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Cases › IAD02IA046 · Part 121 airline

Fairchild Dornier DO-328-300ATLANTIC COAST AIRLINES (ACA)

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ, USA · 2002-05-02·N429FJ

0
fatal
0
serious
No injury
highest injury
—
damage
Replay the flight data4,201 samples · 96 parameters11:29:00.0 – 12:39:00.0Replay the flight data4,001 samples · 98 parameters07:43:20.0 – 08:50:00.0Read the cockpit voice recorder417 lines12:13:02 – 12:38:06AnalyseThe analystOne timeline · precedents · ask the docket · what the record saysGenerateInvestigation briefFacts, cause, recorder extremes, sequence, sourcesSourceNTSB docket17 documents on data.ntsb.gov

What happened

NTSB summary, verbatim

The flight crew experienced a strong odor and smoke in the cockpit, followed by a loss of flight displays during flight in instrument meteorological conditions. The captain declared an emergency, and the first officer flew the airplane referencing the stand-by instruments. Shortly after declaring the emergency, the crew made a right 360 degree turn to avoid severe weather. However, near the completion of the turn, the crew entered VIP 4 and 5 intensity level weather, and reported moderate to severe turbulence. The airplane was then vectored to an airport east of the severe weather, executed an instrument approach and landed without incident. While on approach, the crew reported that all flight displays had returned back to normal. Twenty-seven days later, another crew, who were flying the same airplane, also experienced a loss of flight displays. Approximately 2 minutes after the failure, the displays returned to normal and the flight landed without incident at its intended destination. Examination of electrical components revealed no discrepancies. In addition, the manufacturer reviewed the design of the electrical system and could not identify a design failure.

Probable cause

the Board's determination
The partial loss of flight display information for undetermined reasons.

Sequence of events

6 timed eventsfrom the FDR factual report · claude-sonnet-5
  1. 1230 UTCLandingp.1
    Fairchild Dornier 328-300, N429FJ, operated by Atlantic Coast Airlines landed without incident after the crew reported a strong odor of smoke in the cockpit.
  2. May 29, 2002 (specific UTC time not stated)Landingp.1
    Another Atlantic Coast crew reported a loss of flight display information and an odor on the same aircraft, N429FJ; the airplane landed without incident.
  3. N/ARecovery/Analysisp.1
    NTSB Vehicle Recorder Division received the digital FDR (S/N 000107250) for the N429FJ May 2, 2002 incident; recorder was in good condition and data were extracted normally.
  4. N/ARecovery/Analysisp.2
    NTSB Vehicle Recorder Division received the digital FDR (S/N 1492) for the N429FJ May 29, 2002 incident; recorder was in good condition and data were extracted normally.
  5. N/ARecorder Descriptionp.2
    Description of L-3 Communications F2100 recorder function: records ARINC 747-format data in digital format using solid-state Flash Memory, 128 words per second (12 bits each), organized into subframes and frames; data stream considered 'in sync' when successive sync words appear at proper 128-word intervals.
  6. N/AData Processingp.2
    Both incident datasets recorded at 0.983 seconds per subframe; time base adjusted to reflect correct relative time. May 29 plots shown with FDR Subframe Reference Number (relative time in seconds); May 2 incident time-correlated to CVR transcript via common events (microphone keys), with plot time offset to local UTC time of the incident.

NTSB analysis

from the final report

The flight crew experienced a strong odor and smoke in the cockpit, followed by a loss of flight displays during flight in instrument meteorological conditions. The captain declared an emergency, and the first officer flew the airplane referencing the stand-by instruments. Shortly after declaring the emergency, the crew made a right 360 degree turn to avoid severe weather. However, near the completion of the turn, the crew entered VIP 4 and 5 intensity level weather, and reported moderate to severe turbulence. The airplane was then vectored to an airport east of the severe weather, executed an instrument approach and landed without incident. While on approach, the crew reported that all flight displays had returned back to normal. Twenty-seven days later, another crew, who were flying the same airplane, also experienced a loss of flight displays. Approximately 2 minutes after the failure, the displays returned to normal and the flight landed without incident at its intended destination. Examination of electrical components revealed no discrepancies. In addition, the manufacturer reviewed the design of the electrical system and could not identify a design failure.