AN MD-80 PILOT REPORTS OF THE AUTOSPOILERS WERE PLACARDED INOP BUT WERE NOT CORRECTLY DEACTIVATED.

2007-11 · NASA ASRS report 763095

Date: 2007-11 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: descent

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-maintenance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-mel-cdl|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

AN MD-80 PILOT REPORTS OF THE AUTOSPOILERS WERE PLACARDED INOP BUT WERE NOT CORRECTLY DEACTIVATED.

Narrative

ACFT SYS FAILURE FLT CTLS. AUTOSPOILERS PLACARDED INOP AND PROPERLY LOGGED IN MAINT LOGBOOK. ALL APPEARED NORMAL UNTIL CAPT ATTEMPTED TO USE SPD BRAKES IN DSCNT AND FOUND THAT THE ONLY WAY TO DEPLOY THEM WAS TO RAISE THE HANDLE. WHILE THAT ALLOWED DEPLOYMENT; NONE OF THE DETENTS WERE AVAILABLE AND THE HANDLE HAD NO RESTR FROM GOING TO THE GND SPOILER POS (GND AREA NOT SELECTED; HOWEVER). IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE MAINT MANUAL HAD BEEN DONE INCORRECTLY. THIS WAS RPTED TO MAINT AT ZZZ AND THEY CORRECTED IT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 763437: AUTOSPOILERS WERE NOT PROPERLY DISARMED BY MAINT. RESULTED IN NO SPOILER DETENTS AND THE ABILITY TO GO STRAIGHT TO GND SPOILERS WHILE AIRBORNE. THE GND SPOILERS WOULD NOT LOCK EXTENDED DURING LNDG ROLL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED THE MD-80 SPEED BRAKE HANDLE OPERATION IS DIFFERENT THAN A BOEING OR AIRBUS; BOTH OF WHICH HE HAS FLOWN. ALTHOUGH THE AUTOSPOILERS WERE PLACARDED PROPERLY; THE AUTOSPOILER SYSTEM DE-ACTIVATION PROCEDURES WERE NOT FOLLOWED CORRECTLY. AS A RESULT; THE FLIGHT SPOILER MODE FOR SPEED BRAKE OPERATION IN-FLIGHT WAS MADE INOP; WHEN ONLY THE GROUND PORTION OF THE AUTOSPOILER SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE DEACTIVATED. EVEN THOUGH THE SPEED BRAKE HANDLE WAS POSITIONED IN THE FULL FWD POSITION; THE REQUIREMENT TO HAVE THE SPEED BRAKE HANDLE ALSO IN THE FULL VERTICAL DOWN (RETRACT) POSITION WAS NOT ACHIEVED. THIS FULL DOWN HANDLE POSITION IS CRUCIAL IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE ABILITY TO OPERATE THE SPEED BRAKES IN-FLIGHT USING THE VARIOUS SPOILER HANDLE DETENTS. THE SPOILER AUTOMATIC ACTUATOR; WHICH IS UNDER THE CENTER PEDESTAL; IS THE UNIT THAT POSITIONS THE SPEED HANDLE INTO THE FULL DOWN OR RETRACT POSITION. EVIDENTLY MAINT HAD NOT VERIFIED WHETHER THE SPEED HANDLE WAS IN THE FULL DOWN POSITION PRIOR TO PULLING THE SPOILER AUTOMATIC ACTUATOR C/B. SPOILER OPERATION IN-FLIGHT COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED BY PULLING THE SPOILER HANDLE FULL UP VERTICALLY BUT W/O THE SPOILER POSITION DETENTS BEING AVAILABLE.

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

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