ARRIVING AT A MAJOR CLASS B ARPT WITH NO FLT PLAN AND A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE AND ENG PROBS RESULTS IN AN INTERCEPT BY MIL ACFT.

2002-02 · NASA ASRS report 539736

Date: 2002-02 · Aircraft: Golden Eagle 421 · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|airspace-violation-all-types|other-fighter-intercept

Synopsis

ARRIVING AT A MAJOR CLASS B ARPT WITH NO FLT PLAN AND A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE AND ENG PROBS RESULTS IN AN INTERCEPT BY MIL ACFT.

Narrative

THE FIRST INDICATION OF A PROB OCCURRED AT 1500 FT; 25 NM (DME INDICATION) SE OF CHK VOR (APPROX 120 DEG RADIAL) ON A WESTERLY TRACK. THE L ENG DEVELOPED AN INTERMITTENT ROUGHNESS FOLLOWED BY AN ANNUNCIATION LIGHT INFORMING OF L ALTERNATOR FAILURE. THE ENG PRESSURES AND TEMPS ALL INDICATED NORMAL AND FUEL SHOWED ADEQUATE WITH THE SELECTORS ON APPROPRIATE MAIN TANKS; THEN; IN SEQUENCE; THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECTED WITH THE PERTINENT ALERT BEEPS AND THE RADIOS AND VISIBLE ELECTRONICS BEGAN TO FLICKER AND SHUT DOWN. AN ATTEMPT TO CONTACT HNL APCH WAS MADE JUST PRIOR TO A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SYS FAILURE. THE TIME FRAME OF THE AFOREMENTIONED EVENTS IS ESTIMATED TO BE BTWN 15-30 SECONDS. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ELECTRICAL SYS FAILURE; A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE L ENG REVEALED SMOKE TRAILING FROM THE TOP L SIDE OF THE COWLING. PHASE 1 OF THE EMER ENG SHUTDOWN CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED. HOWEVER; THE PROP WOULD NOT GO INTO FEATHER. THE CHKLIST WAS REVIEWED AND FOLLOWED; STILL WITH NO RESULT IN FEATHERING THE PROP. DETERMINING THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYS FAILURE AND SMOKE FROM THE L ENG COULD BE RELATED; A DECISION TO BRING THE ENG BACK ON LINE WAS MADE AND MINIMUM GOVERNING WAS SET. THE PREVIOUS ENG INSTS POSITIVE INDICATIONS AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL OF TOO LARGE A DRAG COMPONENT; WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN CREATED BY A WINDMILLING PROP; REINFORCED THIS DECISION. ALL PERTINENT CIRCUIT BREAKERS; FUSES; SWITCHES AND SYS WERE ISOLATED; PULLED AND SHUT DOWN. THE SMOKE FROM THE L ENG AT THAT TIME WAS PERCEIVED TO HAVE CEASED. HOWEVER; THE INTERMITTENT ROUGHNESS WAS STILL OCCURRING. TROUBLESHOOTING THE ROUGHNESS ISOLATED THE PROB TO THE L MAGNETO; BY ISOLATING THE L MAGNETO FROM THE L ENG THE ROUGHNESS DECREASED TO AN OPERABLE LEVEL. DURING THE EMERS IT WAS RECOGNIZED THAT ENTERING THE HNL CLASS B AIRSPACE UNANNOUNCED WOULD DRAW AN INTERCEPT FROM THE 'HAWAII AIR GUARD;' BEING AWARE OF THE RAMIFICATIONS; HNL WAS STILL DETERMINED TO PROVIDE THE SAFEST POINT OF ARR. ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO CONTACT HNL TWR AND 911 USING A CELL PHONE; HOWEVER; A RELIABLE CONNECTION WAS NEVER ESTABLISHED. AT APPROX 15 NM S OF HNL; A DIRECT TRACK FOR RWY 4R WAS ESTABLISHED. 2 F15'S CAME INTO VIEW AT APPROX 10 NM S OF HNL. DUE TO THE C421C'S SLOWER SPD THE F15'S WERE EITHER UNABLE OR MADE NO ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN A PARALLEL PATH AT EQUAL SPD FOR VISUAL COM. THE F15'S EXECUTED AT LEAST 3 CLOSE (WITHIN 100 FT) PASSES/INTERCEPTS; VISIBLY; ALONG THE SIDES AND IN FRONT OF THE C421C. IT WAS NECESSARY TO EXECUTE STEEP BANKS (GREATER THAN 45 DEGS) TO AVOID JETWASH AND WAKE TURB FROM THE F15'S. WITH THE HOPE OF INDICATING A PEACEFUL LNDG INTENT TO THE GUARD PLTS; A 360 DEG R TURN WAS INITIATED AND LNDG GEAR EXTENSION WAS ATTEMPTED. THE LNDG GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND THROUGH NORMAL PROCS (ATTEMPTED TWICE) THEREFORE; THE LNDG GEAR WAS EXTENDED USING THE PERTINENT EMER CHKLIST AND EMER LNDG GEAR EXTENSION HANDLE. AFTER COMPLETION OF THE 360 DEG TURN; THE TRACK TO RWY 4R WAS RESUMED AND NO FLAP LNDG WAS EXECUTED. A GAR WAS ANTICIPATED DUE TO LACK OF CONFIRMATION OF LNDG GEAR 'DOWN AND LOCKED;' HOWEVER; WAS NOT REQUIRED. UPON LNDG; THE L ENG WAS SHUT DOWN AND SECURED (NOT FEATHERED) FOR PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AND RWY 4R WAS EXITED AT TXWY E. THE ACFT WAS PARKED AND SECURED CLR OF ALL ACTIVE TXWYS AND RWYS. A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ACFT INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY REVEALED NO OBVIOUS DAMAGE. MAINT WAS INFORMED AND THE ACFT WAS TOWED TO THE FACILITY FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. I BELIEVE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS WOULD HAVE CREATED A UNIVERSAL KNOWLEDGE CHAIN RESULTING IN LESS OF A SECURITY BREACH AS WELL AS A HIGHER LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS FOR SUCH A SIT: 1) THE FILING AND ACTIVATION OF AT LEAST A VFR FLT PLAN. 2) MAINTAINING AT LEAST VFR FLT FOLLOWING WITH DEP; CTR AND APCH. 3) CARRYING AN OPERABLE HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER. 4) AN AUX (SEPARATE PWR SOURCE) PWRED XPONDER. 5) AN ELT WITH COCKPIT ACTIVATION CAPABILITY. 6) ENSURING CELL PHONE RANGE AND CHARGE PRIOR TO DEP.

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

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