A PIPER PA31T CHEYENNE II IN CRUISE AT FL200 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO A COMPLETE LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION CAUSED BY A FAILED FLEXIBLE HEATER DUCTING CLAMP.

Date: 1997-06 · Aircraft: PA-31T Cheyenne II

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|other-unspecified

Synopsis

A PIPER PA31T CHEYENNE II IN CRUISE AT FL200 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO A COMPLETE LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION CAUSED BY A FAILED FLEXIBLE HEATER DUCTING CLAMP.

Narrative

DURING NORMAL CRUISE AT FL200 I EXPERIENCED A RAPID DECOMPRESSION. I CALLED CTR AND ADVISED HIM I WAS BEGINNING AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT DUE TO LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURE. HE ACKNOWLEDGED BUT DID NOT GIVE ME A CLRNC. ALTHOUGH A LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURE AT FL200 IS NOT WHAT SOME WOULD CALL AN EMER; I HAD ONBOARD A PAX WITH ASTHMA AND WAS CONCERNED FOR HER WELL BEING. DURING THE DSCNT THROUGH ABOUT 15000 FT CTR CALLED AND INQUIRED ABOUT MY ALT. I VERIFIED THAT I WAS AT 15000 FT; DSNDING. HE SAID THAT THERE WAS NO PROB AND ASKED IF I NEEDED ASSISTANCE. STILL; I DID DSND WITHOUT A CLRNC. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO TFC CONFLICT; IF THERE HAD BEEN TFC; IF THERE HAD BEEN A COLLISION; THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GOOD FOR THE WELL BEING OF MY PAX. IN RETROSPECT IT MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER TO; USE OUR OXYGEN MASKS; AND DELAY THE DSCNT A MIN OR TWO; IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A DSCNT CLRNC. THE MASKS WERE ON ALREADY; ANYWAY AND IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A PROB TO DSND A COUPLE OF MINS LATER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE ACFT WAS A PIPER CHEYENNE II AND THE LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION WAS CAUSED BY A FLEXIBLE HEATER DUCT CLAMP WHICH WAS LOOSE OR BROKEN ALLOWING THE DUCT TO SLIP OFF THE METAL DUCTING.

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