Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft
Close to top of climb a BLEED 2 LEAK EICAS annunciation occurred. An emergency was declared with Center and an emergency descent to 10;000 feet was accomplished. The cabin altitude climbed about 700 - 900 FPM to just over 9;000 feet during the event. A leak was detected in the No. 2 bleed air system while the No. 1 system was on MEL. Maintenance reports that a crack was subsequently found in the No. 2 bleed precooler.I personally have declared an emergency twice in my career; and both events were due to bleed leaks on this aircraft. (About two years ago; I experienced a BLEED 1 LEAK followed by a BLEED 2 LEAK a few minutes later. Cracks were found in both precoolers after that event.) The bleed air system on the E190 has design and engineering issues. Our company's Maintenance department has attempted to address these issues with Embraer without success. Absent Airworthiness Directives from the FAA; I would expect these issues to continue unresolved. I also would like to suggest that our QRH BLEED LEAK procedure be amended to give specific procedures for a bleed leak with only one operative bleed system. This scenario may have seemed remote at the time the QRH was written; but it has happened to me twice.
An ERJ-190 Captain's second depressurization experience due to bleed leaks triggered the report which concludes with the suggestion that the aircraft's bleed system has endemic problems that need to be addressed by regulatory agencies and the manufacturer.