Airbus A321-231, G-MEDJ, 24 August 2010
Airbus A321-231, G-MEDJ
Summary:
The aircraft suffered an electrical malfunction during a scheduled night flight between Khartoum (Sudan) and Beirut (Lebanon). The more significant symptoms included the intermittent failure of the captain and co-pilot’s electronic displays and the uncommanded application of left rudder trim, which was not annunciated to the flight crew. The flight crew also reported that the aircraft did not seem to respond as expected to control inputs. A large number of ECAM messages and cautions were presented on the pilots’ electronic display units. The uncommanded rudder trim caused the aircraft to adopt a left-wing-low attitude and deviate to the left of the planned track. Normal functions were restored after the flight crew selected the No 1 generator to OFF in response to an ‘ELEC GEN 1 FAULT’ message. The aircraft landed safely at Beirut.
The No 1 generator was replaced, after which the fault did not recur. Damage was found on an electrical lead on the No 1 generator, but it could not be determined whether this had caused the symptoms experienced during the incident.
The aircraft manufacturer notified operators of this incident by issuing OIT 999.0105/10 on 19 November 2010 and also updated the Quick Reference Handbook procedure for ‘Display Unit Failure’ to include a check of the rudder trim position.
Download report:
(2,143.83 kb)