Occurrence
On June 19, 2023, at 18:00 UTC, a Boeing 727-227 aircraft, registration HK5216, serial number 21996, operated by Aerosucre, S.A., departed from La Chinita International Airport in Maracaibo, Venezuela (SVMC), bound for El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia (SKBO). The aircraft had five persons on board: a pilot, copilot, flight engineer, maintenance technician, and dispatcher. After takeoff, the flight crew observed a fire indication on engine #1. They promptly informed air traffic control of the situation and decided to return to the departure airport. The aircraft landed without further incident, and all crew members were uninjured.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft is a trimotor landplane powered by turbine engines. According to the source, two engines are located under the wings, each a Pratt & Whitney JT8D-11 model with a maximum thrust of 15,000 lbs. The maximum takeoff weight is 160,000 lb (73,000 kg). The aircraft held valid certificates of registration and airworthiness issued by the Civil Aviation Special Administrative Unit of Colombia, the state of registry, and was used for commercial operations. Maintenance services were provided by Aerosucre, S.A., based at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá.
Crew Information
The pilot, aged 55, held a valid medical certificate and pilot license with a type rating for B727 captain (PIC). The copilot, aged 46, held valid medical and license endorsements for single-engine land up to 5,700 kg, multi-engine land up to 5,700 kg, instrument flight, Dash-8 copilot (SIC), B737-NG copilot (SIC), and B727 copilot (SIC). All credentials were issued by the Colombian aviation authority in accordance with international regulations.
Weather Conditions
Meteorological conditions at the time included winds of 0 knots, unlimited visibility, and generally good weather throughout the day.
Investigation Findings
The investigation is ongoing. Actions taken include notification of the occurrence, requests for crew documentation (licenses, medical certificates, logbook copies), maintenance reports, and operator documents (registration, airworthiness certificate, noise certification, insurance policy, flight plan, passenger manifest). Interviews were conducted with the crew. Troubleshooting of the High Pressure Bleed-Air Control System, per Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) 36-12-01, revealed a pneumatic leak due to a loose clamp on the connection of the bleed valve of engine #1's pneumatic system. The clamp was tightened, followed by an engine run-up test; no deviations from accepted parameters were observed. The investigation is currently in the analysis phase.
Notification and International Coordination
In accordance with ICAO Annex 13, notifications were sent via the ADREP system to ICAO, and to the United States as the state of design and manufacture. The U.S. appointed an accredited representative.
Note: All times are in UTC; Venezuela is UTC-4.