AN SF340 FLC LOSES #2 ENG IN CRUISE AND DIVERTS TO MCW; IA.
Synopsis
AN SF340 FLC LOSES #2 ENG IN CRUISE AND DIVERTS TO MCW; IA.
Narrative
AT APPROX XA50 LCL TIME IN DSM; I WAS DOING A WALKAROUND PREFLT OF OUR ACFT. I NOTED THAT THE R PROP RESISTED ROTATION. IT REQUIRED A BIT MORE EFFORT TO TURN AND FELT 'TIGHT.' THERE WERE NO NOTED SOUNDS COMING FROM THE ENG WHEN HAND TURNING THE PROP; ONLY A RESISTANCE THAT WAS NOT USUAL TO MY EXPERIENCE. AFTER NOTIFYING THE CAPT OF THE 'TIGHTNESS;' HE WENT TO INSPECT IT HIMSELF. THE ON-SITE MAINT PERSON AT DSM (A COMPANY PERSON) WAS ALSO PRESENT AND SAID TO THE CAPT THAT HE TOO HAD NOTICED THIS ABOUT THE PROP DURING HIS WALKAROUND PRIOR TO OUR ARR AT THE ACFT. THE CAPT AGREED THAT THERE WAS SOME UNUSUAL RESISTANCE AND THE MAINT PERSON ASSURED THAT THIS WAS A USUAL FEATURE OF NEW ENGS. HE ALSO EMPHATICALLY RECALLED DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW ENGS THAT 'SOUNDED LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO GRIND THEMSELVES UP.' WE ALL AGREED THAT A RUN-UP WAS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT THE ENG WAS OK. WE RAN THE ENG UP WITH NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS NOTED. THE PROP WAS FEATHERED AND UNFEATHERED SEVERAL TIMES; AND WE WERE SATISFIED THAT THE ENG WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. AFTER IT WAS SHUT DOWN; THE MAINT PERSON WENT OUTSIDE TO INSPECT THE ENG OIL (FOR THE PROP GEAR BOX); WAS CHKED AND FOUND NORMAL. HE FOUND WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF FUEL UNDER THE NACELLE; ON THE GND; AND ASKED US IF WE WERE HAVING 'ANY FUEL ISSUE WITH THIS ACFT.' WE SAID NO; AND THAT SOMETIMES THESE ENGS PURGE SOME FUEL AT SHUTDOWN IF THE EPA CANISTER IS FULL. THE MAINT PERSON WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS EXPLANATION AND WANTED TO RUN THE ENG AGAIN TO SEE WHERE THE FUEL WAS COMING FROM. WE EVENTUALLY AGREED TO RUN IT AGAIN; BELIEVING IT WAS THE FULL EPA CANISTER; BUT HAVING FAITH IN THE EXPERIENCE IN THE TECHNICIAN AND HIS CONCERN; WE DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE ANY CHANCES. THUS; ENG RUN #2 WAS PERFORMED AND ALL INDICATIONS AGAIN WERE NORMAL INSIDE THE COCKPIT. THE ENG AGAIN DISCHARGED SOME FUEL. THE MAINT PERSON HAD NOT DRAINED THE CANISTER PRIOR TO THIS RUN-UP; AND THEREFORE WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF THE FUEL WAS COMING FROM THERE OR ANOTHER SOURCE. HE THEN WANTED TO EMPTY IT; AND RUN THE ENG A THIRD TIME. WE WERE A BIT FRUSTRATED AT THIS TIME; BUT HE WAS QUITE SURE THAT HE NOTED 'MIST' OF FUEL COMING FROM SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN THE CANISTER PORT. IT WAS THEN BROUGHT TO HIS ATTN THAT A THIRD RUN-UP WOULD REQUIRE 1 25 MIN REST BEFORE BEGINNING DUE TO A STARTER DUTY LIMITATION. HE SAID TO JUST RUN IT ANYWAY; BUT THE CAPT SAID IN NO CASE WOULD HE DO THIS. THUS; DUE TO THE MAINT PERSON'S SERIOUS CONCERN REGARDING THE 'FUEL SIT' WE HAD TO UNLOAD THE PAX AND RERTE THEM TO THEIR DESTS DUE TO THE DELAY WHILE WAITING FOR THE 25 MINS TO PASS. AFTER THE THIRD RUN-UP; IT WAS MUTUALLY DECIDED BY ALL PARTIES THAT THE FUEL SIT WAS DUE TO THE EPA CANISTER BEING FULL; AND DRAINING IT HAS SOLVED OUR PROB. THE CAPT THEN FILLED OUT THE APPROPRIATE MAINT LOGBOOK ENTRIES IN OUR MAINT MANUAL AND THE MAINT PERSON SIGNED OFF EACH OF THE WRITE-UPS AS OK. WE THEN RECEIVED 1 PAX THAT CHOSE TO TAKE THE DELAYED FLT BOUND FOR MSP. WE DEPARTED FOR MSP AND EXPERIENCED A NORMAL TKOF; CLB AND LEVEL OFF. WE BEGAN OUR CRUISE PORTION OF THE FLT AT 17000 FT MSL IN VMC. I WAS PF USING THE AUTOPLT; WE HAD JUST ENDED A DEV AROUND SOME SCATTERED RAIN AND WERE ESTABLISHED ON VICTOR 13 TO MCW VOR APPROX 20 MI S; WHEN A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD AND YAW FELT FROM THE R. THE R PROP WAS VERY LOUD. A SCAN OF THE INSTS SHOWED THESE INDICATIONS: TORQUE 0; ITT 942+; ITT OVERTEMP LIGHT ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY; PROP RPM 1400-1500+; R IGNITION LIGHT WAS ON; NO ENG FIRE; AND EVENTUALLY THE R ENG OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ALL OF THESE INSTS MENTIONED CONCERNED THE R ENG. AS PF; I CALLED FOR THE MEMORY ITEMS OF A FAILED ENG. THE CAPT WAS CONCERN WITH A PROP OVERSPD SIT THAT MAY DESTROY THE PROP BLADES; AND COMPLETED A MEMORY ITEM CHKLIST THAT WOULD SATISFY BOTH A SAFE ENG FAILURE PROC AND A PROP OVERSPD SIT. THE ENG WAS SHUT DOWN WITHOUT EVENT. WE THEN BEGAN THE EMER PROCS REQUIRED BY THE CHKLIST. I WAS IMMEDIATELY ABLE TO FIND THE MCW RWY ENVIRONMENT JUST BEYOND A LOW SCATTERED LAYER OF CLOUDS BELOW OUR ALT. THROUGHOUT OUR PREPARATION FOR LNDG; THE CAPT CONTINUED THE CHKLIST AND I CONCENTRATED ON FLYING THE ACFT AND KEEPING THE MCW ARPT WITHIN REASONABLE DISTANCE WHILE CIRCLING NEAR THE VOR. IT WAS NECESSARY FOR HIM TO CONCENTRATE ON COMPANY COMS ONCE WE HAD THE ACFT SAFELY ENRTE TO MCW; AND I THEN ASSUMED COMS WITH ATC WHILE FLYING. IT WORKED WELL BECAUSE I COULD KEEP ON TOP OF THE FLYING AND LCL TFC AND CONDITIONS AND RESPOND AS NECESSARY AS THE PNF CONCENTRATED ON THE REQUIRED ITEMS NECESSARY FOR OUR SIT. AT ALL TIMES I WAS TOLD WHAT HE WAS DOING OR ABOUT TO DO. THE COM THAT TOOK PLACE BTWN THE 2 OF US WORKED VERY WELL; AND WE WERE WORKING TOGETHER THROUGHOUT THE SIT. NEITHER OF US DID ANYTHING BEFORE CONSULTING THE OTHER; ALL DECISIONS WERE AGREED UPON; YET THE CAPT DID A GREAT JOB OF MAINTAINING AUTH. THE CAPT WAS NOW PREPARED TO RETURN HIS FULL CONCENTRATION TO FLYING AS THE ONLY THING REMAINING TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE LNDG WAS A SINGLE ENG BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST. AT THIS TIME HE WAS ABLE TO FULLY BRIEF ME ON WHAT WE NEEDED TO CONSIDER FOR A SAFE LNDG. WE DISCUSSED ALL THINGS WE COULD REMEMBER. HE THEN TOLD ME HE WOULD LIKE TO ASSUME CTL OF THE ACFT TO LAND IT. I HAD NO OBJECTIONS. I WAS CONFIDENT THAT I COULD DO IT WITHOUT INCIDENT; HOWEVER; HE HAD JUST BEEN THROUGH A PROFICIENCY CHK IN THE SIMULATORS (MORE RECENT SINGLE ENG EXPERIENCE); WAS PIC; AND NOW WASN'T THE TIME FOR AN ARGUMENT. THE LNDG WAS NORMAL EXCEPT FOR THE SINGLE ENG SIT. THE CFR TEAM WAS ALERT AND ALWAYS READY IT SEEMED. THE CAPT ALLOWED THE ACFT TO ROLL TO THE END OF THE RWY; ALWAYS UNDER CTL; AND EXITED THERE. HE ASKED ME TO TELL THE CFR TO FOLLOW US TO THE RAMP AS ALL WAS WELL AND HE WAS HAVING NO DIFFICULTIES WITH ACFT CTL DURING TAXI. I CANCELED IFR WITH ATC. WE EXITED THE ACFT TO INSPECT THE ENG. THERE WAS OIL COATING THE ENG NACELLE AND RUNNING FREELY FROM THE PROP HUB. IT SEEMED TO BE DRIPPING FROM ANY OPENINGS ON THE UNDERSIDE ALSO. WE WENT INSIDE OPS THERE AND THE CAPT MADE PHONE CALLS TO DISPATCH AND MAINT. LATER IT WAS NOTICED THAT THE R INBOARD TIRE HAD DEFLATED; PROBABLY DUE TO ASYMMETRICAL BRAKING. BOTH THE ENG AND TIRE WERE ENTERED INTO THE MAINT LOG OR MAINT MANUAL. ALL OF THE ISSUES THIS EVENT BROUGHT TO LIGHT; THE ACTUAL FLYING PORTION AND TEAMWORK FACTORS WERE THE LEAST OF MY CONCERN. MAINT; DUTY TIME; REST; LACK OF INFO INVOLVING PROP MAINT; AND DECISIONS MADE BY OUR DSM MAINT REPRESENTATIVE CONCERN ME MORE. I THINK THE BEST; AND MOST IMPORTANT THING HE DID AFTER THE ENG FAILED WAS TO SAY; 'OK; WE NEED TO JUST STOP AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH.' THIS WAS THE REASON THINGS WENT AS SMOOTHLY AS THEY DID. IT ALLOWED US A MOMENT TO REALIZE THAT THIS WASN'T ANYTHING WE COULDN'T HANDLE. MAINT IS ALSO A CONCERN FOR ME. I BELIEVE THE MAN IN DSM MADE A VERY STRONG CASE TO US ALLOWING US TO BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS 'NORMAL;' AND I QUESTION WHETHER SOMEONE ELSE WOULD HAVE SAID OTHERWISE. HIS CONCERN WITH THE 'FUEL ISSUE' SEEMS TO BE ODD; BECAUSE THE EPA CANISTER OFTEN IS FULL AND FUEL GETS PORTED AT SHUTDOWN. ON ONE HAND; HE WAS SAFETY CONSCIOUS AND DIDN'T WANT US TO GO UNTIL THE FUEL ISSUE WAS RESOLVED; BUT TENDED TO DISREGARD THE PROP ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY; HE DID NOT EXPRESS CONCERN FOR THE PROP AND DISREGARD THE FUEL ISSUE BECAUSE THIS PROVED TO BE WHAT REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE. WE TALKED AT LENGTH ABOUT WHAT THE CAPT AND I COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY REGARDING THIS MAINT PERSON'S IDEAS AND STRONGLY BELIEVE WE DID WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE DONE IN LIGHT OF THE INFO WE HAD AND THE PROCS WE KNEW TO FOLLOW. THIS MAINT PERSON WAS VERY CONVINCING AND WE RESPECTED HIS EXPERIENCE AND CONCERN FOR SAFETY. UPON TALKING WITH THE MAINT PERSON ON OUR NEXT VISIT TO DSM A FEW DAYS LATER; HE WAS STILL VERY CONVINCING AND A BIT DEFENSIVE. NOT SURPRISING TO EITHER I OR THE CAPT. AGAIN; REST OR LACK THEREOF; MAINT; AND INFO; I FEEL WERE ISSUES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROVED TO AID US. COCKPIT MGMNT; TEAMWORK; TRAINING; AND FOLLOWING PROCS WERE THE THINGS THAT MADE THE DAY A SUCCESS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.