Narrative:

During this flight several problems occurred, all with a common cause. My airline expects us to stay current on any model medium large transport from basic through advanced, and EFIS and em. There are several different software packages in use among otherwise identical aircraft. We also use both xy and xz engines on the adv medium large transport and X, Y and Z on the medium large transport. On this day, I was flying with a captain who did not follow company procedures re: checklist usage or flows. The captain directed me to call for pushback while the aircraft was still being loaded. After cussing out the ground crew, I was told again to get clearance as the aircraft was going to push. After we started the push, the captain then called for the before start checklist. While I read the list, the captain commenced to start engines, west/O the checklist complete. Once we were in line, the captain started cussing and swearing about how we could have gotten runway 25 and made up time. He contacted ground to see if he could turn around, but there were already aircraft behind us. During this time the captain apparently changed the FMC to runway 25. On our adv EFIS aircraft this is apparent on the runway because the aircraft position on the map display is not on the runway. I was trying to fly the oasis 5 departure. The captain switched back to tower, got a 125.95 frequency and could not raise anyone on that either. He was cussing and banking switches. I started to level off at 7000' MSL. I was hand flying with the automatic throttle engaged due to the flight director following the wrong runway SID. Somehow it had been set for 25, and the restrictions wiped out so it would climb unrestricted. As I levelled off, trying to remember the mileages for the restrictions, the aircraft accelerated to about 285 KTS at 7000' MSL. As I noticed this, I yanked all the power off. Not knowing about traffic above the restriction altitude, I held altitude. I then noticed the autothrottles moving the power back up even though the airspeed bug was still at 250 KTS and the indicated still over that! I punched off the autothrottles and again pulled all the power off. I flew about 5 mi level at 7000' farther than I should have. Then I started to climb, and finally contact was made with center, and the flight went on. What I had not yet realized was that the irf platforms were still error! As we transitioned onto the runway 25 profile descent into lax, I was navigating in the LNAV mode, and in manual mode not automatic tuning. The airline has several different configns of automatic/manual selection. All the EFIS birds have 2 visibility indications, and 1 in the FMC, which I checked. Surprise, this airplane did not have that display on the FMC. Somehow my navigation radios had been switched to manual. This resulted in my being way off course during the descent into lax and missing several of the crossing restrictions for speed and altitude. Finally I gave up, and just forced everything back to manual modes and hand flew the approach. I strongly suspect some of the problems were due to captain insecurity, regards knowledge, reluctance to say I don't know, and the like. I feel very strongly that the airline needs to spend some money to at least make all the aircraft of the same model identical. We have trouble with the audio panels, FMC software, HSI switches, transponder and navcom location and confign. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the PIC on this flight had resisted upgrading to the advanced model long as possible and was still fighting the program. Main reason being this air carrier is expanding and will take any medium large transport it can get and has models with 1 FMC and electro mechanical instruments several models with 2 FMC's and some with omega sets not certified in USA. Also, models have several sets of cockpit confign with MCP switches being in different places some in such a location that PF may not see PNF move them and they have no indication on the mode annunciators or HSI that indicates switch has been moved. Reporter feels that model with 1 FMC and electric mechanical instruments is an accident waiting to happen because of lack of indications on instrument panel what FMC is doing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG TRACK DEVIATION AND ALT CROSSING RESTRCTION DEVIATIONS.

Narrative: DURING THIS FLT SEVERAL PROBS OCCURRED, ALL WITH A COMMON CAUSE. MY AIRLINE EXPECTS US TO STAY CURRENT ON ANY MODEL MLG FROM BASIC THROUGH ADVANCED, AND EFIS AND EM. THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT SOFTWARE PACKAGES IN USE AMONG OTHERWISE IDENTICAL ACFT. WE ALSO USE BOTH XY AND XZ ENGS ON THE ADV MLG AND X, Y AND Z ON THE MLG. ON THIS DAY, I WAS FLYING WITH A CAPT WHO DID NOT FOLLOW COMPANY PROCS RE: CHKLIST USAGE OR FLOWS. THE CAPT DIRECTED ME TO CALL FOR PUSHBACK WHILE THE ACFT WAS STILL BEING LOADED. AFTER CUSSING OUT THE GND CREW, I WAS TOLD AGAIN TO GET CLRNC AS THE ACFT WAS GOING TO PUSH. AFTER WE STARTED THE PUSH, THE CAPT THEN CALLED FOR THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. WHILE I READ THE LIST, THE CAPT COMMENCED TO START ENGS, W/O THE CHKLIST COMPLETE. ONCE WE WERE IN LINE, THE CAPT STARTED CUSSING AND SWEARING ABOUT HOW WE COULD HAVE GOTTEN RWY 25 AND MADE UP TIME. HE CONTACTED GND TO SEE IF HE COULD TURN AROUND, BUT THERE WERE ALREADY ACFT BEHIND US. DURING THIS TIME THE CAPT APPARENTLY CHANGED THE FMC TO RWY 25. ON OUR ADV EFIS ACFT THIS IS APPARENT ON THE RWY BECAUSE THE ACFT POS ON THE MAP DISPLAY IS NOT ON THE RWY. I WAS TRYING TO FLY THE OASIS 5 DEP. THE CAPT SWITCHED BACK TO TWR, GOT A 125.95 FREQ AND COULD NOT RAISE ANYONE ON THAT EITHER. HE WAS CUSSING AND BANKING SWITCHES. I STARTED TO LEVEL OFF AT 7000' MSL. I WAS HAND FLYING WITH THE AUTO THROTTLE ENGAGED DUE TO THE FLT DIRECTOR FOLLOWING THE WRONG RWY SID. SOMEHOW IT HAD BEEN SET FOR 25, AND THE RESTRICTIONS WIPED OUT SO IT WOULD CLB UNRESTRICTED. AS I LEVELLED OFF, TRYING TO REMEMBER THE MILEAGES FOR THE RESTRICTIONS, THE ACFT ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 285 KTS AT 7000' MSL. AS I NOTICED THIS, I YANKED ALL THE PWR OFF. NOT KNOWING ABOUT TFC ABOVE THE RESTRICTION ALT, I HELD ALT. I THEN NOTICED THE AUTOTHROTTLES MOVING THE PWR BACK UP EVEN THOUGH THE AIRSPD BUG WAS STILL AT 250 KTS AND THE INDICATED STILL OVER THAT! I PUNCHED OFF THE AUTOTHROTTLES AND AGAIN PULLED ALL THE PWR OFF. I FLEW ABOUT 5 MI LEVEL AT 7000' FARTHER THAN I SHOULD HAVE. THEN I STARTED TO CLB, AND FINALLY CONTACT WAS MADE WITH CENTER, AND THE FLT WENT ON. WHAT I HAD NOT YET REALIZED WAS THAT THE IRF PLATFORMS WERE STILL ERROR! AS WE TRANSITIONED ONTO THE RWY 25 PROFILE DSCNT INTO LAX, I WAS NAVIGATING IN THE LNAV MODE, AND IN MANUAL MODE NOT AUTO TUNING. THE AIRLINE HAS SEVERAL DIFFERENT CONFIGNS OF AUTO/MANUAL SELECTION. ALL THE EFIS BIRDS HAVE 2 VIS INDICATIONS, AND 1 IN THE FMC, WHICH I CHKED. SURPRISE, THIS AIRPLANE DID NOT HAVE THAT DISPLAY ON THE FMC. SOMEHOW MY NAV RADIOS HAD BEEN SWITCHED TO MANUAL. THIS RESULTED IN MY BEING WAY OFF COURSE DURING THE DSCNT INTO LAX AND MISSING SEVERAL OF THE XING RESTRICTIONS FOR SPD AND ALT. FINALLY I GAVE UP, AND JUST FORCED EVERYTHING BACK TO MANUAL MODES AND HAND FLEW THE APCH. I STRONGLY SUSPECT SOME OF THE PROBS WERE DUE TO CAPT INSECURITY, REGARDS KNOWLEDGE, RELUCTANCE TO SAY I DON'T KNOW, AND THE LIKE. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT THE AIRLINE NEEDS TO SPEND SOME MONEY TO AT LEAST MAKE ALL THE ACFT OF THE SAME MODEL IDENTICAL. WE HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE AUDIO PANELS, FMC SOFTWARE, HSI SWITCHES, XPONDER AND NAVCOM LOCATION AND CONFIGN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE PIC ON THIS FLT HAD RESISTED UPGRADING TO THE ADVANCED MODEL LONG AS POSSIBLE AND WAS STILL FIGHTING THE PROGRAM. MAIN REASON BEING THIS ACR IS EXPANDING AND WILL TAKE ANY MLG IT CAN GET AND HAS MODELS WITH 1 FMC AND ELECTRO MECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS SEVERAL MODELS WITH 2 FMC'S AND SOME WITH OMEGA SETS NOT CERTIFIED IN USA. ALSO, MODELS HAVE SEVERAL SETS OF COCKPIT CONFIGN WITH MCP SWITCHES BEING IN DIFFERENT PLACES SOME IN SUCH A LOCATION THAT PF MAY NOT SEE PNF MOVE THEM AND THEY HAVE NO INDICATION ON THE MODE ANNUNCIATORS OR HSI THAT INDICATES SWITCH HAS BEEN MOVED. RPTR FEELS THAT MODEL WITH 1 FMC AND ELECTRIC MECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE OF LACK OF INDICATIONS ON INSTRUMENT PANEL WHAT FMC IS DOING.

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.