Narrative:

Flight interrupt because of tripped circuit breaker. ZZZ departure. First officer was flying. After slat retraction, approximately 3000 ft, the battery charger annunciator light came on. We did a quick check of circuit breakers and did not see any tripped. We continued climb to 10000 ft and I informed ZZZ approach that we had an electrical problem that if we could not resolve would require a return to ZZZ. I asked to stay at 10000 ft and get some delay vectors. The request was granted and I handed radio duties off to the first officer while I ran a newer bulletin regarding the new battery charging system. I began running the 'new ni-cad battery and battery charger modification' abnormal procedure bulletin checklist when one of flight attendants in the rear of the airplane called and said the lights in the rear lavatories were not working. I asked if everything else was working and he replied yes. Not thinking too much at this point of multiple problems, I re-began the procedure from the top because, frankly, it did not make sense. In the bulletin there is a problem with the way it is worded or maybe the way it is read when this type of problem arises. The procedure calls for a circuit breaker for the battery charger to be tripped and reset. But above in the procedure it says not do this. At the beginning of our emergency tab, it also says never to trip or reset a battery charger circuit breaker in-flight or on the ground. Our circuit breaker was in. We finished the checklist, which in my mind left little doubt as what to do next. I called local maintenance and asked them if they could think of anything. They called me back with a no, and we made plans to return to ZZZ. I called ZZZ operations and told them we were coming back and would they call dispatch. ZZZ operations gave us a gate and said they would call dispatch. I informed the flight attendants we were going to have to return to ZZZ and it should be a normal approach and landing. Late in the approach phase, a flight attendant told me the cabin lights were out as well. That is when my 'light bulb' illuminated as to what the nature of the problem was. At this point, we were somewhat committed land (relatively low) and, frankly, the problem was better handled on the ground since we had done a quick check of the circuit breaker panel and a thorough check later. Ground service power feed problem rather than a battery charger. We landed uneventfully, taxied to the gate, and shut down. My first officer and I both checked the circuit breaker panels again and still didn't see any circuit breakers tripped. Maintenance came on board and I told him what we knew. I called air carrier ZZZ2 technical and dispatch and was continually keeping the passenger informed throughout. Here is the catch -- maintenance personnel went through the entire charger and battery system via 'bite checks' and found nothing wrong. They checked the lower east&east bay for faults and found nothing wrong. What they did find was 1 lone circuit breaker tripped right behind where the shoulder harness retract to right up behind my seat. This really stirs me up, thinking cold I have caused this, did we do anything wrong? Yrs ago, when I was an MD80 first officer, I remember a senior captain telling me that one had to be careful 'just popping' off the shoulder harness straps because they can yank out circuit breakers. I didn't understand his comments since I didn't have circuit breakers behind me and he did not elaborate. I strongly suspect the reason this event happened was because there is not a guard to prevent the shoulder harnesses from striking the circuit breaker panel upon release of the straps. The circuit breaker that was tripped was the power feed circuit breaker for the ground service panel. Guess what's on that? The more I think bout it, that is exactly what must have happened, but for the life of me, I didn't just let the straps fly for some reason on that leg -- they slid out of my fingers pretty slowly and I tossed them off my shoulders. If you look at the end of those harnesses, the female slot is perfectly sized for the circuit breaker head. Normally, I let these straps move at whatever rate they want to.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 CREW RETURNED TO DEP STATION BECAUSE OF A BATTERY CHARGER ANNUNCIATOR WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO FOLLOW APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS, CALLED FOR ACTIONS CONFLICTED.

Narrative: FLT INTERRUPT BECAUSE OF TRIPPED CIRCUIT BREAKER. ZZZ DEP. FO WAS FLYING. AFTER SLAT RETRACTION, APPROX 3000 FT, THE BATTERY CHARGER ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT CAME ON. WE DID A QUICK CHK OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND DID NOT SEE ANY TRIPPED. WE CONTINUED CLB TO 10000 FT AND I INFORMED ZZZ APCH THAT WE HAD AN ELECTRICAL PROB THAT IF WE COULD NOT RESOLVE WOULD REQUIRE A RETURN TO ZZZ. I ASKED TO STAY AT 10000 FT AND GET SOME DELAY VECTORS. THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED AND I HANDED RADIO DUTIES OFF TO THE FO WHILE I RAN A NEWER BULLETIN REGARDING THE NEW BATTERY CHARGING SYS. I BEGAN RUNNING THE 'NEW NI-CAD BATTERY AND BATTERY CHARGER MODIFICATION' ABNORMAL PROC BULLETIN CHKLIST WHEN ONE OF FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE REAR OF THE AIRPLANE CALLED AND SAID THE LIGHTS IN THE REAR LAVATORIES WERE NOT WORKING. I ASKED IF EVERYTHING ELSE WAS WORKING AND HE REPLIED YES. NOT THINKING TOO MUCH AT THIS POINT OF MULTIPLE PROBS, I RE-BEGAN THE PROC FROM THE TOP BECAUSE, FRANKLY, IT DID NOT MAKE SENSE. IN THE BULLETIN THERE IS A PROB WITH THE WAY IT IS WORDED OR MAYBE THE WAY IT IS READ WHEN THIS TYPE OF PROB ARISES. THE PROC CALLS FOR A CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE BATTERY CHARGER TO BE TRIPPED AND RESET. BUT ABOVE IN THE PROC IT SAYS NOT DO THIS. AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR EMER TAB, IT ALSO SAYS NEVER TO TRIP OR RESET A BATTERY CHARGER CIRCUIT BREAKER INFLT OR ON THE GND. OUR CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS IN. WE FINISHED THE CHKLIST, WHICH IN MY MIND LEFT LITTLE DOUBT AS WHAT TO DO NEXT. I CALLED LCL MAINT AND ASKED THEM IF THEY COULD THINK OF ANYTHING. THEY CALLED ME BACK WITH A NO, AND WE MADE PLANS TO RETURN TO ZZZ. I CALLED ZZZ OPS AND TOLD THEM WE WERE COMING BACK AND WOULD THEY CALL DISPATCH. ZZZ OPS GAVE US A GATE AND SAID THEY WOULD CALL DISPATCH. I INFORMED THE FLT ATTENDANTS WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO RETURN TO ZZZ AND IT SHOULD BE A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG. LATE IN THE APCH PHASE, A FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME THE CABIN LIGHTS WERE OUT AS WELL. THAT IS WHEN MY 'LIGHT BULB' ILLUMINATED AS TO WHAT THE NATURE OF THE PROB WAS. AT THIS POINT, WE WERE SOMEWHAT COMMITTED LAND (RELATIVELY LOW) AND, FRANKLY, THE PROB WAS BETTER HANDLED ON THE GND SINCE WE HAD DONE A QUICK CHK OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL AND A THOROUGH CHK LATER. GND SVC PWR FEED PROB RATHER THAN A BATTERY CHARGER. WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY, TAXIED TO THE GATE, AND SHUT DOWN. MY FO AND I BOTH CHKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANELS AGAIN AND STILL DIDN'T SEE ANY CIRCUIT BREAKERS TRIPPED. MAINT CAME ON BOARD AND I TOLD HIM WHAT WE KNEW. I CALLED ACR ZZZ2 TECHNICAL AND DISPATCH AND WAS CONTINUALLY KEEPING THE PAX INFORMED THROUGHOUT. HERE IS THE CATCH -- MAINT PERSONNEL WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE CHARGER AND BATTERY SYS VIA 'BITE CHKS' AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. THEY CHKED THE LOWER E&E BAY FOR FAULTS AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. WHAT THEY DID FIND WAS 1 LONE CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIPPED RIGHT BEHIND WHERE THE SHOULDER HARNESS RETRACT TO RIGHT UP BEHIND MY SEAT. THIS REALLY STIRS ME UP, THINKING COLD I HAVE CAUSED THIS, DID WE DO ANYTHING WRONG? YRS AGO, WHEN I WAS AN MD80 FO, I REMEMBER A SENIOR CAPT TELLING ME THAT ONE HAD TO BE CAREFUL 'JUST POPPING' OFF THE SHOULDER HARNESS STRAPS BECAUSE THEY CAN YANK OUT CIRCUIT BREAKERS. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HIS COMMENTS SINCE I DIDN'T HAVE CIRCUIT BREAKERS BEHIND ME AND HE DID NOT ELABORATE. I STRONGLY SUSPECT THE REASON THIS EVENT HAPPENED WAS BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A GUARD TO PREVENT THE SHOULDER HARNESSES FROM STRIKING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL UPON RELEASE OF THE STRAPS. THE CIRCUIT BREAKER THAT WAS TRIPPED WAS THE PWR FEED CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE GND SVC PANEL. GUESS WHAT'S ON THAT? THE MORE I THINK BOUT IT, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT MUST HAVE HAPPENED, BUT FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I DIDN'T JUST LET THE STRAPS FLY FOR SOME REASON ON THAT LEG -- THEY SLID OUT OF MY FINGERS PRETTY SLOWLY AND I TOSSED THEM OFF MY SHOULDERS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE END OF THOSE HARNESSES, THE FEMALE SLOT IS PERFECTLY SIZED FOR THE CIRCUIT BREAKER HEAD. NORMALLY, I LET THESE STRAPS MOVE AT WHATEVER RATE THEY WANT TO.

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.