A B767-300ER flight crew encountered anomalous indications from several systems they felt were assoc...

Narrative:

During climbout our first problem indication was a right ADF flag almost immediately followed by an electrical burning smell in the cockpit. Captain gave control of aircraft and radios to me so he could coordinate. Accomplished items in smoke; fire or fumes checklist including turning utility buses off. Decision was made to turn back to the departure airport and get the aircraft on the ground. Emergency was declared and air traffic control was very helpful; immediately clearing us back. Flight attendants; dispatch and passengers notified as to our return. Additional indications included intermittent loss of the first officer's flight director; intermittent loss of background coloring in the first officer's pfd; and cabin auto inop. Relief pilot successfully dumped center tank fuel to near zero to minimize weight for landing during descent and secured fuel dump above 10;000 ft MSL. Captain was all caught up in his communication/coordination duties and decided to re-take control of aircraft for approach and landing at approximately 12;000 ft MSL and about 40 DME southeast of the airport. A visual approach was set up and flown to longest runway although the localizer was reported out of service. We did fly north of the extended runway centerline somewhat (overshoot of final approach) which was noted by air traffic control. The landing was successful at an approximate landing weight 340;000 lbs. Cleared runway; read through QRH overweight landing considerations; and maintenance inspected hot brakes on ramp prior to parking at gate. The captain was over age 60; and in my opinion; was slow to react to a volatile situation; indecisive; argumentative; focused on overemphasized FAA focus items; i.e. More concerned with the FAA's over emphasis on overweight landings; vice getting the airplane on the ground a little heavy. Captain did not appear to hear 10 mile and 2.5 mile calls prior to final approach course; resulting in flying through the extended runway centerline. Aircraft landed long on the runway. I do not know if the new age 60-plus rules was a contributing factor in event; but I have safety concerns about pilots over age 60; and my experience has been negative.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300ER flight crew encountered anomalous indications from several systems they felt were associated with an electrical burning smell in the cockpit. The flight returned to the departure airport. Reporter believed over age 60 Captain was not an asset in the event.

Narrative: During climbout our first problem indication was a right ADF flag almost immediately followed by an electrical burning smell in the cockpit. Captain gave control of aircraft and radios to me so he could coordinate. Accomplished items in smoke; fire or fumes checklist including turning utility buses off. Decision was made to turn back to the departure airport and get the aircraft on the ground. Emergency was declared and air traffic control was very helpful; immediately clearing us back. Flight Attendants; Dispatch and passengers notified as to our return. Additional indications included intermittent loss of the First Officer's flight director; intermittent loss of background coloring in the First Officer's PFD; and Cabin Auto Inop. Relief pilot successfully dumped center tank fuel to near zero to minimize weight for landing during descent and secured fuel dump above 10;000 ft MSL. Captain was all caught up in his communication/coordination duties and decided to re-take control of aircraft for approach and landing at approximately 12;000 ft MSL and about 40 DME southeast of the airport. A visual approach was set up and flown to longest runway although the localizer was reported out of service. We did fly north of the extended runway centerline somewhat (overshoot of final approach) which was noted by air traffic control. The landing was successful at an approximate landing weight 340;000 lbs. Cleared runway; read through QRH overweight landing considerations; and Maintenance inspected hot brakes on ramp prior to parking at gate. The Captain was over age 60; and in my opinion; was slow to react to a volatile situation; indecisive; argumentative; focused on overemphasized FAA focus items; i.e. more concerned with the FAA's over emphasis on overweight landings; vice getting the airplane on the ground a little heavy. Captain did not appear to hear 10 mile and 2.5 mile calls prior to final approach course; resulting in flying through the extended runway centerline. Aircraft landed long on the runway. I do not know if the new age 60-plus rules was a contributing factor in event; but I have safety concerns about pilots over age 60; and my experience has been negative.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

Attributes
ACN	855811
Time
Date	200910
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B767-300 and 300 ER
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Climb
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	First Officer Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Engineer
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 168 Flight Crew Total 7875 Flight Crew Type 4774
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

A B767-300ER flight crew encountered anomalous indications from several systems they felt were associated with an electrical burning smell in the cockpit. The flight returned to the departure airport. Reporter believed over age 60 captain was not an asset in the event.