A319 CAPT REPORTS NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAILURE DURING TAXI OUT; AND AFTER BSCU RESET DEPARTS UNEVENTFULLY.

Date: 2008-05 · Aircraft: A319 · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-maintenance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

A319 CAPT REPORTS NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAILURE DURING TAXI OUT; AND AFTER BSCU RESET DEPARTS UNEVENTFULLY.

Narrative

WE DEPARTED THE GATE ON TIME -- A SINGLE ENG TAXI E. WE WERE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO TAXI TO RWY 8 VIA TXWY. AS WE MADE THE L TURN AT THE INTXN; WE RECEIVED A LEVEL 2 ECAM 'WHEEL NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAULT.' AT THAT TIME THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAILED AND THE ACFT BEGAN TURNING R INSTEAD OF L DUE TO THE ASYMMETRICAL THRUST OF OUR SINGLE ENG TAXI. I APPLIED DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING TO REGAIN CTL AND BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP IN THE INTXN. THE FO RAN THE ECAM PROC; AND THEN WE CONSULTED FOM FOR FURTHER INFO. PAGE REFERRED US TO THE BSCU RESET WHICH WE REVIEWED TOGETHER AND ACCOMPLISHED. I NOTED THAT THE MANUAL STATES THAT 'ALMOST ALL COMPUTERS CAN BE RESET ON THE GND; AND ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE ONES INDICATED IN THE TABLES;' THE BSCU CAN ONLY BE RESET WHILE THE ACFT IS STOPPED; THE COMPUTER RESET WOULD REQUIRE MAINT NOTIFICATION AND A LOGBOOK ENTRY. A RESET OF THE BSCU IS AUTH FOR A 'WHEEL NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAULT' ECAM; BUT WHAT I DID NOT NOTICE; OR PROCESS CORRECTLY; WAS THAT THE MANUAL ALSO STATES 'IN ORDER TO RETURN TO THE GATE FOR TROUBLESHOOTING' RIGHT AFTER THE VERBIAGE FOR 'WHEEL NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAULT.' ONCE THE BSCU RESET AND REQUIRED BRAKE CHK HAD BEEN COMPLETED; WE CONTINUED OUR TAXI TO A POS THAT WOULD NOT BLOCK TFC; REVIEWED MANUAL TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF LOGBOOK WRITE-UP WAS REQUIRED. WE CONTACTED MAINT CTL VIA RADIO AND EXPLAINED THE MALFUNCTION AND OUR SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS. I INFORMED THEM THAT THE COMPUTER RESET HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND THAT I HAD MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY STATING THE SAME. THEY ASKED ME TO CONFIRM THAT I HAD INDEED ENTERED IT AS A CREW ITEM; WHICH I DID; AND THEN THEY TOLD US THAT THEY WOULD 'MAKE A NOTE OF IT' AND 'THANKS FOR THE CALL.' WE THEN PROCEEDED TO CARRY OUT A NORMAL TAXI OUT; SECOND ENG START; AND FLT WITH NO INCIDENT. I; AS THE CAPT; SHOULD HAVE PERFORMED A MORE COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE FOM INFO PERTAINING TO THIS MALFUNCTION. ALTHOUGH I FELT AT THE TIME THAT I REVIEWED IT VERY CAREFULLY; I SOMEHOW INADVERTENTLY SKIPPED OVER AN IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE DOCUMENTATION. I ALSO WRONGLY ASSUMED THAT MAINT WOULD HAVE ADVISED ME TO DISCONTINUE THE FLT IF THEY KNEW OF ANY REASON WHY THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING COULD NOT BE RESET ON THE GND WITH THIS TYPE OF MALFUNCTION. CLEARLY; THEY SAW NO PROB WITH CONTINUING. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL ASSUME THAT THEIR PROCS MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE PLT GROUP'S AND PERFORM A MORE CAREFUL REVIEW OF THE AVAILABLE DOCUMENTATION.

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