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An ATR42 experienced a noisy pressurization leak but was not written in logbook until the return flight to a maintenance station. Pressure leak caused by a broken external ground power plug panel.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 437720 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199905 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : ewr.airport |
| State Reference | NJ |
| Altitude | agl single value : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : dca.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | ATR 42 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | ground : parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 3300 flight time type : 400 |
| ASRS Report | 437720 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical ground encounters : vehicle non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | other other |
| Factors | |
| Maintenance | performance deficiency : inspection performance deficiency : repair performance deficiency : fault isolation |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
Narrative:
Myself and the crew picked up an aircraft for our overnight. This was the first time we had flown the aircraft that week. En route there was a loud noise of air rushing into the cockpit. All in-flight instrument indications were normal. We believed it to be a window seal problem. Once on the ground I postflted the aircraft and observed no external damage. We concluded that perhaps a seal had not sealed properly and might do so in the morning. En route in the morning the same noise reoccurred. I wrote the airplane up and maintenance discovered that a ground crew had apparently driven the gpu away still plugged in and tore the mount out. The existing damage was only visible to maintenance from behind the gpu plug-in and invisible to the crew or ground personnel who looked in the door. Airlines need to train ground troops that if they damage or think they damage an airplane to report it.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ATR42 EXPERIENCED A NOISY PRESSURIZATION LEAK BUT WAS NOT WRITTEN IN LOGBOOK UNTIL THE RETURN FLT TO A MAINT STATION. PRESSURE LEAK CAUSED BY A BROKEN EXTERNAL GND PWR PLUG PANEL.
Narrative: MYSELF AND THE CREW PICKED UP AN ACFT FOR OUR OVERNIGHT. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD FLOWN THE ACFT THAT WK. ENRTE THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE OF AIR RUSHING INTO THE COCKPIT. ALL INFLT INST INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. WE BELIEVED IT TO BE A WINDOW SEAL PROB. ONCE ON THE GND I POSTFLTED THE ACFT AND OBSERVED NO EXTERNAL DAMAGE. WE CONCLUDED THAT PERHAPS A SEAL HAD NOT SEALED PROPERLY AND MIGHT DO SO IN THE MORNING. ENRTE IN THE MORNING THE SAME NOISE REOCCURRED. I WROTE THE AIRPLANE UP AND MAINT DISCOVERED THAT A GND CREW HAD APPARENTLY DRIVEN THE GPU AWAY STILL PLUGGED IN AND TORE THE MOUNT OUT. THE EXISTING DAMAGE WAS ONLY VISIBLE TO MAINT FROM BEHIND THE GPU PLUG-IN AND INVISIBLE TO THE CREW OR GND PERSONNEL WHO LOOKED IN THE DOOR. AIRLINES NEED TO TRAIN GND TROOPS THAT IF THEY DAMAGE OR THINK THEY DAMAGE AN AIRPLANE TO RPT IT.
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.