Excalibur Airways Airbus 320

Excalibur Airways Airbus 320

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August 26, 1993, an Excalibur Airways Airbus 320 took off from London-Gatwick Airport (LGW) and exhibited an undemanded roll to the right on takeoff, a condition which persisted until the aircraft landed back at LGW 37 minutes later. Control of the aircraft required significant left sidestick at all times and the flight control system was degraded by the loss of spoiler control.

Technicians familiar with Boeing 757 flap change procedures lacked the knowledge required to correctly lock out the spoilers on the Airbus during the flap change work that was done the day before the flight. Turnover to technicians on the next shift compounded the problem. No mention of incorrect spoiler lockout procedure was given since it was assumed that the 320 was like the 757. The flap change was operationally checked, but the spoiler remained locked out incorrectly and was not detected by the flight crew during standard functional checks.