Flight crew must return ETOPS flight to land overweight due to bleed overheat.

Attributes
ACN	317359
Time
Date	199509
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : jfk
State Reference	NY
Altitude	msl bound lower : 18000 msl bound upper : 18000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zny
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 20000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	317359
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Departure from jfk to lisbon, portugal, after maintenance on 2 items. #2 engine bleed, #2 fadec (electronic fuel control - throttle link 'fully automated digital engine control'). The engine bleed operation was required for ETOPS (extended twin operations) flight over ocean and was supposedly fixed. The fadec was not required as long as the backup system was operating, and we were dispatched with the fadec inoperative with back up manual throttles operating, but with several weight limitation penalties. 46000 pounds plus or minus reduction in takeoff weight. Limited by climb and 93000 pounds plus or minus reduction in landing climb performance weight. During climb out the #2 engine bleed overheated, as it had done before on previous flts so we could not continue on our ETOPS flight and returned to jfk and made an overweight landing, which is no problem in itself and is more or less standard procedure as this aircraft has no fuel dump system. The degradation of landing climb limits, however, put us well above the performance limit of the aircraft, for single-engine operations, which would have had marginal performance in the event of an engine loss and a missed approach. The error was only realized after the fact. A normal 2 engine landing was accomplished uneventfully.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC MUST RETURN ETOPS FLT TO LAND OVERWT DUE TO BLEED OVERHEAT.

Narrative: DEP FROM JFK TO LISBON, PORTUGAL, AFTER MAINT ON 2 ITEMS. #2 ENG BLEED, #2 FADEC (ELECTRONIC FUEL CTL - THROTTLE LINK 'FULLY AUTOMATED DIGITAL ENG CTL'). THE ENG BLEED OP WAS REQUIRED FOR ETOPS (EXTENDED TWIN OPS) FLT OVER OCEAN AND WAS SUPPOSEDLY FIXED. THE FADEC WAS NOT REQUIRED AS LONG AS THE BACKUP SYS WAS OPERATING, AND WE WERE DISPATCHED WITH THE FADEC INOP WITH BACK UP MANUAL THROTTLES OPERATING, BUT WITH SEVERAL WT LIMITATION PENALTIES. 46000 LBS PLUS OR MINUS REDUCTION IN TKOF WT. LIMITED BY CLB AND 93000 LBS PLUS OR MINUS REDUCTION IN LNDG CLB PERFORMANCE WT. DURING CLBOUT THE #2 ENG BLEED OVERHEATED, AS IT HAD DONE BEFORE ON PREVIOUS FLTS SO WE COULD NOT CONTINUE ON OUR ETOPS FLT AND RETURNED TO JFK AND MADE AN OVERWT LNDG, WHICH IS NO PROB IN ITSELF AND IS MORE OR LESS STANDARD PROC AS THIS ACFT HAS NO FUEL DUMP SYS. THE DEGRADATION OF LNDG CLB LIMITS, HOWEVER, PUT US WELL ABOVE THE PERFORMANCE LIMIT OF THE ACFT, FOR SINGLE-ENG OPS, WHICH WOULD HAVE HAD MARGINAL PERFORMANCE IN THE EVENT OF AN ENG LOSS AND A MISSED APCH. THE ERROR WAS ONLY REALIZED AFTER THE FACT. A NORMAL 2 ENG LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED UNEVENTFULLY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.