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| Title: | Boeing 747-419, Air New Zealand ZK-NBU, failure of inertial reference units 300 nm north-east of auckland, 12 March 1997 |
| Micro summary: | A failure of a brake control system unit due to water contamination takes out the inertial reference unit data bus. |
| Event Time: | 1997-03-12 at 0032 NZDT |
| File Name: | 1997-03-12-NZ.pdf |
| Publishing Agency: | Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) |
| Publishing Country: | New Zealand |
| Report number: | 97-005 |
| Pages: | 8 |
| Site of event: | |
| Latitude/Longitude: | S34°30' E179°25' |
| Departure: | Auckland International Airport, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Destination: | Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Airplane Type(s): | Boeing 747-419 |
| Flight Phase: | Cruise |
| Registration(s): | ZK-NBU |
| Operator(s): | Air New Zealand |
| Type of flight: | Revenue |
| Occupants: | 439 |
| Fatalities: | 0 |
| Serious Injuries: | 0 |
| Minor/Non-Injured: | 439 |
| Other Injuries: | 0 |
| Executive Summary: | On Wednesday 12 March 1997, at 0032 hours, Boeing 747-419 ZK-NBU was enroute from Auckland to Los Angeles as Flight NZ18. The Captain’s electronic primary flight display no longer displayed flight reference information and appeared blank. An internal failure within the brake system control unit, due to water ingress, in turn caused a fault with the inertial reference unit data bus supplying information to the Captain’s display. An alternate inertial reference unit was selected and it failed to supply the required information. The selection of a third inertial reference unit resolved the problem and the Captain regained his display. The two affected systems were turned off and the aircraft returned to Auckland without further incident. Safety issues discussed include the adequacy of the Quick Reference Handbook and the vulnerability of an inertial reference unit to an external fault. Safety recommendations were made on both these safety issues. |
| Learning Keywords: | Systems - Braking Systems |
| Systems - Electrical | |
| Systems - Navigation Systems |
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