A PILOT FLYING THE SAME B747-400 ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS; NOTICES THE NUMEROUS TIMES WRITE-UPS ON THE #3 UTILITY/GALLEY ELECTRICAL BUSSES AND EQUIPMENT; HAVE BEEN SIGNED OFF BY MAINTENANCE AS OKAY.

Date: 2008-12 · Aircraft: B747-400 · Phase: ground

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

Synopsis

A PILOT FLYING THE SAME B747-400 ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS; NOTICES THE NUMEROUS TIMES WRITE-UPS ON THE #3 UTILITY/GALLEY ELECTRICAL BUSSES AND EQUIPMENT; HAVE BEEN SIGNED OFF BY MAINTENANCE AS OKAY.

Narrative

WHAT I AM OBSERVING IN THE STATE OF ACR X MAINT LATELY IS OF DEEP CONCERN. AS BEST AS I CAN TELL; FROM THE MAINT HISTORY; ACFT X HAS BEEN HAVING 2 CHRONIC PROBS SINCE AT LEAST EARLY OCTOBER. THAT'S AS FAR BACK AS I HAVE ACCESS. LAST MONTH I FEW THIS ACFT OUT OF ZZZZ. ON TAXI OUT; WE HAD THE #3 UTILITY AND GALLEY BUSSES TRIP OFF. THESE ARE HVY BUSSES FOR THIS ACFT. WHAT ALSO HAPPENED; WHICH WE DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF AT THE TIME; WAS THAT INFLT; RIGHT AFTER TKOF; WE SUDDENLY GOT A FUEL IMBALANCE EICAS MESSAGE. AS BEST AS I RECALL; THE R SIDE TANKS WERE OUT OF BALANCE WITH THE L SIDE TANKS. THE FO AND I REBALANCED THE FUEL AND ENCOUNTERED NO FURTHER PROBS. WE DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT AT THE TIME. THIS MORNING; I PULLED UP THE ACFT INFO BECAUSE THIS IS THE SAME ACFT I'LL BE FLYING IN THE MORNING TO ZZZZ FROM ZZZZ. WHAT I AM SEEING IS DISTURBING. IT APPEARS THAT THE ACFT HAS HAD CONSISTENT PROBS WITH THE #3 UTILITY/GALLEY BUSSES SINCE AT LEAST EARLY NOVEMBER. NUMEROUS TIMES; MAINT IN ZZZZ1 AND OTHER PLACES FOUND EVERYTHING OK; AND COMMENTED 'THIS PROB HAS ALREADY BEEN FIXED.' SOME AREAS I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT: FOUND WIRES MIXED UP AT UPPER DECK GALLEY CHILLER CIRCUIT BREAKER WIRE; GALLEY KILL SWITCHES IN FIRST CLASS AND BUSINESS CLASS; DOESN'T KILL THE RESPECTIVE GALLEY. IN FLT DECK R; FOUND UPPER DECK GALLEY EMER PWR OFF SWITCH MIS-WIRED. RE-WIRED. NOW FIRST AND BUSINESS CLASS ABLE TO TRIP AND RESET. CONNECTOR D6446 DISCONNECTED ABOVE CEILING PANEL IN FIRST CLASS GALLEY. SECURED CONNECTOR D6446 ABOVE FIRST CLASS GALLEY. FOUND UPPER DECK GALLEY EMER PWR SWITCH WITH CROSS AND BROKEN WIRES. POSSIBLY DAMAGING #3 EMER LIGHTING CTL UNIT REPLACE WITH NEW. OPS CHKED ALL GALLEYS WHILE TS UPPER DECK GALLEY PWR TRIP PROB; FOUND CIRCUIT BREAKER C8837 HAS BURN MARK ON WIRE W3839-032-02 AT P180 PANEL FOR TRU #3 BUS TIE DC#3. FOUND RESIDUAL MARKING AND NO DAMAGE TO LUG. WITH REGARD TO THE GALLEY TRIPPING PROB THERE IS (OR WAS) OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THIS ACFT AND IT BEING MIS-WIRED. WHY WAS THIS NOT CAUGHT SOONER? WAS THIS RELATED TO OUTSOURCED MAINT? ARE WE SIMPLY LUCKY THAT WE DIDN'T END UP WITH A FIRE ON BOARD? THE FUEL SYSTEM PROBS SEEM TO CONTINUE UNABATED. BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM NOW HAS A HISTORY OF BEING 'MIS-WIRED;' I HAVE TO WONDER WHETHER OR NOT THE FUEL INDICATION/SYSTEM HAS ALSO BEEN MIS-WIRED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED HE FLEW THE SAME B747-400 RECENTLY AND THE PROBLEMS WITH THE GALLEY ELECTRICAL BUSSES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CORRECTED. BUT NOW THIS SAME AIRCRAFT HAS HAD SEVERAL INCIDENCES OF OVERHEAD WATER LEAKING INTO THE MAIN CABIN. AT ONE POINT; SEVEN OF THEIR LAVS WERE DRY FLUSHED; DUE TO AN OVERHEAD WATER LINE THAT HAD BROKEN; POURING WATER INTO THE CABIN DURING FLIGHT.

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