A300
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Distraction; Workload; Troubleshooting; Confusion
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Aircraft Equipment Problem Dissipated; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Declared Emergency; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Weather
Climbing through approximately FL230 received ECAM CRT: IAS DISCREPANCY. Captain's primary IAS went to zero. Captain's STBY IAS was the same as the First Officer's PRIMARY and STBY IAS. Completed ECAM and selected ADC Number 2. Continued climbing to FL320. Passing FL290 autothrottle commanded MAX THRUST. TRP CL indicated thrust should be 1.61 EPR. Even with throttles at MAX THRUST; EPR was only 1.50. Selected ATS system off and leveled at FL320. After level off with AP/FD ON; the Altitude Alerter Horn and light began sounding and flashing. All three Altimeters indicated FL320. Flight conditions were IMC with moderate precipitation. ENG and WING A/I were on. Destination weather had wide spread TSRA and would have required an Instrument Approach. Due to the additional Altimeter and Thrust issues elected to return to the departure airport.
Climbing out of approximately FL240 for FL320 IMC and rain; autopilot; autothrottle; kicked off; and Number 1 Yaw Damp. Captain airspeed on his PFD went to 0 and ECAM NAV ADC AIRSPEED DISAGREE. Captain followed the ECAM and switched his ADC to my side. When we turned the autothrottle; autopilot and yaw damp back on; the throttles went to firewall but the engines were not producing the commanded thrust. Climb thrust was around 1.6 EPR and the engines were only producing around 1.4. The aircraft was not climbing very well and struggled to make FL320. Also the yaw damper kicked in almost full rudder and then kicked off again. And the Number 2 autopilot would not fly straight and level. The Altitude Alert horn also came on and would not silence even though all altimeters showed us at FL320 and center did also. The Captain then turned off all automation and began to hand fly. The destination airport was covered with TRW and rain showers and had gusty winds so we elected to return to the departure airport. We declared an emergency because of the number of systems that seemed to be affected; I called Flight Control and let them know. Descending around 17;000 feet all systems started operating normally and the approach and landing were uneventful.
An A300 climbing through FL240 apparently lost ADC Number 1 so the Captain selected ADC Number 2 but the FADEC controlled engines and autopilot did not perform normally. Maintenance changed the Left Pitot Tube and ADC Number 1.