Narrative:

Immediately after taking off on runway 9L at the ft lauderdale international airport, the indicated airspeed began to drop and the altimeter froze at approximately 600 ft. At that time, miami approach asked us to 'say altitude,' and I responded 'unable, we have lost the altimeters.' he asked for clarification, and I said that 'the altimeters did not work.' he assumed they were a known problem and started chiding us for accepting an IFR clearance and initiating the flight with inoperative altimeters/encoders. At that time I reported that we had the miami international airport in sight, that we were landing IFR. He then cleared us for the visual approach to runway 9L at mia and asked us to contact miami tower. The landing was uneventful, as we referenced the angle of attack (aoa) indicators for speed control. After landing in miami, we were instructed to call approach control on the phone. We discovered on post-flight that all 5 static ports had been taped over with masking tape. I informed the tower supervisor what had happened, and clarified the events for him. He seemed satisfied. The incident could have been avoided if: line service had properly documented taping the static ports when they washed the airplane, the copilot had accomplished a proper preflight and I double-checked the important items (as I usually do), there had been better communication between the controller and myself advising the nature and seriousness of the problem. We were very lucky it was VMC.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN SMT JET NOTICED AIRSPD AND ALT ERRONEOUS INDICATIONS DURING CLBOUT CAUSING THEM TO DIVERT LAND IN VFR CONDITIONS. AFTER LNDG, MASKING TAPE USED WHEN THE ACFT WAS WASHED, WAS BLOCKING ALL STATIC PORTS FOR THE AIRSPD AND ALTIMETER OUTSIDE AIR DIFFERENTIAL INDICATIONS.

Narrative: IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKING OFF ON RWY 9L AT THE FT LAUDERDALE INTL ARPT, THE INDICATED AIRSPD BEGAN TO DROP AND THE ALTIMETER FROZE AT APPROX 600 FT. AT THAT TIME, MIAMI APCH ASKED US TO 'SAY ALT,' AND I RESPONDED 'UNABLE, WE HAVE LOST THE ALTIMETERS.' HE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION, AND I SAID THAT 'THE ALTIMETERS DID NOT WORK.' HE ASSUMED THEY WERE A KNOWN PROB AND STARTED CHIDING US FOR ACCEPTING AN IFR CLRNC AND INITIATING THE FLT WITH INOP ALTIMETERS/ENCODERS. AT THAT TIME I RPTED THAT WE HAD THE MIAMI INTL ARPT IN SIGHT, THAT WE WERE LNDG IFR. HE THEN CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 9L AT MIA AND ASKED US TO CONTACT MIAMI TWR. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL, AS WE REFED THE ANGLE OF ATTACK (AOA) INDICATORS FOR SPD CTL. AFTER LNDG IN MIAMI, WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CALL APCH CTL ON THE PHONE. WE DISCOVERED ON POST-FLT THAT ALL 5 STATIC PORTS HAD BEEN TAPED OVER WITH MASKING TAPE. I INFORMED THE TWR SUPVR WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND CLARIFIED THE EVENTS FOR HIM. HE SEEMED SATISFIED. THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF: LINE SVC HAD PROPERLY DOCUMENTED TAPING THE STATIC PORTS WHEN THEY WASHED THE AIRPLANE, THE COPLT HAD ACCOMPLISHED A PROPER PREFLT AND I DOUBLE-CHKED THE IMPORTANT ITEMS (AS I USUALLY DO), THERE HAD BEEN BETTER COM BTWN THE CTLR AND MYSELF ADVISING THE NATURE AND SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROB. WE WERE VERY LUCKY IT WAS VMC.

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.