCAS RA'S ALLEGEDLY GENERATED BY A WI-FI ENABLED LAPTOP COMPUTER.

Narrative

FLT XXX; A B737-800 ZZZ-ZZZ1. AFTER TKOF NEAR MAX GROSS WT; PRIOR TO FLAP RETRACTION RECEIVED A RESOLUTION ADVISORY 'MAINTAIN VERT SPD' WITH RED AREA NOT TO DECREASE TO 1500 FPM OR LESS RATE OF CLB. DELAYED THRUST REDUCTION AND FLAP RETRACTION TO COMPLY WITH RA AND SCANNED FOR TFC. TCAS INDICATED A CO-ALT TARGET (RED CIRCLE) LESS THAN .01 BEHIND US. THIS OCCURRED AT 1000 FT MSL; AND CLRED UP APPROX 30 SECONDS LATER. SECOND RA OCCURRED NEAR 12000 FT MSL. SAME TARGET INDICATION; A RED CIRCLE CO-ALT LESS THAN .01 BEHIND US. NOW THE RA ADVISED 'DSND; DSND; DSND.' WE STARTED THE DSCNT; ADVISING ATC OF THE RA AND SCANNING FOR TFC. ATC ADVISED US THERE WAS NOTHING IN OUR VICINITY; AND TCAS WAS CLEAN OF TARGETS FOR NEARLY 10 MILES. BEGAN TO SUSPECT EMI FROM CABIN. STARTED TO CLB AGAIN -- IGNORING THE TCAS RA COMMANDS. THE BOX WAS QUIET. RECYCLED THE XPONDER POWER. AT 14000 FT; WE GOT A THIRD TCAS RA. SAME DISPLAY AND DSND CALLOUTS. WE IGNORED THEM. CALLED CABIN FOR A CHK OF EQUIP THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED INTERFERENCE. FOUND PAX SEATED IN FIRST CLASS WITH LAPTOP ON. MODEL HP 6220 WITH WIRELESS FUNCTION ENABLED. THE PAX CLOSED THE LID WHEN WE WERE BOARDING ON THE GND; PUTTING THE LAPTOP INTO STANDBY/HIBERNATE MODE. ONCE HE DISABLED THE WIRELESS FUNCTION; ALL OK. THE TECH PEOPLE SHOULD GET A HEADS UP ON THIS. GUESS THE WIRELESS FUNCTION WAS TRYING TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION AND EACH TIME IT DID (OR A FRACTION OF THE ATTEMPTS) WAS INTERPRETED AS A TCAS SIGNAL. (CO-ALT; .01 BEHIND US.) THE DISPLAY WAS A RED CIRCLE; NOT A RED SQUARE. NO YELLOW OR WHITE CIRCLES PRIOR TO ANY RA EVENTS. IS THE TCAS ANTENNA CABLE SHIELDED FROM INTERNAL (CABIN COMPUTERS) EMI? I HAVE NOT SEEN AN EVENT LIKE THIS BEFORE. WHAT MAKES IT HAZARDOUS -- IS THE RATE OF CLB AT DEP; PRIOR TO ACCELERATION AND FLAP RETRACTION AND THE 1500 FPM OR GREATER RATE OF CLB. (TRANSCON NEAR MAX TKOF WT.) WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF WIRELESS COMPUTERS; I AM SURE WE WILL BE SEEING THIS MORE OFTEN.

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