Nick Collett | 2011

PMDG 737NGX GroundWork CAUTION AND WARNING SYSTEMS

Caution and Warning Systems

Lesson Introduction
There are many systems on the aircraft that could be covered under the Caution and
Warning banner, and we have devoted full lessons to some of the bigger ones.
Caution and Warning systems on the aircraft include:
o Master caution system,
o Fire warnings,
o Mach/Airspeed warning system,
o Stall warning system,
o Cabin altitude warnings,
o Aircraft conguration warnings,
o Altitude alerting system,
o Autoland advisory messages,
o Ground Proximity Warning System,
o Trac alert and Collision Avoidance System.
Fire Protection systems and associated warnings, GPWS and TCAS all have lessons dedicated
specically to them.
The cabin altitude warnings are inherently related to the pressurization system, so are
included in that lesson.
The altitude alerting system is dependent on the altitude set in the Mode Control Panel
altitude window, so is included in the Autopilot Flight Director System lesson.
There are of course other warnings, such as autopilot and autothrottle disconnect warnings
that are discussed in the relevant lessons.
With all of that in mind, lets run through what we will be covering in this lesson:
o An overview of the caution and warning philosophy on the 737NG,
o The master caution system,
o Mach/Airspeed warning system,
o Stall warning system,
o Aircraft conguration warnings and the PSEU Proximity Switch Electronic Unit.

Caution and Warning Systems Overview

The 737 gives aural, tactile and visual signals to alert the ight crew to conditions that
require action or caution while operating the aircraft.
The nature of the signals provided varies depending on the degree of urgency and the
nature of the hazards involved.
Aural, tactile and visual signals may be given simultaneously to provide both immediate
warnings and further information regarding the nature of the condition.

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The 737NG does NOT use EICAS.

o EICAS is an integrated system which consolidates engine and subsystem information
onto a single display, or pair of displays.
o It provides a centrally located alerting message display, usually on the inboard
display units.
o EICAS stands for Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System.
o We are concerned with the Crew Alerting System part of the acronym for the
moment.
o The 737NGs Crew Alerting System consists of annunciator lights spread throughout
the ight deck, and centers around master caution and annunciator light panels on
the glareshield.
o Unlike aircraft such as the 747-400 and 777, the majority of alerts are NOT located
on the Upper or Lower Display Units.
o These are reserved for engine indications and a small amount of other system
information.
The 737, like many other airliners is based around a Dark Cockpit Philosophy.
o This means that system annunciator lights in the cockpit should be extinguished
while those systems are functioning normally.
o Logically, this means that lights will only illuminate when there is reason to draw
crew attention to that system.
o This reduces distractions during normal operation, and draws immediate attention
to conditions which must be addressed.
Dierent colours are reserved for dierent categories of conditions on the 737 ight deck.
o Red warning lights indicate conditions which require the immediate attention of the
ight crew.
Such lights include:
Engine, wheel well, cargo or APU res,
Autopilot or autothrottle disconnects,
Landing gear unsafe conditions.
o Amber caution lights indicate conditions which require timely but not necessarily
urgent attention of the ight crew.
There are amber caution lights scattered throughout the ight deck.
o Blue lights are for information and do not require immediate ight crew attention.
They inform the ight crew of:
Electrical power availability,
Valve position,
Equipment status,
Flight attendant or ground communications.
Some system blue lights indicate valve or component transit by illuminating
bright.
Bright illumination may also indicate a disagreement between switch and

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valve position.
o Green lights indicate validity, such as:
Landing gear and leading edge device extension,
Speedbrake armed,
Valid squib tests,
Window Heat ON lights,
Pressurization system modes.

Master Caution System

The 737NG ight deck has its roots in the original Boeing 737s of the 1960s, and it shows.
o The 737 was the rst Boeing jet airliner to be designed without a ight engineer, and
the master caution system was developed to ease pilot workload.
The system is centered around the master caution and system annunciator lights on the
outboard ends of the glareshield.
The Master Fire Warning lights located outboard of the Master Caution lights are separate
to this system, and are covered in the Fire Protection lesson.
There is one Master Caution light on each end of the glareshield.
Inboard of each Master Caution light is a system annunciator panel.
Each system annunciator panel has six separate lights, each corresponding to a specic
system.
The system annunciator panels include only those systems located on the:
o Forward Overhead Panel,
o Aft Overhead Panel,
o The Overheat/Fire Protection Panel.
Lights on the forward panel will not trigger a master caution.
The Master Caution System places attention getting lights directly in front of the pilots eyes
for systems outside of their normal eld of vision.
Once attention has been drawn to the illuminated light on the glareshield, the pilot then
looks at the corresponding system panel elsewhere in the cockpit to diagnose the problem.
We will run through the 6 individual system lights on the captains annunciator panel and
match them to sections of the ight deck that they correspond to.
The FLT CONT light illuminates when any of the 10 amber lights on the Flight Control Panel
illuminate.
The IRS light illuminates when any of the 7 amber lights on the IRS Mode Selector Unit
illuminate.
o Note that the GPS light will not be present here on aircraft that are not GPS
equipped.
The FUEL light illuminates when any of the 8 amber lights on the Fuel Panel illuminate.
The ELEC light illuminates when any of the 10 amber lights on the various electrical panels
illuminate.
The APU light illuminates when any of the 3 lights on the APU Panel illuminate.

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The OVHT/DET light illuminates when the APU DET INOP or either of the two ENG
OVERHEAT lights on the Overheat/Fire Protection panel illuminate.
The lights are laid out on each system annunciator panel to reect where the relevant
indications are laid out on the overhead panel.
o Its not entirely accurate, but its generally correct and helps the initial prompt of
where to look on the overhead.
Moving over to the rst ocers system annunciator panel, lets run through each
annunciator light and point out the related lights on the overhead panel.
The ANTI-ICE light illuminates when any of the 14 amber lights on the window heat and
various anti-ice panels on the Forward Overhead Panel illuminate.
The HYD light illuminates when any of the 6 amber lights on the hydraulic panel illuminate.
The DOORS light illuminates when any of the Exterior Door Annunciator Lights illuminate.
o The number of lights here varies of course depending on the aircraft variant.
o The -800 has four over wing exits for example, while the -700 has only two.
The ENG light illuminates when either of the two REVERSER or ENGINE CONTROL lights on
the Aft Overhead Panel illuminate.
o It is also triggered by the Electronic Engine Control reverting to Alternate Mode.
The AIR COND light illuminates when any of the 12 amber lights on the air conditioning and
cabin pressurization panels illuminate.
o The layout of these panels is slightly dierent on the -600 and -700, but it is still the
case that the illumination of any one of them will trigger the AIR COND light.
The OVERHEAD light is triggered by several lights on both the Forward and Aft Overhead
Panels.
o The PSEU, PASS OXY ON, and Flight Recorder OFF lights on the Aft Overhead Panel
all trigger the OVERHEAD annunciator light.
o It is also triggered by the Equipment Cooling OFF and Emergency Exit Lights NOT
ARMED lights on the Forward Overhead Panel.
o For aircraft so equipped, the ELT and Lavatory SMOKE lights will also trigger the
OVERHEAD annunciator light.
Thats all of the system annunciator panel lights covered you can see that almost every
single amber light on the ight deck is covered by this system.
Many of those excluded are on the forward panel, where they would be within the crews
normal visual scan anyway.
Also excluded are four of the amber lights on the Overheat/Fire Protection panel.
o The FAULT, APU BOTTLE DISCHARGE, and the L and R BOTTLE DISCHARGE lights will
not trigger a Master Caution.
The DETECTOR FAULT light on the Cargo Fire Panel is also excluded from the system.
So, to rearm which lights DO trigger a Master Caution:
o All amber lights on the Forward and Aft Overhead Panels,
o The ENG 1 and 2 OVERHEAT and APU DET INOP lights on the Overheat/Fire
Protection Panel.
Whenever any of the system annunciator panel lights illuminate, the Master Caution lights

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also illuminate.
As we said before, the Master Caution System is for all intents and purposes an attention
getter that directs crew attention towards the problem area concerned.
Pushing either Master Caution light extinguishes both Master Caution lights and any system
annunciator panel lights illuminated.
o This resets the system for future master caution conditions.
o The Master Caution lights should not be left on for any longer than necessary as they
get very hot and excessive heat can damage the lenses.
Pushing and holding a system annunciator panel causes all of the system annunciator lights
to illuminate on both panels.
o Upon release, the annunciator lights that remain illuminated show systems which
have faults.
o This is called a RECALL, as it recalls any faults which were extinguished earlier when
the Master Caution light was pushed.
The master caution system is archaic by the standards of EICAS, ECAM and other modern
equivalents, but it does the job and is very eective if used and understood correctly.

Mach/Airspeed Warning System

The Mach/Airspeed Warning System provides an aural warning when the aircraft exceeds
maximum operating speed.
This speed is 340 knots up to 26,000 feet, and M0.82 thereafter.
o This is indicated by the red and black bars on the PFD speed tape.
Maximum operating speed is referred to as VMO when the reference speed is in knots, and
MMO when the reference speed is a Mach number.
The Mach/Airspeed Warning system is fed the overspeed warning signal by the left and
right ADIRUs.
The Mach Airspeed Warning Test switches on the Aft Overhead Panel test the overspeed
warning circuits.
A successful test will sound the overspeed clacker.
o The No. 1 switch tests the overspeed warning circuits in the Left ADIRU, and the No.
2 switch tests the overspeed warning circuits in the Right ADIRU.
The test is inhibited in the air.
To summarize, the clacker sounds in the air when the aircraft exceeds maximum operating
speed 340 knots up to 26,000 feet, and M0.82 thereafter.

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Stall Warning System

A stall is an aerodynamic condition where the angle of attack of the wing has increased so
much that airow over its upper surface starts to separate.
o In this condition, there is no longer adequate lift to maintain ight, so the aircraft
starts to fall from the sky.
o As the airow begins to separate, a phenomenon called stall buet can be felt.
o This shakes the airframe, and is a clear indicator of the onset of a stall.
o In some aircraft however, the margin between stall buet and actual stall itself is
too small to provide adequate warning.
o To provide adequate warning, many airliners have an articial stall warning device
called a stick shaker.
The 737 has one stick shaker on each control column.
The stick shaker is eectively a motor with an unbalanced weight attached that is triggered
as the aircraft approaches the stall.
o The stick shakers are triggered as airspeed decreases below the top of the red and
black minimum speed bars on the speed tape.
The motors shake the stick, generating a lot of noise and giving a very clear tactile warning
to the pilots.
Either stick shaker will vibrate both control columns through interconnects beneath the
cockpit oor.
The Stall Warning System is deactivated on the ground, but armed at all times in ight.
Additionally to activating the stick shaker, the stall warning system also increases control
column feel forces to discourage the pilot from aggravating the stall.
o The Flight Control Computers also command nose down trim on the horizontal
stabilizer.
o The Autoslat System provides a further layer of protection.
o We cover all of these in the Flight Controls lessons.
There are two Stall Management Yaw Damper computers which independently determine
when stall warning is required.
They do this based upon:
o Air/ground sensing,
o ADIRU speed outputs,
o FMC outputs,
o Alpha vane angle of attack outputs,
o Anti-ice system usage,
o Wing conguration,
o Thrust setting.
The Stall Management Yaw Damper computers provide outputs to many systems on the
aircraft.
o Most notably in this case - the stick shakers and the Pitch Limit Indicator and
minimum speed bars on the PFD speedtape.

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There are two Stall Warning Test switches on the Aft Overhead Panel which test their
respective Stall Management Yaw Damper computers.
o The #1 computer shakes the captains control column, and the #2 computer shakes
the rst ocers control column.
o The test is inhibited while airborne.
To summarize the most important point, the stick shakers are triggered as airspeed
decreases below the top of the red and black minimum speed bars on the speed tape.
Corrective action must then be made immediately to avoid stalling.

Aircraft Coniguration Warnings and PSEU

PSEU
PSEU stands for Proximity Switch Electronic Unit and is highly relevant to this lesson.
Each landing gear strut has two air/ground sensors that monitor compression of the landing
gear strut to determine whether the aircraft is in the air or on the ground.
When the struts are compressed, the sensors transmit a ground signal, and when the struts
are uncompressed, the sensors transmit an air signal.
The PSEU processes the signals from the air/ground sensors and forwards them to various
other aircraft systems.
The PSEU controls six aircraft systems and provides discrete outputs for many more.
The PSEU controls the following six systems:
o Air/Ground relays,
o Door warnings,
o Speedbrake deployed indication,
o Landing gear transfer valve,
o Landing gear position indication and warning,
o Takeo conguration warnings,
The latter two are the functions that we are concerned with here, and well run through
them shortly.
There is a PSEU light on the Aft Overhead Panel that illuminates when the PSEU has
identied a no-dispatch fault.
o A no-dispatch type fault is one that prohibits the aircraft from departing.
o The PSEU light assists pilots and engineers in identifying and isolating faults in the
various systems that the PSEU monitors and controls.
o The light is inhibited from the point that thrust is set for takeo to 30 seconds after
landing.
Mentioning the PSEU in this lesson is only scratching the surface of a tremendously complex
ecosystem of relays, sensors and components that are beyond the scope of what we need
to cover here.
The PSEU interfaces with a great many systems and components across the aircraft, so we
are only mentioning it here in the context of aircraft conguration warnings.

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Takeoff Coniguration Warning

The takeo conguration warning alerts the ight crew to various conditions which might
preclude a safe takeo.
An intermittent horn sounds if the thrust levers are advanced for takeo (beyond 53
degrees thrust lever angle), but the aircraft is not correctly congured.
Any one of the following conditions will trigger the takeo conguration warning:
o Trailing edge aps are not in the Flaps 1 through 25 takeo range,
o Trailing edge aps are in a skew or asymmetry condition, or have uncommanded
motion,
o Leading edge aps and slats are not extended or have uncommanded motion,
o Speedbrake lever is not in the DOWN position,
o Spoiler control valve is open (meaning that the ground spoilers have pressure),
o Stabilizer trim is not set in the takeo range.
o Parking brake is set,
If all of these conditions have been addressed by the time thrust is set for takeo, the
conguration warning should not sound.
Many fatal accidents have occurred where aircraft have not been congured for takeo,
even with a conguration warning system tted.
o In 2005 a 737-200 crashed shortly after takeo in Indonesia due in part to the crews
failure to set takeo aps.
o The accident investigation established that the takeo conguration warning was
likely inoperative.
o In 2008, an MD-82 crashed shortly after takeo in Madrid, Spain, also due in part to
failure to set takeo aps.
o The takeo conguration warning also failed to sound in the run up to this accident.
o Many more accidents, involving a host of dierent aircraft types have occurred
during the years. These were two of the more recent ones.
The takeo conguration warning horn is a safety net designed to catch pilots failure to
congure the aircraft for takeo.
It is no replacement for solid and consistent ow and checklist procedures however.

Landing Gear Coniguration Warnings

Both visual and aural warnings of landing gear position are provided.
The landing gear indicator lights provide a visual indication, while the landing gear warning
horn is the aural cue.
There are six landing gear indicator lights on the landing gear panel a red and green light
for each gear strut.
The red lights illuminate under two conditions:
o The landing gear is in disagreement with the Landing Gear Lever position.
o The aircraft is below 800ft, the thrust levers have been brought back behind the 44

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degree position, and the landing gear is not yet down and locked.
The red lights extinguish with either the gear up and locked and the lever UP or OFF, or the
gear down and locked with the gear lever in the DOWN position.
The green lights illuminate when the related landing gear is down and locked.
The green lights extinguish when the landing gear is not down and locked.
There is an auxiliary set of lights on the Aft Overhead Panel that illuminate green when the
gear is down and locked.
The nose, left and right main gear each have two systems to determine gear position.
o The primary gear indications on the forward panel use System 1, while the auxiliary
indications on the Aft Overhead Panel use System 2.
o Either green indication for each of the gear struts conrms that the corresponding
landing gear is down and locked.
The aural landing gear conguration warning is a continuous horn.
The onset of the horn is a function of ap lever position, thrust lever position, and radio
altitude.
There are four sets of conditions which trigger the landing gear conguration warning horn.
o With aps set from 0 to 10, thrust levers below approximately 20 degrees TLA, and
radio altitude between 200 and 800ft, the horn will sound but can be silenced by
pushing the HORN CUTOUT switch on the control stand.
o With aps set from 0 to 10, thrust levers below approximately 20 degrees TLA, and
radio altitude below 200ft, the horn will sound and cannot be silenced.
o With aps set from 15 to 25, and thrust levers below approximately 20 degrees TLA,
the horn will sound regardless of radio altitude and cannot be silenced.
o With aps set beyond 25, the horn will sound regardless of thrust lever angle and
radio altitude, and cannot be silenced.
With only one engine operating, the thrust lever angle range expands to below 34 degrees
on the live thrust lever for the conguration horn.
o This compensates for the higher thrust settings needed on approach with an engine
out.
The horn will cutout automatically when the landing gear is deployed.
Coupled with GPWS Mode 4A TOO LOW GEAR alerts, the aircraft will give every warning it
can to make sure you dont land with the gear up!
Nonetheless, verifying three greens is essential during approach.

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Lesson Summary
There are many hundreds of controls and indications on the 737NG ight deck.
The master caution system on the NG has changed little - aesthetically at least - since those
installed in the original 737s of the 1960s, and is considerably behind modern systems such
as EICAS and ECAM.
Nonetheless it does an eective job of directing crew attention to problem areas, and
should be intimately understood.
In this lesson we covered:
o An overview of the caution and warning philosophy on the 737NG,
o Master caution system,
o Mach/Airspeed warning system,
o Stall warning system,
o Aircraft conguration warnings and the PSEU.

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