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Flight crew reported refusing an aircraft with an inoperative auxiliary power unit due to anticipated severe weather.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1716034 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201912 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | A320 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | APU |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 151 Flight Crew Total 20000 Flight Crew Type 14000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
Flight planned to operate an aircraft with APU (auxiliary power unit) inoperative. ZZZ WX was moderate to severe icing; wind; snow. Night flight. ZZZ1 (an airport in mountainous terrain) was forecasting wind; snow; freezing precipitation; icing. I decided that this environment was not the time to be flying around without an APU. I called dispatch; conferenced with [maintenance]; and refused the aircraft. I then contacted ZZZ [operations] and advised of the refusal; and suggested we start looking for an alternate aircraft. One was coordinated- we flight planned; loaded the pax (passengers); and departed. Arrived ZZZ1 about 1 hour late. First officer (first officer) was included in my decision making process. I followed proper established procedure/ protocol for the refusal. I utilized company procedures to achieve a successful - and safe - resolution to the issue.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Flight Crew reported refusing an aircraft with an inoperative Auxiliary Power Unit due to anticipated severe weather.
Narrative: Flight planned to operate an aircraft with APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) inoperative. ZZZ WX was moderate to severe icing; wind; snow. Night flight. ZZZ1 (an airport in mountainous terrain) was forecasting wind; snow; freezing precipitation; icing. I decided that this environment was not the time to be flying around without an APU. I called Dispatch; conferenced with [maintenance]; and refused the aircraft. I then contacted ZZZ [operations] and advised of the refusal; and suggested we start looking for an alternate aircraft. One was coordinated- we flight planned; loaded the pax (Passengers); and departed. Arrived ZZZ1 about 1 hour late. FO (First Officer) was included in my decision making process. I followed proper established procedure/ protocol for the refusal. I utilized company procedures to achieve a successful - and safe - resolution to the issue.
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.