Stall warning device event, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, on 2 August 2006, VH-NXE, Boeing 717-200

At 0938 Central Standard Time on 2 August 2006, a Boeing Company 717-200 aircraft, registered VH-NXE, took off from Alice Springs Airport, NT, on a scheduled flight to Perth, WA.

The applicable aircraft take-off settings and techniques were applied by the flight crew for the takeoff. The recorded data showed that, 4 seconds after lift off, when about 31 ft above the runway, the aircraft's stall warning system activated for 4 seconds, and that the aircraft did not approach an aerodynamic stall condition at any time during the stick shaker activation. In response to the activation of the stick shaker, the flight crew increased engine thrust and reduced the aircraft's pitch attitude.

It is almost certain that an incorrect left wing slat sensor signal was received by the proximity sensing electronics unit (PSEU) from one of the two left wing slats proximity sensors. Consequently, the different slat position signals from the two sensors in the left wing resulted in the PSEU defaulting to the slats not-extended indication for the left wing. As a result of the different slat position signals sent by the proximity sensing electronics unit for the left wing (slats not-extended) and right wing (slats extended), the aircraft's flight control computers used the flaps-extended/slats-retracted stick shaker angle of attack schedule, leading to stick shaker activation and other stall indications.

Although no explanation could be found for the incorrect signal received by the PSEU from one of the two left wing slats proximity sensors, the aircraft manufacturer concluded that there did not appear to be a systemic problem in the worldwide 717 fleet.