Pilot complaint about minimum equipment list allowing dispatch with yaw damper inoperative.

Attributes
ACN	89352
Time
Date	198806
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : zzz
State Reference	CA
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	cruise other landing other
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 225 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 200
ASRS Report	89352
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Several times now I have flown an medium large transport with the yaw damper MEL'd inoperative. West/O the yaw damper, the aircraft wallows in the landing confign and becomes extremely hard to control if turbulence/wake turbulence is encountered. At altitude 33000' MSL (by choice, we won't go to FL350 or FL370 west/O yaw damper) the aircraft is very unstable in even light turbulence. In moderate turbulence, the aircraft begins to dutch roll. What concerns me is that with no yaw damper and an engine out, I believe it would be almost impossible to control the airplane. In our simulator syllabus, we never performed an engine out approach or V1 cut with the yaw damper inoperative, I have no actual experience in this engine out/no yaw damper confign. I strongly urge some research be done in this area.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT COMPLAINT ABOUT MINIMUM EQUIPMENT LIST ALLOWING DISPATCH WITH YAW DAMPER INOPERATIVE.

Narrative: SEVERAL TIMES NOW I HAVE FLOWN AN MLG WITH THE YAW DAMPER MEL'D INOP. W/O THE YAW DAMPER, THE ACFT WALLOWS IN THE LNDG CONFIGN AND BECOMES EXTREMELY HARD TO CTL IF TURB/WAKE TURB IS ENCOUNTERED. AT ALT 33000' MSL (BY CHOICE, WE WON'T GO TO FL350 OR FL370 W/O YAW DAMPER) THE ACFT IS VERY UNSTABLE IN EVEN LIGHT TURB. IN MODERATE TURB, THE ACFT BEGINS TO DUTCH ROLL. WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT WITH NO YAW DAMPER AND AN ENG OUT, I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CTL THE AIRPLANE. IN OUR SIMULATOR SYLLABUS, WE NEVER PERFORMED AN ENG OUT APCH OR V1 CUT WITH THE YAW DAMPER INOP, I HAVE NO ACTUAL EXPERIENCE IN THIS ENG OUT/NO YAW DAMPER CONFIGN. I STRONGLY URGE SOME RESEARCH BE DONE IN THIS AREA.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.