In areas of cold weather Ops it's common enough to have the avionics door sensor malfunction due to icing. Especially after de-icing has been conducted. This event may or may not be cold related - but having seen it before I'd hesitate to crash dive. But that's just me. And we don't know what other contributory factors there may have been here.
Good point about the plug door - if there is no actual depressurization occurring there should be no reason to rush into an emergency descent.
I'd make one other comment here, and it's about training.
We go in the Sim and we're told 'ok, we're going to practice an Emergency Descent during the session'. Then, after some of the usual engine failure stuff (etc) we're 'rapid climbed' to FL350. Then you might get either of two scenarios - first, and explosive decompression (boom, whoosh) with obvious requirements, OR simply a bleed/ pack/ pressure controller problem combined with a 1,000fpm + cabin rate. In this second case there is the opportunity to attempt to control the cabin and sort out the problem. But, more often than not, since everybody knows this scenario is meant to lead to the desired Emergency Descent - the guy beside you will be on the blower declaring Mayday and putting his mask on without a seconds hesitation. Any attempt to slow this down is futile. Even the checker may ask WTF are you doing, descend!
Is this not negative training?
Does this not lead to this mindset that ALL pressurisation related problems require an immediate Emergency Descent?
In the old days, on my Boeing, a pack overheat/trip was common, and we simply reset it after cooling. Nowadays it's a trigger to think Emergency Descent.
Airbus 'standards' win out again over piloting skills and airmanship.
By the way - all these engine failures we practice in the Sim. How many of you have ever had an engine failure exactly like we practice? V1 cut, engine winds to zero and away you go. The V1 engine fail I had resulted in massive surging and cycling of thrust! 99.9% of all engine failures im personally familiar with have been nothing at all like the Sim. Think of that CX fuel thing out of Bali. But hey - the 'authorities' lay down the law, and we follow.
So much for 'training'.
(Well its not 'training' really, is it. Lets be honest. It's Checking).
Last edited by Killaroo; 8th Nov 2013 at 03:05.