Narrative:

Flight proceeding normally. Then autoplt disengaged and multiple control/performance/navigation instruments failed. Standby power did not engage automatically, nor would it manually. APU would not start (FL330 or FL210). Since captain's instruments were inoperative, first officer flew descent, approach, and landing. Declared emergency with ZJX and diverted to chs, which was visible from altitude. Approach and landing uneventful. Taxied to gate. Emergency and normal checklists were accomplished, however, emergency checklists would not recover power to any system. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the apparent primary cause of the problem was a tripped 35 amp circuit breaker that pwred the #1 navigation bus. Not only was all the captain's navigation gear inoperative, but the cabin outflow valve locked in position making cabin pressure control impossible. Reporter added that this is the third aircraft with his airline to have this failure. One was on the ground and the other was just about to land. He heard a rumor that the manufacturer plans to fix the problem by installing a higher amperage circuit breaker for the bus. Circuit breaker was hidden behind a garbage bag.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-200 LOST MOST OF THE CAPT'S INSTS. CREW DID NOT KNOW THAT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE #1 NAV BUS HAD TRIPPED. IT WAS DUSK AND THEY HAD CHS IN SIGHT SO THEY MADE AN EMER DSCNT AND LANDED THERE. FO FLEW BECAUSE CAPT HAD LOST SO MANY INSTS.

Narrative: FLT PROCEEDING NORMALLY. THEN AUTOPLT DISENGAGED AND MULTIPLE CTL/PERFORMANCE/NAV INSTS FAILED. STANDBY PWR DID NOT ENGAGE AUTOMATICALLY, NOR WOULD IT MANUALLY. APU WOULD NOT START (FL330 OR FL210). SINCE CAPT'S INSTS WERE INOP, FO FLEW DSCNT, APCH, AND LNDG. DECLARED EMER WITH ZJX AND DIVERTED TO CHS, WHICH WAS VISIBLE FROM ALT. APCH AND LNDG UNEVENTFUL. TAXIED TO GATE. EMER AND NORMAL CHKLISTS WERE ACCOMPLISHED, HOWEVER, EMER CHKLISTS WOULD NOT RECOVER PWR TO ANY SYS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE APPARENT PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE PROB WAS A TRIPPED 35 AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER THAT PWRED THE #1 NAV BUS. NOT ONLY WAS ALL THE CAPT'S NAV GEAR INOP, BUT THE CABIN OUTFLOW VALVE LOCKED IN POS MAKING CABIN PRESSURE CTL IMPOSSIBLE. RPTR ADDED THAT THIS IS THE THIRD ACFT WITH HIS AIRLINE TO HAVE THIS FAILURE. ONE WAS ON THE GND AND THE OTHER WAS JUST ABOUT TO LAND. HE HEARD A RUMOR THAT THE MANUFACTURER PLANS TO FIX THE PROB BY INSTALLING A HIGHER AMPERAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE BUS. CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS HIDDEN BEHIND A GARBAGE BAG.

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.