Captain reported the loss of an electrical converter in flight. Flight crew diverted and made a precautionary landing.

Date: 2022-12 · Aircraft: Gulfstream IV / G350 / G450 · Phase: climb

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-weight-and-balance|inflight-event-encounter-fuel-issue|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

Captain reported the loss of an electrical converter in flight. Flight crew diverted and made a precautionary landing.

Narrative

Departure airport: ZZZ1; Intended destination: ZZZ2 All pre-flight checklists and function checks complied with and passed. Aft compartment thoroughly inspected. Departing ZZZ1. Climbing through 15;000 ft.; crew observed CAS message displaying 'R DC Power Fail/R AC Power Fail. This can be indicative of an engine failure. crew immediately verified we had 2 stable engines. After ensuring aircraft was flying and safe we pulled out the appropriate checklist and followed step by step. Crew determined based off of what we saw the aircraft had a right converter failure and was unable to resume normal operation of converter. By the time we completed diagnoses and checklist we were well above the guaranteed start envelope for the APU. Crew continued to troubleshoot and began discussing our best options. Weather throughout the route of flight (specifically midwest) had several areas of dense fog. Destination airport was reporting IFR. Several DUs began 'flickering' despite the left converter 'carrying the load'. Indications for operation on one converter were checked and appeared normal. While the aircraft was safe the crew was able to contact Dispatch and advise. Considering several factors (below) the best course of action was to return to ZZZ1. Red-eye flight. Operation on one converter. Altitude was too high to start APU. DUs flickering. Long flight still ahead (~3.9 hrs remaining). Weather in ZZZ2 including IFR and possible snow. Crew discussion. Reason for choosing ZZZ. ZZZ1 is very busy and would further increase workload. Familiarity with ZZZ. VFR conditions. Ample runway length. Maintenance availability at ZZZ vs. ZZZ1. Passenger was comfortable with ZZZ. Dispatch/Maintenance was notified and also comfortable with ZZZ. Fuel Burn. Departed with ~21;000 lbs. Landed with ~12;650 lbs. Max gross landing weight: 58;500 lbs. Our landing weight: ~57;500 lbs. (ensured we had a margin). Descended and held to burn more fuel at a quicker pace. Another reason for descending was the ability to start the APU. Situation was coordinated with ATC on a NON-emergency basis. Landing at ZZZ. Uneventful safe landing at ZZZCrew felt with all things considered this was the best course of action. Crew is open to further discussion to ensure future safe/best practice outcomes

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.