AN EMBRAER 120 IN CRUISE AT 15000 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO LOSS OF R ENG PWR CAUSED BY A FAULTY INPUT SENSOR TO THE ELECTRONIC ENG CTL.

Narrative

AN ENG FAILURE OCCURRED DUE TO AN ELECTRONIC FUEL CTL UNIT. AN EMER WAS DECLARED; AND THE ACFT WAS TURNED AROUND BACK TOWARD SEA WHILE THE FO PROCEEDED WITH THE EMER CHKLISTS. PWR WAS RESTORED TO THE ENG AFTER THE APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS WERE ACCOMPLISHED. A LNDG WAS MADE WITHOUT EMER EQUIP (AT OUR REQUEST). DISPATCH WAS CALLED AS WELL AS MAINT CTL. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO MEL THE ELECTRONIC ENG CTL (EEC) AND CONTINUE OUR FLT. NO OTHER PROBS OCCURRED. OUR CHIEF PLT WAS CALLED AND NOTIFIED. I HAVE RECEIVED CRITICISM OVER SOME ITEMS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES AND WILL BE SEEKING ADDITIONAL INFO ON THESE COMMENTS. WE WERE; HOWEVER; DOING EXACTLY AS INSTRUCTED BY DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL. I HAVE DECIDED THAT DECLARING AN EMER (EVEN BEFORE FINISHING EMER CHKLISTS) WAS OK DUE TO THE 'NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT' RULE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ACFT WAS AN EMBRAER 120 WITH PWC PW118A ENGS WITH ELECTRONIC ENG CTLS. THE RPTR SAID THE ELECTRONIC ENG CTLS HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF CONSIDERABLE PROBS ON THIS ACFT. THE RPTR STATED IN THIS CASE THE FAULT WAS A SENSOR INPUT TO THE ELECTRONIC ENG CTL WHICH CAUSED THE ENG TO DROP 11% PWR. THE RPTR SAID CRITICISM WAS LEVELED AT THE RPTR FOR BRINGING THE ACFT BACK TO SEA BUT THE 'LAND AT A SUITABLE ARPT' RULE IN THE QUICK REF HANDBOOK WAS THE DECIDING FACTORS.