US FAA and EUROCONTROL issue warning about inadvertent radio and transponder changes on ERJ145 family aircraft

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported an issue with radio and transponder operations on Embraer 135, 140, 145, and Legacy aircraft and have made recommendations to operators of these aircraft. In addition, Eurocontrol added further advice to pilots. The problem and recommendations are set out below. If a foot is placed by a crew member on the footrest just below the instrument panel this action could inadvertently put the ATC transponder into standby mode, or change radio frequencies without the individual pilot being aware of his or her action. Furthermore, pilots might not notice the corresponding indication on the Pilot Flight Display (PFD) due to the white letters, which are not as noticeable as the yellow or red caution and warning indications. FAA recommended actions • Operators flying any of these Embraer models, as well as training centres, should immediately make this hazard known to their pilots and should make sure that it is addressed in their training programs, especially during flight training, supervised operating experience, and line checks. EUROCONTROL MODE S & ACAS Programme advice * The loss of transponder functionality will make the aircraft invisible to ATC and will render TCAS inoperative. * The relevant displays/indicators should be routinely scanned during the flight to monitor continued operation of transponder and TCAS.