B727 flight crew deplanes their passenger when an APU torch is noted. Ground crew at first thought it was a wheelwell fire so crew called crash fire rescue equipment. Both air-conditioning packs had been operating, one illegally.

Home

Browse by month

Random

Latest

About

Contact

Attributes
ACN	368285
Time
Date	199705
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : dfw airport : dfx
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked ground : preflight
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 4000
ASRS Report	368285
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp
Experience	controller military : 7 controller non radar : 10 controller radar : 7 flight time last 90 days : 90 flight time total : 4500 flight time type : 500
ASRS Report	368293
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure non adherence other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : overcame equipment problem other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

Narrative:

Smoke in cabin caused by air-conditioning pack overheat. Boarded passenger were deplaned. Pack was in use because of improper placarding of system by maintenance. Pack should not have been turned on. Had the required notification been in place on the panel, the problem would not have occurred. Supplemental information from acn 368293: turned off power. Then the smoke ceased. Smoke seemed to be coming from the APU. Callback conversation with reporter on acn 368285 revealed the following information: PIC related the scenario in this fashion: the so had come on board the aircraft, the passenger were being loaded. One air conditioning pack was operating. The ground crew was working on the aircraft's logbook on the jetway entry. The logbook had an entry regarding an MEL'ed item, the flow multiplier unit on the APU. This unit, when operating, enhances the flow of air to the APU when both air conditioning compressors are operating but not when one is operating. The so did not know that the unit was inoperative since there was no placard referencing this on the panel, so he turned on the second air-conditioner. The APU overheated, started a shutdown and torched. The ground crew thought that there was a wheelwell fire and someone in the crew had ground control call the crash fire rescue equipment vehicles.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 FLC DEPLANES THEIR PAX WHEN AN APU TORCH IS NOTED. GND CREW AT FIRST THOUGHT IT WAS A WHEELWELL FIRE SO CREW CALLED CFR. BOTH AIR-CONDITIONING PACKS HAD BEEN OPERATING, ONE ILLEGALLY.

Narrative: SMOKE IN CABIN CAUSED BY AIR-CONDITIONING PACK OVERHEAT. BOARDED PAX WERE DEPLANED. PACK WAS IN USE BECAUSE OF IMPROPER PLACARDING OF SYS BY MAINT. PACK SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TURNED ON. HAD THE REQUIRED NOTIFICATION BEEN IN PLACE ON THE PANEL, THE PROB WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 368293: TURNED OFF PWR. THEN THE SMOKE CEASED. SMOKE SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM THE APU. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ON ACN 368285 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PIC RELATED THE SCENARIO IN THIS FASHION: THE SO HAD COME ON BOARD THE ACFT, THE PAX WERE BEING LOADED. ONE AIR CONDITIONING PACK WAS OPERATING. THE GND CREW WAS WORKING ON THE ACFT'S LOGBOOK ON THE JETWAY ENTRY. THE LOGBOOK HAD AN ENTRY REGARDING AN MEL'ED ITEM, THE FLOW MULTIPLIER UNIT ON THE APU. THIS UNIT, WHEN OPERATING, ENHANCES THE FLOW OF AIR TO THE APU WHEN BOTH AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSORS ARE OPERATING BUT NOT WHEN ONE IS OPERATING. THE SO DID NOT KNOW THAT THE UNIT WAS INOP SINCE THERE WAS NO PLACARD REFING THIS ON THE PANEL, SO HE TURNED ON THE SECOND AIR-CONDITIONER. THE APU OVERHEATED, STARTED A SHUTDOWN AND TORCHED. THE GND CREW THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS A WHEELWELL FIRE AND SOMEONE IN THE CREW HAD GND CTL CALL THE CFR VEHICLES.

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.