Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Physiological - Other
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural MEL / CDL
General Maintenance Action; General Release Refused / Aircraft Not Accepted
Company Policy; Incorrect / Not Installed / Unavailable Part; MEL; Procedure; Aircraft
During preflight we found that the aircraft oxygen was at 0 PSI. We contacted Dispatch; Maintenance; [and] the Chief Pilot's office and made an entry into the AML. A decision was made to ferry the aircraft to SGF to have the problem fixed. We again contacted Dispatch; Maintenance; and the Chief Pilot's office in regard to flying the aircraft with no oxygen. Our question was. What do we do if there is smoke or a fire? The EPC checklist has a procedure for this type of an emergency. Oxygen masks on 100%; smoke goggles on; crew communication establish; recirculation fan off. A few suggestions were made on how to conduct this flight. All of the options that were discussed to fly the aircraft with no oxygen were not feasible. The result could be a dead crew and a crashed aircraft if there were smoke or fire. One of the suggestions was to go fly with no oxygen because it's been done before. Is that really what we want to do here at our Part 121 carrier? If it is; I would like a list of other situations that effect the safe operation of our aircraft that do not have an established procedure to follow [we could ignore]. We simply do not have a procedure for an aircraft to be flown with no oxygen nor should we. I highly value my life and that of my crew. The parts to fix the aircraft were flown in from SGF and contract maintenance fixed the aircraft. Thank you for your help in creating a safe working environment.
When the emergency oxygen level was discovered at zero during preflight the Air Carrier Captain refused to ferry the aircraft 280 NM from its current location to a company maintenance facility because emergency checklists required the flight crew to use oxygen in the event of an inflight smoke or fire event. The necessary parts were ultimately flown from the maintenance facility to the aircraft where they were installed by contracted maintenance.