Narrative:

Following uneventful takeoff and departure from iah, climb through 13000', a master caution light illuminated along with an 'air conditioning' on multiple alarm panel. I punched off the master caution light and looked at the air conditioning overhead panel. The duct overheat light was illuminated for the right side. I asked the first officer to consult the 'quick reaction book' for that problem while I continued to fly the airplane. ATC gave us a clearance to climb and a change in frequency. After establishing contact with new controller I asked how things were going. The first officer said that the light was still on and that the checklist called for engine shut down if light remained illuminated beyond 3 mins after efforts to extinguish were completed. We were beyond the 3 mins. I looked at the heading for the checklist and it appeared to be correct and he was pointing to precautionary shutdown statement in checklist. I told him to tell ATC that we needed to go back to houston and to get ready to do the precautionary engine shutdown checklist. The right engine was then shut down and secured. After the aircraft was parked as I was entering the write up in the maintenance log I discovered that the first officer had used the checklist for a 'duct leak' instead of 'duct overheat' and that the engine shutdown was not necessary for the overheat. The first officer was reasonably new to this airplane, but he had been a military pilot and a captain on other aircraft for the company. I thought I double checked by looking across the cockpit at the checklist. Supplemental information from acn 109181: the procedures used were duct bleed, rather than overheat. The light never did extinguish, even while on the ground, pointing to a faulty indicating system. The most probable cause of this incident was overreaction to a minor cause (ie, misident of the light vs the appropriate checklist).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER LTT HAD DUCT OVERHEAT WARNING THAT THE FLT CREW PLAYED AS A DUCT LEAK WARNING. USED WRONG CHECKLIST, INFLT ENGINE SHUTDOWN, RETURN LAND.

Narrative: FOLLOWING UNEVENTFUL TKOF AND DEP FROM IAH, CLB THROUGH 13000', A MASTER CAUTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED ALONG WITH AN 'AIR CONDITIONING' ON MULTIPLE ALARM PANEL. I PUNCHED OFF THE MASTER CAUTION LIGHT AND LOOKED AT THE AIR CONDITIONING OVERHEAD PANEL. THE DUCT OVERHEAT LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED FOR THE RIGHT SIDE. I ASKED THE F/O TO CONSULT THE 'QUICK REACTION BOOK' FOR THAT PROB WHILE I CONTINUED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE. ATC GAVE US A CLRNC TO CLB AND A CHANGE IN FREQ. AFTER ESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH NEW CTLR I ASKED HOW THINGS WERE GOING. THE F/O SAID THAT THE LIGHT WAS STILL ON AND THAT THE CHKLIST CALLED FOR ENG SHUT DOWN IF LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED BEYOND 3 MINS AFTER EFFORTS TO EXTINGUISH WERE COMPLETED. WE WERE BEYOND THE 3 MINS. I LOOKED AT THE HDG FOR THE CHKLIST AND IT APPEARED TO BE CORRECT AND HE WAS POINTING TO PRECAUTIONARY SHUTDOWN STATEMENT IN CHKLIST. I TOLD HIM TO TELL ATC THAT WE NEEDED TO GO BACK TO HOUSTON AND TO GET READY TO DO THE PRECAUTIONARY ENG SHUTDOWN CHKLIST. THE RIGHT ENG WAS THEN SHUT DOWN AND SECURED. AFTER THE ACFT WAS PARKED AS I WAS ENTERING THE WRITE UP IN THE MAINT LOG I DISCOVERED THAT THE F/O HAD USED THE CHKLIST FOR A 'DUCT LEAK' INSTEAD OF 'DUCT OVERHEAT' AND THAT THE ENG SHUTDOWN WAS NOT NECESSARY FOR THE OVERHEAT. THE F/O WAS REASONABLY NEW TO THIS AIRPLANE, BUT HE HAD BEEN A MIL PLT AND A CAPT ON OTHER ACFT FOR THE COMPANY. I THOUGHT I DOUBLE CHKED BY LOOKING ACROSS THE COCKPIT AT THE CHKLIST. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 109181: THE PROCS USED WERE DUCT BLEED, RATHER THAN OVERHEAT. THE LIGHT NEVER DID EXTINGUISH, EVEN WHILE ON THE GND, POINTING TO A FAULTY INDICATING SYS. THE MOST PROBABLE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS OVERREACTION TO A MINOR CAUSE (IE, MISIDENT OF THE LIGHT VS THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST).

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.