The FAA issued a safety alert for operators (SAFO 14006) on December 15 to address the potential for cockpit crew confusion while executing some emergency checklist items related to circuit breakers.

The FAA found some crews struggle to clearly identify whether a circuit breaker had popped open or been simply collared with a white tie. The agency also believes that in some cases a breaker might appear to be normal, when it has in fact been collared with a black tie wrap rendering that system inoperative or non-powered.

The FAA suggests pilots review the maintenance logbooks and dispatch releases to ensure they are aware of the current condition and configuration of their aircraft. The agency suggests maintenance personnel use contrasting color tie wraps or circuit breaker collars when deactivating aircraft systems by pulling circuit breakers. This means tie wraps or collars should not be the same color as the indicator band on the circuit breaker (typically white or black). Inoperative stickers should be placed near the deactivated system controls or on the instrument panel in full view of the pilots to ensure they are aware of the aircraft’s configuration change.