Spanair 5022 Off Runway In Madid on T/O

[Gabriel]

Or they could have used a paper Maintenance Log

I don know that they didn't. I've heard just the history about the informatic system but that doesn't mean than they were or weren't keeping paper records too and that the mech failed to review it or to take an action on that too.

[Vnav]

Well, in the last instance the crew returned to the gate precisely when they got a RAT overheat warning.

Just to be picky, there is no such thing as a Warning Light or Message for a RAT overheat. In fact, there's no 'Overheat warning' for any of the heated Pitot/Static/Stall vanes in the Probe Heat system. The only Message for the entire system is "PITOT/STALL HEAT OFF" which occurs for a lack of current flow for any of the Pitot tubes or Stall Vanes (not the Static plates or RAT probe) The only way you would notice an 'overheat' on the RAT probe is if you happened to look at the RAT temp gauge and noticed that it was unusually high. Before that happened, a pilot is more likely to notice that the Takeoff EPR goes unusually Low (This happens becasue the RAT temp is an integral part of the Thrust Rating Panel which derives the EPR settings for various phases of flight....High RAT = Low EPR)

Whether some type of FOQA or ACARS monitoring system that was on the plane looks for RAT overtemps, I can't say for sure. You can program those things to flag anything the operator wants, but I would tend to doubt that it's looking for that. More likely, I would say that it flags discrepancies between the Air/Ground logic and various systems since the RAT should not have been heated on the ground.

[Gabriel]

Just to be picky, there is no such thing as a Warning Light or Message for a RAT overheat. In fact, there's no 'Overheat warning' for any of the heated Pitot/Static/Stall vanes in the Probe Heat system. The only Message for the entire system is "PITOT/STALL HEAT OFF" which occurs for a lack of current flow for any of the Pitot tubes or Stall Vanes (not the Static plates or RAT probe) The only way you would notice an 'overheat' on the RAT probe is if you happened to look at the RAT temp gauge and noticed that it was unusually high. Before that happened, a pilot is more likely to notice that the Takeoff EPR goes unusually Low (This happens becasue the RAT temp is an integral part of the Thrust Rating Panel which derives the EPR settings for various phases of flight....High RAT = Low EPR)

Whether some type of FOQA or ACARS monitoring system that was on the plane looks for RAT overtemps, I can't say for sure. You can program those things to flag anything the operator wants, but I would tend to doubt that it's looking for that. More likely, I would say that it flags discrepancies between the Air/Ground logic and various systems since the RAT should not have been heated on the ground.

Ok, but they returned to the ramp because they saw something wrong, and it could not be the "PITOT/STALL HEAT OFF" warning because the problem wasnot lack of current but the presence of current in a place and time where there should be none (in the RAT with the plane on the ground). So it had to be as you've said that they happened to notice the RAT temp or that the noticed the low EPR as they advanced the throttles.

I'm not sure but I don't remember havin heard that they actually initiated take-off run in the first attempt. If so, would it be right to say that the only chance is that they happened to see the RAT temp gauge?

[Evan]

The only way you would notice an 'overheat' on the RAT probe is if you happened to look at the RAT temp gauge and noticed that it was unusually high.

Exactly. The interim report states that the crew noticed an unusually high temperature indication by the RAT probe.

[Gabriel]

Originally Posted by Gabriel
Well, in the last instance the crew returned to the gate precisely when they got a RAT overheat warning.

Originally Posted by Vnav
Just to be picky, there is no such thing as a Warning Light or Message for a RAT overheat.

Originally Posted by Evan
Exactly. The interim report states that the crew noticed an unusually high temperature indication by the RAT probe.

Well, can't a needle inicating a too high temperature be considered an overheat warning?

(Just joking. No, it can't. A warning must be an active device that calls the attention of the pilot, not a pasive one that the pilot has to proactively check)