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B757 captain refused an aircraft because of uncertainty about the integrity of the entertainment system wiring that could possibly pose a fire hazard.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1328478 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201601 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Other Preflight planning |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Electrical Wiring & Connectors |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 151 Flight Crew Type 4313 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe |
Narrative:
Arrive at aircraft to find the entire left side on the inflight entertainment system is MEL. Called maintenance to find out the circuit breaker in the east&east popped and was reset and popped again and believed to be a dead short. I asked about the damage to wires and they did not know because they did not check it out. The plane had been flying for 3 days and was to fly 3 days more. I asked if the short was a burnt or cracked wire that was in the bundle of wires for the left side of the entertainment system. They did not know and need 3 hours just to answer that question.I have no access to the circuit breakers in the cockpit to isolate the left side of the entertainment system. I feel if the entertainment system had a short; why didn't they shut off the whole system instead of risking the chance of an inflight fire? This is what caused the [an air carrier] fire [some years ago].I was pressured to take the plane; but refused. I am expecting the company to retaliate; but I stand by my decision. In 30 years of flying and almost 20 years with this company I have never refused an aircraft; but I had to.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B757 Captain refused an aircraft because of uncertainty about the integrity of the entertainment system wiring that could possibly pose a fire hazard.
Narrative: Arrive at aircraft to find the entire left side on the inflight entertainment system is MEL. Called maintenance to find out the circuit breaker in the E&E popped and was reset and popped again and believed to be a dead short. I asked about the damage to wires and they did not know because they did not check it out. The plane had been flying for 3 days and was to fly 3 days more. I asked if the short was a burnt or cracked wire that was in the bundle of wires for the left side of the entertainment system. They did not know and need 3 hours just to answer that question.I have no access to the circuit breakers in the cockpit to isolate the left side of the entertainment system. I feel if the entertainment system had a short; why didn't they shut off the whole system instead of risking the chance of an inflight fire? This is what caused the [an air carrier] fire [some years ago].I was pressured to take the plane; but refused. I am expecting the company to retaliate; but I stand by my decision. In 30 years of flying and almost 20 years with this company I have never refused an aircraft; but I had to.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.