AN EMB 190'S TKOF CONFIG WARNING SOUNDED BECAUSE THE ACR TKOF FLAP SETTING PROCEDURE CHANGED REQUIRING FLT CREW MANUAL INPUT WHERE PREVIOUSLY THE MCDU FLAP POSITIONS WERE AUTOMATIC.
Synopsis
AN EMB 190'S TKOF CONFIG WARNING SOUNDED BECAUSE THE ACR TKOF FLAP SETTING PROCEDURE CHANGED REQUIRING FLT CREW MANUAL INPUT WHERE PREVIOUSLY THE MCDU FLAP POSITIONS WERE AUTOMATIC.
Narrative
AT THE GATE WE DISCUSSED THAT IT WOULD BE A FLAPS 1 DEG TKOF. HOWEVER; OUT OF HABIT THE CAPT CALLED FOR 'FLAPS 2 TAXI' AND I ALSO SELECTED FLAPS 2 DEGS (ON THE E190 FLAPS 2 DEGS IS NORMAL SETTING ALMOST EVERY ARPT AND RWY SERVED BY THE ACFT). AFTER RECEIVING FINAL WT AND BAL I ENTERED THE DATA INTO THE MCDU BUT FAILED TO NOTICE THAT THE DATA WAS FOR FLAPS 1 DEG. I COMPLETED MY TAXI FLOW BY PRESSING THE 'TKOF CONFIGN' BUTTON. SINCE THE MCDU DEFAULTS TO FLAPS 2 DEGS AND THE FLAPS WERE AT 2 DEGS WE RECEIVED A 'TKOF CONFIGN OK' AURAL MESSAGE. I RAN THE TAXI CHKLIST AFTER THE CAPT CALLED FOR IT. THE LAST ITEM IS REVIEWING THE TKOF DATA. AS I WAS READING THE TKOF DATA FROM THE FINAL WT AND BAL PRINTOUT I THEN NOTICED IT WAS FLAPS 1 DEG. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE CAPT'S ATTN AND SELECTED FLAPS 1 DEG (USING THE FLAP HANDLE BUT NOT CHANGING THE SETTING IN THE MCDU). IT WAS MY TKOF AND WHEN I ADVANCED THE THRUST LEVERS TO SOMEWHERE BTWN 1/2 AND 3/4 OF TKOF THRUST WE RECEIVED A 'NO TKOF FLAPS' WARNING. I PULLED THE PWR BACK TO IDLE; GAVE CTL OF THE ACFT BACK TO THE CAPT; AND INFORMED THE TWR. SINCE WE MOST LIKELY DIDN'T MAKE IT ABOUT 20 OR 30 KTS WE TURNED OFF AT A VERY EARLY TURNOFF. AFTER PULLING ON TO THE TXWY WE DISCOVERED THAT THE WARNING WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CORRECT FLAP SETTING ON THE MCDU 'TKOF' PAGE. WE CORRECTED THE ERROR; PRESSED THE TKOF CONFIGN BUTTON; RERAN THE CHKLIST AND TOOK OFF WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. HABIT OF NORMAL FLAP SETTING CAUSED BOTH MYSELF AND CAPT TO START TAXI WITH FLAP 2 DEGS. ALSO CAUSED ME TO INITIALLY MISS FLAP SETTING ON FINAL WT AND BAL. AFTER CATCHING ERROR; NOT CORRECTING FLAP SETTING IN MCDU CAUSED WARNING. 2 AREAS CAN BE IMPROVED. CONCERNING THE HUMAN ELEMENT -- WE BOTH SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT OUR ERROR AT THE GATE CONCERNING FLAP SETTING. CONCERNING AUTOMATION; THE TKOF SETTING IN THE MCDU COULD BE CHANGED SO THAT IT AUTOMATICALLY DETECTS THE FLAP SETTING UNLESS IT WOULD BE DETERMINED THAT THIS WOULD ACTUALLY BE MORE DETRIMENTAL TO SAFETY THAN POSITIVE. WE HAD THE CORRECT FLAP SETTING AND CORRECT V SPDS ENTERED. THE ONLY REASON FOR THE TKOF WARNING (FROM AN AUTOMATION SIDE) WAS AN INCORRECT SETTING IN THE MCDU. THE MCDU DOES AUTOMATICALLY DETECT EITHER TKOF-1 DEG OR TKOF-2 DEGS FROM THE TRS PAGE. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY FROM THE AUTOMATION SIDE WOULD BE TO SET UP THE MCDU TO HAVE NO DEFAULT SETTING. THEREFORE; A FLAP SETTING WOULD ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ENTERED. HAVING FLAPS 2 DEGS AS DEFAULT DOESN'T REALLY PROVIDE A BARRIER AS THIS SETTING IS USED 90% OR MORE OF THE TIME. THEREFORE; IF WE SET THE FLAPS TO 2 DEGS OUT OF HABIT IT WILL MATCH THE MCDU. FLAPS 1 DEG COULD ALSO BE THE DEFAULT FORCING THE FO TO CHANGE IT TO FLAPS 2 DEGS ALMOST EVERY LEG. IN THE CASE OF A NON-NORMAL FLAP SETTING SUCH AS 1 DEG THE TKOF CONFIGN TEST WOULD WARN US OF A MISMATCH SHOULD WE SELECT FLAPS 2 DEGS OUT OF HABIT AS WE DID IN ZZZ.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.