MD88 EXPERIENCES LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION AND DECLARES EMERGENCY FOR LOWER ALTITUDE. SYSTEM CONTROL RESTORED AND EMERGENCY CANCELLED.

Narrative

WHILE IN A CLB; MY FO NOTICED THAT WE HAD AN AUTO INOP LIGHT ON THE PRESSURIZATION PANEL; INDICATING WE HAD LOST BOTH OF OUR AUTO PRESSURIZATION SYS. I LOOKED AT THE CABIN ALT AND IT WAS CLBING THROUGH ABOUT 8500 FT. I WAS THE PNF; AND I IMMEDIATELY CALLED CTR AND ASKED FOR A DSCNT TO 10000 FT. WE WERE GIVEN THE DSCNT; AND THE FO (PF) STARTED A DSCNT. I DECIDED I WANTED TO GET BELOW 10000 FT; SO I CALLED BACK AND ASKED FOR A DSCNT TO 8000 FT; WHICH WAS GIVEN. ATC ASKED IF WE WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER; AND SINCE I HAD ASKED FOR A DSCNT BECAUSE OF A PRESSURIZATION PROB; I TOLD HIM YES; WE WOULD DECLARE AN EMER. AFTER ESTABLISHING THE DSCNT; THE FO TOOK THE RADIOS AND I OPENED THE CHKLIST AND RAN THE CHKLIST FOR LOSS OF AUTO PRESSURIZATION. AFTER RUNNING THE CHKLIST; I WAS ABLE TO GET CTL OF THE CABIN ALT USING MANUAL PRESSURIZATION. THE CABIN ALT TOPPED OUT AT ABOUT 9000 FT; AND I WAS ABLE TO BRING IT BACK DOWN TO A NORMAL CABIN ALT. ONCE I WAS SURE WE HAD CTL OF THE PRESSURIZATION AGAIN; I DECIDED THERE WAS NO REASON TO LAND SHORT; SO I CALLED CTR; TOLD HIM WE WOULD LIKE TO CANCEL THE EMER AND WE CONTINUED TO ZZZ. I NOTIFIED OUR DISPATCHER OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE REST OF THE FLT CONTINUED UNEVENTFULLY. I WONDERED ABOUT DECLARING THE EMER SINCE WE NEVER EVEN GOT A CABIN ALT WARNING; BUT I THINK IT WAS THE RIGHT THING SINCE WE WERE IN EFFECT GETTING PRIORITY HANDLING DURING THE DSCNT.