What happened
On February 21, 2023, at 13:00 UTC, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, registration YV2945, operated by LÍNEA AÉREA DE SERVICIO EJECUTIVO REGIONAL, C.A. (LASER), was performing a scheduled flight from Maiquetía's Simón Bolívar International Airport to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The aircraft was carrying 103 people, including the crew and 94 passengers.
While cruising at altitude, the crew received an "L OIL STRAINER CLOGGING" warning light for the number one engine. Following the procedures outlined in the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH), the crew reduced power to the engine to its minimum setting to see if the indicator would clear. When the warning persisted, the pilot decided to return to Simón Bolívar International Airport. The aircraft landed safely at 14:10 UTC with no damage to the airframe and no injuries to the passengers or crew.
The investigation
The JIAAC investigation included a physical inspection of the engine systems alongside maintenance personnel from LASER Airlines' maintenance organization (OMAC N° 475). The investigation reviewed pilot licenses, airworthiness certificates, maintenance logs, and the aircraft's Quick Reference Handbook.
During the technical inspection, the following maintenance actions were performed on the number one engine:
- Replacement of the oil filter.
- Replacement of the oil filter differential pressure switch.
- An oil change was also conducted as an additional measure.
Following these interventions, a test run of the number one engine was performed, which yielded positive results with no further alarms recorded.