<< >> NASA ASRS Report 122817, September 1989

Flight crew of large transport flew aircraft after determining that MEL approved flight with engines in flight idle confign.

Attributes
ACN	122817
Time
Date	198909
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : bos
State Reference	MA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground : preflight ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 8700 flight time type : 980
ASRS Report	122817
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 17000 flight time type : 120
ASRS Report	122812
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

Narrative:

After #3 engine was started, first officer observed engine accelerate to flight idle (approximately 82 percent N2). #1 engine was started and it also accelerated to flight idle. Start of #2 engine was discontinued. Abnormal procedures and MEL were consulted by F/east. Aircraft returned to gate. Subsequent conference with maintenance and check of MEL resulted in placarding engines as stuck in flight idle. Aircraft was redispatched and pushed back from the gate. All engines were started and observed to accelerate to flight idle. Aircraft was flown to dfw without further incident where ground/flight idle control relay was replaced and placard removed. Closer scrutiny of MEL by flight crew en route to dfw revealed that the aircraft in fact should not have been dispatched with more than one ground/flight idle system inoperative. Flight crew, bos maintenance, tulsa technician, all interpreted ground/flight idle system idle control relay to nosewheel switch. However, each engine is considered a system controled by ground/flight idle control relay.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF LGT FLEW ACFT AFTER DETERMINING THAT MEL APPROVED FLT WITH ENGINES IN FLT IDLE CONFIGN.

Narrative: AFTER #3 ENGINE WAS STARTED, F/O OBSERVED ENGINE ACCELERATE TO FLT IDLE (APPROX 82 PERCENT N2). #1 ENGINE WAS STARTED AND IT ALSO ACCELERATED TO FLT IDLE. START OF #2 ENGINE WAS DISCONTINUED. ABNORMAL PROCS AND MEL WERE CONSULTED BY F/E. ACFT RETURNED TO GATE. SUBSEQUENT CONFERENCE WITH MAINT AND CHECK OF MEL RESULTED IN PLACARDING ENGINES AS STUCK IN FLT IDLE. ACFT WAS REDISPATCHED AND PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE. ALL ENGINES WERE STARTED AND OBSERVED TO ACCELERATE TO FLT IDLE. ACFT WAS FLOWN TO DFW WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT WHERE GND/FLT IDLE CTL RELAY WAS REPLACED AND PLACARD REMOVED. CLOSER SCRUTINY OF MEL BY FLT CREW ENRTE TO DFW REVEALED THAT THE ACFT IN FACT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED WITH MORE THAN ONE GND/FLT IDLE SYSTEM INOPERATIVE. FLT CREW, BOS MAINT, TULSA TECHNICIAN, ALL INTERPRETED GND/FLT IDLE SYSTEM IDLE CTL RELAY TO NOSEWHEEL SWITCH. HOWEVER, EACH ENGINE IS CONSIDERED A SYSTEM CTLED BY GND/FLT IDLE CTL RELAY.

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.