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Dash-8 captain reported returning to the departure airport after losing autoflight capability.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1442866 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201704 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Dash 8 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Climb |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Autoflight System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe |
Narrative:
After takeoff I attempted to select pitch mode from the FGC controller. I noticed that my selections were not being displayed on the 802 panel; and that the modes on the FGC became 'locked.' I was also not able to clear the flight director; and the flight director was giving inaccurate directions. I tried several times to select different modes as well as tried to disengage the flight director without success. Once we discovered the issue; we looked into the non-normal checklist to determine what/if any actions could be taken. We discovered there was no checklist available and decided to contact company as we were approaching IMC and very low ceilings at our destination. After speaking with maintenance control; it was determined that there was no way to clear the flight director in the air. After speaking with dispatch and my first officer; we determined the best course of action was to return to [departure airport] because the weather at our alternate would require us to enter IMC conditions which we did not feel comfortable doing.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Dash-8 Captain reported returning to the departure airport after losing autoflight capability.
Narrative: After takeoff I attempted to select PITCH mode from the FGC controller. I noticed that my selections were not being displayed on the 802 panel; and that the modes on the FGC became 'locked.' I was also not able to clear the flight director; and the flight director was giving inaccurate directions. I tried several times to select different modes as well as tried to disengage the flight director without success. Once we discovered the issue; we looked into the non-normal checklist to determine what/if any actions could be taken. We discovered there was no checklist available and decided to contact company as we were approaching IMC and very low ceilings at our destination. After speaking with Maintenance Control; it was determined that there was no way to clear the flight director in the air. After speaking with dispatch and my first officer; we determined the best course of action was to return to [departure airport] because the weather at our alternate would require us to enter IMC conditions which we did not feel comfortable doing.
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.