Signification of Spurious

Reference: 31.00.00015 Issue date: 21-MAY-2015 Last check date: 13-SEP-2022 Status: Open
A/C type/serie: A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, ... ATA: 31-00
Engine manufacturer: Supplier:
Purpose / Reason for revision: N/A
Engineering Support Status: Open
References

For A320 aircraft:

ISI 00.00.00228
ISI 45.00.00039

For A330 aircraft:

ISI 00.00.000226
ISI 45.00.00041

For A340-200/300 aircraft:

ISI 00.00.00225
ISI 45.00.00040

For A340-500/600 aircraft:

ISI 00.00.00227
ISI 45.00.00042

SIL 00-028 for A320 aircraft

SIL 00-041 for A330 aircraft
SIL 00-038 for A340 aircraft
SIL 00-078 for A340-500/600 aircraft

Description

The operators request information regarding the meaning of "spurious".

1. What is a spurious message?

2. How to identify a spurious?
3. What are the faults that Airbus consider as spurious?
4. What is the way to identify a spurious?
5. Where to find literature regarding the spurious?

Solution

1. Spurious message
A message is spurious because it has been verified that no maintenance action is due when it is
 triggered. A message may be spurious because its associated monitoring detects a fault whereas
there is no actual fault on aircraft. For example when an aircraft is taxiing with only one engine
running, the Flight Warning System (FWS) BITE and Electronic Instrument System (EIS) BITE will
trigger Fault Messages because they detect that no information is received from the Full
Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) of the engine not started. These Fault Messages are
spurious.
2. Confirmation of spurious spurious messages
Airbus is in charge to confirm the nuisance of fault messages and identify them as as spurious
messages.
Identification of spurious messages is also done thanks to Airbus internal (vendor information /
laboratory tests, limitations notes) and external (airlines) feedbacks. After analysis, a confirmed
spurious message is then documented in the ISISILs in references which are updated according
to these new spurious messages. Airbus recommends the operators to consult the ISIL in case
they suspect that an item in the PFR is spurious, as depicted in the extract of A320 Family
Maintenance Poster / Troubleshooting & dispatch guidelines.
3. Faults considered as spurious
Several ways permit to consider a message as a spurious one:
- the occurrence rate of this message (if the message appears more than once every 5 flights
without any logbook complaints),
- the flight phase apparition could also be a decision element (e.g. a monitoring activated
although system not yet started).
A fault message could be spurious according to the aircraft configuration, to a known
misbehaviour of a system or to optional systems not installed.
In all cases, Airbus will classify a fault message as spurious only when the conditions of
occurrence are known, precise and reproducible.
4. Identification of a spurious
Spurious messages are listed in the ISISILs in references. The CFDS/CMS Filter file, associated to
the ISIL, covers all spurious messages that Airbus recommend to filter from the PFR.
Nevertheless, according to systems evolutions, new spurious can be detected and the filter + ISIL
are updated accordingly.
Airlines can use the Fault Tracking / Nuisance Fault functions of AIRMAN to detect specific
messages (nuisance message tag). Airlines are able to customize the settings of detection of
nuisance message and therefore may contribute to provide in-service feedback to Airbus.
5. Literature regarding the spurious
The ISILs in reference are the document used by the operators to check if a message has been
identified as spurious by Airbus.
Refer to the extract from A320 Maintenance concept poster in attachment.

Refer to the attached presentation concerning spurious message handling.

Additional Note

ISIL documents are connected to AIRMAN and visible in the FAULT ADVISOR page.
Survey for the Engineering Support section
 Annex

General Information
Potential impact: Maintenance
Key information:
Solution benefit:
First issue date: 09-APR-2010 Issue date: 21-MAY-2015 Last check date: 13-SEP-2022

Technical parameters
ATA: 31-00
A/C type/serie: A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340
Engine:
Engine manufacturer:
Fault code/ECAM
warning:
FIN:
Part Number:
Supplier:

Attachments
General:
- ISI_31.00.00015_Summary.docx
Engineering Support:
- PFR_spurious_handling2.pdf
- Poster Extract.jpg

Links
N/A
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