B734, en-route, west of Meekatharra Australia, 2022
B734, en-route, west of Meekatharra Australia, 2022
Summary
On 10 June 2022, on reaching the planned FL330 cruise altitude abeam Meekatharra, a Boeing 737-400 crew observed a 340-foot difference between the two primary altimeter readings. The crew did not advise ATC of the breach of RVSM separation minima, but after identifying which instrument was in error, they returned uneventfully to their departure point, Perth. There, an engineering inspection found residue on all four electrically heated pitot-static probes. It was found that a few days earlier, an engine ground run done without first removing non-standard plastic probe covers had contaminated the probes, with cleaning performed prior to release to service.
Description
On 10 June 2022, a Boeing 737-400 (ZK-TLJ) operated by Airwork on a scheduled cargo service from Perth to Christmas Island via Port Hedland had just reached the intended cruise altitude - FL330 - in day VMC when a discrepancy between the first officer’s and captain’s altimeter readings was observed. This prompted running a non-normal procedure that identified which altimeter was faulty and led to a diversion back to Perth without further event. There, varying amounts of plastic residue were found on the four pitot-static probes.
The full content of this page is available to registered users only. Please Log in or Register