A319 captain discovers low crew oxygen pressure during descent and elects to declare an emergency wi...

Attributes
ACN	1087881
Time
Date	201305
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A319
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Descent
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Oxygen System/Crew
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 120 Flight Crew Total 11300 Flight Crew Type 9100
Person 2
Function	Pilot Flying First Officer
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 180 Flight Crew Total 12000 Flight Crew Type 2500
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

Narrative:

During descent; I completed my routine system check via ECAM. The crew oxygen level was 270 psi. During preflight; it was 1;280 psi. The minimum is 550 psi with no jump seaters. We had not used oxygen during the flight. We used the QRH which directed us to descend to 10;000 feet or the MSA if higher. We declared an emergency with ATC and center descended us to 15;000 feet which was the MSA at that point. Once clear of the mountains; approach control descended us to 10;000 feet. Once I had declared the emergency; I informed dispatch. He asked if he wanted to get maintenance on the line and I said we were already close so it was not necessary. We elected to continue because it was so close and we were over the mountains as it was. I informed the lead flight attendant about our situation and briefed the passengers that there would be emergency equipment by the runway as a matter of standard routine but no need to worry. The rest of the approach was uneventful. We elected not to bring up emergency O2 bottles because we were already close to landing and the QRH said it was optional.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A319 Captain discovers low crew oxygen pressure during descent and elects to declare an emergency with ATC to expedite the descent. A normal landing ensues. Pressure had been normal during preflight.

Narrative: During descent; I completed my routine system check via ECAM. The crew oxygen level was 270 PSI. During preflight; it was 1;280 PSI. The minimum is 550 PSI with no jump seaters. We had not used oxygen during the flight. We used the QRH which directed us to descend to 10;000 feet or the MSA if higher. We declared an emergency with ATC and Center descended us to 15;000 feet which was the MSA at that point. Once clear of the mountains; Approach Control descended us to 10;000 feet. Once I had declared the emergency; I informed Dispatch. He asked if he wanted to get Maintenance on the line and I said we were already close so it was not necessary. We elected to continue because it was so close and we were over the mountains as it was. I informed the lead Flight Attendant about our situation and briefed the passengers that there would be emergency equipment by the runway as a matter of standard routine but no need to worry. The rest of the approach was uneventful. We elected not to bring up emergency O2 bottles because we were already close to landing and the QRH said it was optional.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

A319 captain discovers low crew oxygen pressure during descent and elects to declare an emergency with ATC to expedite the descent. A normal landing ensues. Pressure had been normal during preflight.