A320, en route, north of Marseilles France, 2013

A320, en route, north of Marseilles France, 2013

Summary

On 12 September 2013, pressurisation control failed in an A320 after a bleed air fault occurred following dispatch with one of the two pneumatic systems deactivated under MEL provisions. The Investigation found that the cause of the in-flight failure was addressed by an optional SB not yet incorporated. Also, relevant crew response SOPs lacking clarity and a delay in provision of a revised MEL procedure meant that use of the single system had not been optimal and after a necessary progressive descent to FL100 was delayed by inadequate ATC response, and ATC failure to respond to a PAN call required it to be upgraded to MAYDAY.

Description

On 12 September 2013, the crew of an Airbus A320 (HB-IJU) being operated by Swiss International Airlines on a scheduled international passenger flight from Zurich to Valencia as SWR2140 and in the cruise at FL370 in day VMC noted loss of cabin pressurisation. Descent was requested, but due to a lack of effective response from ATC, a PAN and then MAYDAY status had to be declared to achieve the descent required. Once at FL100, the APU was started and the intended flight was completed without further event at a reduced cruising level. The flight had been dispatched with one pneumatic system already de-activated.

The full content of this page is available to registered users only.
Please Log in or Register

SKYbrary Partners:

Safety knowledge contributed by: