A DHC6 IN CRUISE AT 3500 FT HAD THE #2 ENG PROP GO INTO REVERSE THRUST. CHKLISTS FOR PROP SYS MALFUNCTIONS WHEN USED WERE FOUND TO BE CONFUSING.

Narrative

AFTER DEP FROM KENAI ARPT; ABOUT 8 NM N DURING LEVELOFF; THE #2 BLUE BETA LIGHT ILLUMINATED. I CALL FOR THE CHKLIST. DURING THE TIME THE FO GOT THE CHKLIST OUT THE #2 PROP STARTED TO GO INTO REVERSE. I THEN COMPLETED THE PHASE I ITEMS TO REDUCE PWR AND FEATHER THE PROP. UPON LOOKING AT THE BETA SYS MALFUNCTION CHKLIST; AND THE PROP REVERSAL INFLT CHKLISTS CAUSED CONFUSION. THE BETA MALFUNCTION CHKLIST TELLS YOU TO WAIT AND MAKE SURE THE BETA LIGHT IS EITHER STEADY OR FLASHING. UNLESS YOU ARE TRAINED TO KNOW THAT THE PROP WILL START TO GO INTO REVERSE WITH THE STEADY BLUE LIGHT; WHEN YOU WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE LIGHT WILL DO AND BEFORE THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IS PULLED; IT HAS BEEN MISTAKEN FOR A PROP REVERSAL INFLT. PREVIOUS COMPLETE ENG SHUTDOWNS HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THIS CONFUSION. ALSO; ON THE EMER CHKLIST THE MEMORY ITEMS ARE PWR LEVEL IDLE; PROP FEATHER. IN OUR FLT STANDARDS MANUAL IT ALSO TELLS YOU -- FUEL OFF. IN MY TRAINING THEY JUST TELL YOU; WHEN YOU GET A BLUE BETA LIGHT PULL THE BETA SYS CIRCUIT BREAKER (IF NOT A MEMORY ITEM). IN MY DASH 8 TRAINING YOU USE THE CHKLIST; IN THE TWIN OTTER THE BETA MALFUNCTIONS ARE NOT A MEMORY ITEM. IN TALKING TO OTHERS I WAS NOT THE FIRST TO BE CONFUSED. SOME SENIOR CAPTS DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE PROP STARTS TO REVERSE; THEY JUST PULLED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER. MY CHIEF PLT'S RESPONSE TO THIS WAS 'I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU WOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT.' I ALSO WENT TO FILL OUT A RPT AND MY CHIEF PLT SAID DON'T WORRY ABOUT. IF I WOULD HAVE DONE IT; I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO TROUBLE.