EasyJet CB Check

[H Peacock]

Watched an interesting program yesterday showing lots of very green new FOs conducting their base training and then some early sectors on the A320.

During one scene there was a delay during dispatch when the right side cabin seatbelt signs would not illuminate. The flight deck made a few frantic phone calls to Ops and consulted the POH with an attempt at a system reset; no joy. They then looked at the CB panel behind the FO - funny ole' thing, one had tripped!

So, does the Bus not tell you a CB has tripped? Is looking at CBs after a system malfunction not practiced?

[Check Airman]

Some of the breakers are monitored. Apparently that's not one of them.

[RAT 5]

Old fart airmanship. Rule #1. If something electrical does not work check CB's. I did not know AB's do that for you, but then again, system checking sensors can also fail. Sometimes designers can make life more complicated than necessary. I thought there was a cry that modern automatics had encouraged a reduced thinking and less alert pilot. CB checkers? Really. How more thinking dilution do you need? I can understand it when some CB's are inaccessible in the external E&E bay (does an AB have one?), but 2' from your ear'ol?

[Fursty Ferret]

The CB alerting logic is, to be fair, quite logical.

If the associated device or service has its own fault detection, then there's no point monitoring the circuit breaker because if it trips, you'll get an independent ECAM or it'll be immediately obvious that something has lost power.

On the other hand, if the CB is just one of several power feeds, or actually controls something like a bus contactor, then it's useful to know that it's tripped because your first clue might be when an automatic reconfiguration or deployment doesn't take place (AC ESS switching or RAT springs to mind).

I suppose as well there's a third option which is that whatever is connected to the CB is so unimportant that it matters not if it trips.

This is how I understand it, anyway...

[TBSC]

During one scene there was a delay during dispatch when the right side cabin seatbelt signs would not illuminate. The flight deck made a few frantic phone calls to Ops and consulted the POH with an attempt at a system reset; no joy. They then looked at the CB panel behind the FO - funny ole' thing, one had tripped!
How the preceding reset with no joy was supposed to be done if not with the CBs? The seatbelt sign reset pushbutton or what?

[Denti]

Old fart airmanship. Rule #1. If something electrical does not work check CB's. I did not know AB's do that for you, but then again, system checking sensors can also fail. Sometimes designers can make life more complicated than necessary. I thought there was a cry that modern automatics had encouraged a reduced thinking and less alert pilot. CB checkers? Really. How more thinking dilution do you need? I can understand it when some CB's are inaccessible in the external E&E bay (does an AB have one?), but 2' from your ear'ol?

I believe in the newer busses (A330 onwards) there are no or only a handful physical CBs in the flightdeck. A few more downstairs in the E&E bay, but mostly electronic CBs that can be actioned via the MCDU. Therefore monitoring CBs is simply the precursor to not having any physical CBs aymore. Anyway, checking CBs is always a good idea, especially on the ground. Resetting them, not so much, especially in flight (see Air Asia). In the bus there is a list of resets you can do in the QRH, apart from that you need maintenance. And there are quite a few more resets one needs to do than i ever had to do in a Boeing, although, the PSEU light is certainly a pita.

[RAT 5]

The flight deck made a few frantic phone calls to Ops and consulted the POH with an attempt at a system reset; no joy. They then looked at the CB panel behind the FO - funny ole' thing, one had tripped!

I think we are missing the point and drifting away from the crux. I don't know the AB. It seems from some comments that a 'system reset' can be done other than a CB pull/push, as it would be necessary on B737. I've not been talking about system resets, rather than assessing why the system failed.
My comments are simply this: if an electrical system fails, and there is a visible CB panel, why not check the CB's first before diving into resets and maintenance phone calls etc. Start with the basics and move upwards. Perhaps a 'stone-age' thought in todays wiz-bang jets, but in this scenario it seems it would have been relevant.

[beamer]

Sit on your hands and look for the easy answer first !

[RAT 5]

Sit on your hands and look for the easy answer first !

:ok::ok:

Spot on. e.g. yelling at the wife where the heck has she put my reading glasses, when, lo & behold, they sit atop my forehead. Pause, examine all possibilities, then yell at the wife.

[wiggy]

Since then I have joined a Boeing operator and to my surprise their philosiphy is don't reset anything popped without consulting maintenance or a checklist instructs it. I'd still look their straight away but if they don't want us touching em fine. Their plane their rules.

Yep..thoughts have changed over the years ( with good reason) and simply stuffing a popped CB back in when it has popped, especially on the ground, is somewhat frowned upon in some places...

[Basil]

ISTR one reset and, if it pops again, leave it WAS the general procedure.

[RAT 5]

ISTR one reset and, if it pops again, leave it WAS the general procedure.

After giving deep & careful thought about the system involved, e.g. electric pump, and if the lost item is critical to continued operation. Thus, a reset is not always the best idea.

[Cmon-PullUP]

It is SOP with Easyjet not to reset any cb's without consulting maintenance (unless it is allowed per QRH procedure). The airbus is so filled with computers, that it is impossible to see through the problem with a pilots eyes, and something popping in one place might be connected to a very different problem somewhere else.
Furthermore, maintenance is keeping a tight record on every little bit that fails, and over time they can with this spot trends and sometimes prevent problems from arising before they are apparent by doing this.

It takes time and is no fun for those, who wish to run the whole flight deck singlehanded, but it works, it's safe and it is the culture here. If it is safety related, (as any fault or popped cb potentially can be) then time is not a factor in Easyjets operation.

[Basil]

If it is safety related, . . . . . then time is not a factor in Easyjets operation.
Good to see people supporting their company. :ok: