ECAM Warning Family

This article collects the ECAM warnings and advisories scattered across articles 09–22 into one family chart — listed by the three families (BRAKES / L/G / WHEEL-TIRE), each with its level (WARN/CAUT), trigger, suppression window, degraded display, and the article that handles it. When you see an L/G or BRAKES warning in the cockpit, come here to find its family, level, and where it is handled.

The ATA-32 ECAM warnings are organised by level (red/amber) and trigger condition. This is an index overview; the mechanism and detailed handling are in each system article, and dispatch effects are in MEL ME-32.

1. The three families

BRAKES family

L/G family

WHEEL / TIRE family

2. The only red WARN — PARK BRK ON at take-off power

Of all these warnings, only PARK BRK ON with engines at take-off power is a red MASTER WARN with a continuous chime (13). Why it alone is the highest level: taking off with the parking brake set is a disaster (failed take-off, overrun, burst tyres), so it needs the strongest alert. The other braking/steering/tyre faults are mostly MASTER CAUT (amber), because they leave room to degrade and are not an immediate catastrophe. This is a "level map" worth committing to memory.

3. The suppression logic

The ATA-32 warnings that are suppressed (BRAKES HOT, TYRE LO PR) are all suppressed in the high-workload take-off/landing phases: TYRE LO PR during take-off 80 kt–1500 ft and landing touchdown–80 kt (18); BRAKES HOT in the take-off/landing phases (14).

The unified logic: in these phases the crew workload is high and the fault cannot be acted on, so a warning would only distract — it is deferred to when it can be handled. But note the WHEEL SD page amber is not suppressed (it shows continuously); only the E/WD warning and chime are. This is the same design philosophy as the flight-phase inhibits on the engine and other systems.

4. Degraded display — INOP SYS and CAT 3 SINGLE ONLY

The STATUS page INOP SYS area lists ATA-32 downgrades:

• BRAKES SYS 1(2): one brake electrical channel failed (15 dual channel, transfer to the other).
• AUTO BRK / A/SKID N/WS: autobrake / antiskid + steering unavailable.
• CAT 3 SINGLE ONLY: the most noteworthy — as 15 covered, the NWS pre-landing self-test result feeds the FMGEC to decide CAT III B capability; a BSCU/NWS drop to a single channel loses CAT III B capability, leaving only CAT 3 SINGLE. A landing-gear/steering fault affects approach capability through this link, not just ground taxi — the most easily overlooked cross-system consequence.

To use the chart on seeing an ATA-32 ECAM warning: (1) identify the family — BRAKES / L/G / WHEEL-TIRE; (2) read the level — red WARN (only PARK BRK ON at take-off power) means act immediately, amber CAUT means handle per ECAM; (3) find the handling article in the table; (4) check STATUS for INOP SYS and any CAT 3 downgrade (affecting the approach); (5) for a ground dispatch, consult MEL ME-32.

[!warning]- Five misconceptions this article corrects (1) ATA-32 faults are not mostly red warnings — only PARK BRK ON (at take-off power) is a red WARN; the rest are mostly MASTER CAUT. (2) No TYRE LO PR on the take-off roll does not mean the tyre pressure is fine — it is suppressed 80 kt–1500 ft, and the WHEEL-page amber remains. (3) A landing-gear fault does not only affect the ground — CAT 3 SINGLE ONLY shows an NWS/BSCU downgrade affecting approach capability. (4) L/G GEAR NOT DOWN does not always mean a gravity extension — check the green triangle first; if it is shown, disregard. (5) BRAKES SYS 1 INOP does not mean no braking — it is one channel failed; the BSCU transfers to the other and braking remains.

Self-test

[!note]- Q1. What are the three families, and which is the only red WARN?

BRAKES, L/G, and WHEEL-TIRE. The only red MASTER WARN is PARK BRK ON with the engines at take-off power — because taking off with the parking brake set is a potential disaster.

[!note]- Q2. What is the unified suppression logic, and is the WHEEL-page amber suppressed?

Warnings are suppressed in the high-workload take-off/landing phases where the fault cannot be acted on (TYRE LO PR 80 kt–1500 ft and touchdown–80 kt; BRAKES HOT in take-off/landing), to avoid distraction. The WHEEL-page amber is not suppressed — only the E/WD warning and chime are.

[!note]- Q3. How does CAT 3 SINGLE ONLY arise?

The NWS pre-landing self-test result feeds the FMGEC, which decides CAT III B capability. A BSCU/NWS drop to a single channel loses CAT III B capability, leaving only CAT 3 SINGLE — a landing-gear/steering fault affecting the approach, not just the ground.

[!note]- Q4. Does BRAKES SYS 1 INOP mean there is no braking?

No. It means one brake channel has failed; the BSCU transfers to the other channel and braking remains. It is a STATUS-level downgrade, not a loss of braking.

[!note]- Q5. What is the first step on an L/G GEAR NOT DOWN?

Check the green triangle — at least one per gear confirms downlock. If shown, the gear is locked (disregard a GPWS TOO LOW GEAR) and a gravity extension is not needed.

Key takeaways

References

A330 specifics per FCOM PRO-ABN-BRAKES (the brake ECAM family, MAX BRK PR 1000 PSI, BRAKES SYS / AUTO BRK / A/SKID N/WS INOP, CAT 3 SINGLE ONLY), the system articles 10–22 (each warning's trigger values — 300/290 °C, 40 bar, 11/26/15/21%, 80 kt–1500 ft — levels, and handling, all from the dumped source library), and MEL ME-32 (dispatch effects, referenced not expanded). The family chart and lookup flow are integrative syntheses of PRO-ABN-BRAKES and the system articles. This is an ECAM index, not a verbatim ECAM procedure; full action items are in each article and PRO-ABN-BRAKES. The full authoritative FWS level list was not separately dumped, so the precise level of some advisories (ON BRAKE, AVOID EXCESS G FACTOR) defers to the actual ECAM/FWS; the MEL ME-32 line-by-line dispatch conditions are in the MEL.

Independent study material, not an Airbus publication and not endorsed by the manufacturer. Always defer to the current operator FCOM, FCTM, and QRH for operational use.