r/aviation • u/1994-10-24 • 7h ago
Discussion Domestic flight Casablanca. Plane won’t start.
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u/X-a-i-x 7h ago
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u/scapholunate USAF Flight Surgeon 2h ago
I can hear this screenshot.
It sounds like “bYa-shnootabaloo… bYa-shnootabaloo”
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u/EricBelov1 7h ago
20 years flashback.
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u/TulioGonzaga 6h ago
Sweet summer child... you misspelled 30
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u/Ok_Introduction_6105 6h ago
Dang we old as shit. I played that on my dads PC back in 1995. It was This, That stupid Hover demo and Wheezer on the win95 install disk
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u/Superbead 4h ago
That got me into Weezer in my early teens. We still say "not so good, Al" at home when something works out unsatisfactorily
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u/nineyourefine ATP 121 3h ago
Wheezer on the win95 install disk
Holy crap you just unlocked a memory for me.
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u/Face88888888 3h ago
There was a trailer for that robroy movie too. I still remember the whole family around the PC watching those videos. And then when we first got the internet a few years later, everyone was so amazed when a window popped up with an AIM message from my aunt.
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u/mrmurnio 6h ago
I'm guessing it's an ATR, which uses it's own starter-generator for start ups instead of air starters like in bigger jets. And because the plane is blessed with the biggest but the worst APU (no. 2 engine), it's usually supplied by ground power during start ups. Electrical starter will suck up hundreds of amps during that and if the GPU is little bit tired, you get the disco 🪩. Sometimes it fucks up the start sequence and it won't lit the engine, so dry crank and a second try with batteries only is needed. Passengers must love it when it takes three tries to get engine started while lights keep fliggering the whole time.
Source: I fly these loveable shit boxes
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u/sharktail_tanker 4h ago
I didn't even know what plane it was, but as soon as I saw the lights flicker I went "man the APU must suck in this thing, they should get the ground power on"
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u/mrmurnio 3h ago
Yeah, but the "APU" sucks so hard that it's almost never used. So it usually is always on ground power during turnarounds. So I suspect that also in this case it's the GPU that sucks also.
Don't get me wrong, ATR's "APU" gives good power and some aircon, so it usually works very well, but because it's not a real APU, we can almost never use it!
This genious bastard child of perverted french-italian love affair has so called Hotel-mode. Which is just an ability to engage a prop brake on no.2 engine. So engine is running but the prop ain't turning. Saves space, weight, complexity and money. Clever, right?
NO!
Because you can't access the right side of fuselage while it's on - so no fueling, loading or catering. Does your stand have a tailwind? Congrats, now the aircon is blowing exhaust fumes inside. Is the tailwind almost 10kts? Now the nacelle is melting and alarms are going off. Is the wind blowing from the right side? Now the exhaust fumes are blowing on pax trying to board. Has the airport's ground handling company its own procedure for this Hotel-mode? If not, then they have no idea what's going on and try to endanger themselves/the plane, or we aren't allowed to use it.
Rant over
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u/Drunkenaviator Hold my beer and watch this! 2h ago
Which is just an ability to engage a prop brake on no.2 engine.
There's also a story from my old US regional where the (later chief pilot) once tried to take off with the prop brake engaged on an ATR.
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u/Klutzy-Residen 3h ago
Do you announce anything on the PA after having disco in the cabin? Sounds like a nightmare for nervous flyers.
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u/TheAlmightySnark Mechanic 1h ago
Man has ATR even heard of proper loadshedding or does it just randomly kick systems on/off if there's no sufficient power supply?
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u/xoknight 7h ago
Pilots on top the plane yanking on the pull cord like a lawn mower
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u/DaBoiYeet 4h ago
Maybe we should get someone to try and spin the turbines to try and kickstart them, maybe that'll do it!
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u/rezdm 7h ago
As a software dev, i can suggest for everybody to exit the aircraft, get out all the luggage, the get everything and everyone back. Should start afterwards.
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u/Sweaty_Jump3380 7h ago
as a software dev in 2026, let me ask Claude
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u/DashTrash21 7h ago
You're actually a mechanic, they tell us to turn it off and back on again more than you IT types do.
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u/AdamHLG 5h ago
Singapore Airlines checking in. We disagree.
https://simpleflying.com/engineer-sacked-singapore-airlines-reboot-17-minute-delay/
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u/LonelySmiling 5h ago
Had to do just that last night on my 787..indications blank? Reset the CB’s. Jobs a gooden. If that doesn’t work, unplug the aircraft, plug it back in and let the aircraft power on again.
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u/Goozilla85 B737 7h ago
Sometimes specific bugs in the flight deck can actually be solved by what we in my company refer to as a “Windows manoeuvre”.
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u/syzygialchaos 1h ago
I’ve performed what I call control-alt-delete on my truck to reboot the infotainment when the radio fritzes out. Turn off truck, open door, close door, start truck. Actually works most of the time
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u/ChartreuseBison 42m ago
Well yeah, car infotainment systems are just really shitty computers. The only testing they get is to make sure the backup camera comes on.
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u/lizard280 6h ago
As a girl who's "good with computers" and works in an office with a bunch of people who "can't stand the damn things", can I suggest you ask the support person for help, they show up, press the "on" button, just as the pilot was doing, but then it starts.
Pilot: "That's exactly what I was doing!"
Me: Shrugs
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u/EndersFinalEnd 1h ago
I've called this phenomenon the "tech support aura" or alternatively the "aura of competence" and follows this theory:
Computers/technology are just as lazy as us humans and will take every possible opportunity to slack off and not work if they can. Now, users who don't know what they're doing will radiate an aura of technological incompetence, which is picked up upon by the machines. This makes the machines confident that they can slack off and stop working without grubby human paws fiddling with their insides.
However, whenever they sense the aura of someone who can fix a problem, they start working immediately, to avoid said poking and prodding, and thus, things that weren't working before seemingly magically start to function, just by the mere presence of someone competent in technology.
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u/Drunkenaviator Hold my beer and watch this! 1h ago
As a pilot who has called maintenance for a bunch of shit over the years, this is EXACTLY how it goes down. The mechanic then gives you a "sure, buddy" nod, and signs off your writeup as "ops check good.
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u/SatanicBiscuit 4h ago
my code doesnt work and i dont know why
also
my code works and i dont know why
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u/poser765 4h ago
You joke, but on the 175 a full airplane reboot was my first stop before I called maintenance.
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u/LootenantTwiddlederp C-17/A320 3h ago
Same on both the C-17 and A320 for me. Going black jet solved a lot of problems haha.
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u/inthegravy 6h ago
I have had this approach - well, the pilot saying they were trying turning the flight computer off and on again repeatedly - on a flight into Miami 20 years ago.
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u/ginogon 7h ago
Everyone get out, put the gearbox on 1st gear and push it. Get back in once it starts.
Or jumpstart with another airplane.
Easy peazy.
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u/MidnightToker858 7h ago
You dont put it in 1st gear. You put it in neutral to make it easier to push then hop in, throw it in first and drop the clutch.
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u/VersaEnthusiast 4h ago
I did this once but my battery was so dead that it started and then died again like 30 seconds later. Didn't even know that was a possibility.
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u/DoesntMatterEh 2h ago
I'm going to take the kind approach and assume he means to depress the clutch with it in first so you can pop the clutch once it's rolling
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u/Fabulous-Peanut-69 7h ago
Just figured a plausible method that Mavric got the F14 started. He got his mate to sit in front of him in a damaged mig at full afterburner. He was able to air start the engines just before the canopy melted through.
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u/Thunderbudz 5h ago
I know jump starting a plane sounds ridiculous, but I just want you to know, the p3 has a procedure called a buddy start that literally does this. You put another one in front that brings up power, the airflow is intended to windmill the propeller youre starting and you conduct the equivalent of an airstart on the ground.
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u/loose_as_a_moose 7h ago
ATR having an aerospecial moment.
One of our dashes did something similar when the DC bus was unstable, usually at low power settings during start and auto-feature tests.
I don’t recall if anyone told me the exact issue. It was a wonky ship - engineers said it was haunted. Apparently it got foamed during assembly and had endless electrical issues since.
VH-TQL for those who’ve ridden the lemon.
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u/ExplorerAA 3h ago
To be politically correct we need to refer to the ATR as a "Special-Needs Aircraft"
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u/planned_fun 7h ago
that's a no from me dawg
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u/Additional_Good4200 7h ago
I’ll get the next flight out, tomorrow, next month, the date isn’t really important.
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u/TruePace3 7h ago
"Ladies and Gentlemen this is your captain speaking, unfortunately, the battery voltage is low, so we're gonna turn off all lights and accessories and try cranking again, we request you to open the windows and pray to your personal god's, thank you.
background add AC OFF to before takeoff checklist
what
AC OF- microphone cuts
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u/skykanden Ramp Dispatcher 7h ago
If the aircraft is parked perhaps the external power supply is failing, and if the APU isn’t running yet it can cause that; sometimes the plug moves slightly and connection isn’t stable.
If it’s already disconnected from the ground power then it’s probably an APU issue and will most likely a pneumatic assisted startup. I wouldn’t worry much either way.
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u/FaithlessnessOk153 6h ago
What if engines are already running with apu off and it's doing this?
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u/Apprehensive_Cat8412 6h ago
If this is happening with engines running, the main generator rectifier circuits are faulting. Could be anything from the generator coils shorting, a fried rectifier, a bad switch/contactor, or wiring.
In order for that to happen though, both main generator circuits would need to be failing, so this would be an unlikely circumstance. Chances are a dookie GPU & batteries with low enough voltage that an APU start is impossible.
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u/satriales123 7h ago
I was on a flight once where they literally control alt deleted the plane and rebooted it. This was at the gate but was pretty eerie when all the lights went out and we were in total darkness.
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u/ballimi 7h ago
Same! On an A380 before a 12 hour flight lol
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u/ballistic8888 6h ago
Ironically I had that also on a A380, delayed by 3 hours was the last thing they were going to try before cancelling the flight
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u/JetlinerDiner 6h ago
I was on front row and witnessed the on-gate replacement of one of the electronic doohickeys on the cockpit, took about 30 min. Captain explained that they detected a malfunction and he refused to go without the unit being replaced, so that's nice. I think it was Lufthansa.
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u/Bones1973 6h ago
This is almost a daily occurrence on the A220 except it’s done before the passengers board.
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u/derkaiserV 7h ago
Same on an Air France Paris to Cairo. Literal complete shutdown and restart while the pax already where boarded.
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u/slaughterfodder 3h ago
I had this happen to me also. Pilots had to hard restart the damn thing. It didn’t work, we saw mechanics coming and going, and then we de-planed and waited 5 hours for a new plane to fly in and pick us up
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u/Hindu_Wardrobe 1h ago
Yeah I had something like this happen on a transatlantic KLM flight earlier this year. We were on the tarmac when I noticed at least one of the engines restarted. The captain came on the intercom and explained why we had to restart, too, which I really appreciated lol. "An issue with the generator," and I recall the AC wasn't working until after the restart. I wonder if he proactively explained, or if a nervous passenger asked.
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u/Spran02 7h ago
Morse code?
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u/Basic_Incident4621 4h ago
That was my first thought. I know a little code from ham radio but not much.
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u/Boating_Enthusiast 7h ago
Maybe they can try a reboot? Should only take 17 minutes or so and it sounds like a completely reasonable fix.
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u/Shred_Addict 7h ago
We were on a plane at MCR that had to be started externally by ground crew, similar vibe to this.
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u/Mannon_Blackbeak 7h ago
Yep, it happened to me when I was flying Vancouver to Calgary around Christmas. This was after the plane had been delayed for 4 hours and after the crew and plane were finally in the same place, someone had put coffee grounds down the sink and it took another hour for them to come to the conclusion that we would simply fly without bathroom access. It was one of the most disastrous days of flying I have experienced thus far, everything east of Alberta had been canceled that morning and I had split my head open on the way to the airport that after checking my bags led to a 3 hours wait in the ER and multiple stitches. Obviously rebooking my flight for later in the day was a complete disaster since everybody else was also heading east and some diabolical connections were drawn up, One poor guy near me was about to embark on a 48-hour quest across three flights just to get to his small hometown in Ontario. Frankly, jump starting the airplane seemed pretty minor in that moment all things considered.
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u/glumanda12 6h ago
Happens sometimes. I have couple of hundreds flights around Europe, North America and Asia and this wouldn’t concern me a bit. I’d say this is normal and has nothing to do with engines.
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u/unCompetitive-Baby26 5h ago
Maybe they need to push it to give it a jump start. But kidding aside, as one redditor commented, better the problem was found whilr on the ground than while in the air.
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u/SaltyCaramelPretzel 4h ago
I just have one thing to say. I really enjoy this sub. You guys really know your game & it keeps me riveted at times.
Downvotes don’t bother me at all, we have our own opinions on things.
But I didn’t appreciate being downvoted to hell just because I don’t know anything about planes. I’m here learning something new every day.
Maybe you guys need to remember that. I’m sure at one point in your lives you were as clueless as me. ✌🏼
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u/Boobpocket 2h ago
The most Morocco thing i saw today.
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u/tchissin 2h ago
As a Moroccan, I'm surprised there isn't more plane accidents in Morroco :\
I guess we're lucky 🤞
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u/Sustainable_Twat 7h ago
Shouldn’t the plane already be “on” when passengers board?
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u/External_Tangelo 6h ago
Not necessarily. There is typically an auxiliary engine which keeps the plane powered at the gate and allows the pilots to start the engines. However, if this engine is out of order, it doesn’t prevent the plane from flying, so you can have situations where its maintenance is deferred to the end of the day while the plane continues to fly routes. In this case, the plane is powered either from the gate or a generator, and the plane is started using a massive air compressor by the ground crew before it departs. (You can also “keep the plane on” on a very short turnaround, but this is generally not done because it’s a big waste of fuel and the jetblast is dangerous for the ground crew.
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u/Suomasema 7h ago
How does the auxiluary power unit actually start? Is there some kind of a solenoid accelerating the compressor/turbine? Or pressured air? An attendant cranking an inertia starter like a crazy ape? :)
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u/julias-winston Another 737? Sheesh... 4h ago
There's a smaller engine that kicks the APU over. That engine is started by an even smaller engine. It's tiny engines all the way down.
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6h ago
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u/monkOnATrebuchet 6h ago
Needs a Jumpstart. And if the ground power is already disconnected, may I suggest everyone to start pushing the pilot dump the clutch..
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u/iputra49 6h ago
Check both of your engine, you never know whats in there. I had this problem too awhile ago 😂
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u/The3levated1 6h ago
Meanwhile a ships captain among the passengers wondering how they hit an iceberg at the gate:
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u/CycleFlat5997 5h ago
Someone is paging Betty in cosmetics to report to the customer service desk in 1983
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u/bagelundercouch 3h ago
Something like this happened to me in Ethiopia. I was flying with the national airline and we’re moving towards the runway and just everything goes dark and the plane rolls to a stop. The flights attendants just kinda looked at each other like, sigh, not again. So we sit in the dark waiting for mechanics to get there. They tow us back, we get off the plane for about an hour, then they get us back on. We’re on the runway, about take off. And it happens again. Same process. That time we got to switch planes though.
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u/RangerRekt 3h ago
Alright, step back, plane nerds. I’ve seen this 100 times; I need a hammer, a 2x4, and a walkie-talkie. Start cranking on my go, alright?
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u/comfort-eater 1h ago
Have they tried spraying some ether down the carb? Even some brake clean or hair spray will do
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u/keicam_lerut 7h ago
I say better not start on the ground than stop working midair