LJ31 CREW HAD THE #1 SYMBOL GENERATOR FAIL ON DEP AND WHEN RETURNING TO THE DEP ARPT; HAD THE #1 ENG ALSO FAIL.

Date: 2003-01 · Aircraft: Small Transport · Phase: climb

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical

Synopsis

LJ31 CREW HAD THE #1 SYMBOL GENERATOR FAIL ON DEP AND WHEN RETURNING TO THE DEP ARPT; HAD THE #1 ENG ALSO FAIL.

Narrative

I WAS PIC OF THE ACFT AND CALLED FLT SVC IN ZZZ TO RECEIVE A STANDARD WX BRIEFING AND TO FILE A FLT PLAN. AFTER FILING; I WENT OUT TO THE ACFT TO DO MY PREFLT; WHILE THE ACFT WAS BEING FUELED. THE FUEL LOAD WAS A TOP OFF WITH ABOUT 4000 LBS OF FUEL (WHICH IS A VERY NORMAL LOAD OF FUEL FOR A LONG FLT). I FOLLOWED THE CHKLIST AND DID MY PREFLT INSPECTION ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT. THEN; I GOT IN THE L-HAND SEAT OF THE ACFT AND DID ALL THE PROPER CHKS IN THE CHKLIST FOR THE INSIDE OF THE ACFT. I RECEIVED ATIS AND COPIED DOWN OUR CLRNC TO IAG. THE INITIAL CLRNC WAS CLRED TO 5000 FT ON RWY HDG AFTER TKOF. AFTER FINISHING THE PREFLT; WE WERE READY TO DEPART. WE STARTED BOTH ENGS ON A PWR CART AND DID ALL OF OUR AFTER START CHKS. WE CALLED FOR TAXI OUT AND WERE TOLD TO TAXI TO RWY 19R AT H TXWY. A HOTEL TAXI DEP GIVES US AT LEAST DOUBLE THE RWY REQUIRED AND ALMOST TRIPLE FOR THAT DAY; WT AND TEMP. APPROX WT FOR DEP WAS 15500 LBS. THE TAXI WAS QUICK; AND WE DID ALL OF OUR TAXI CHKS BEFORE WE GOT TO THE RWY. ZZZ TWR CLRED US INTO POS AND HOLD WHILE WE WAITED FOR AN ACFT TO CLR THE RWY. WE PERFORMED ALL OF OUR LINE ITEMS FOR TKOF; WHICH GETS THE ACFT READY FOR DEP. ZZZ TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF TO 5000 FT AND RWY HDG. I PUSHED UP THE THROTTLES AND SET TKOF PWR. EVERYTHING ON TKOF WAS NORMAL. ALL INDICATIONS SHOWED A NORMAL ACCELERATION TO VI AND AT VR I ROTATED AND ACCELERATED TO V2 FOR THE CLB. AT 400 FT AGL AND V2 +20; I CALLED FOR FLAPS UP. THE TWR TOLD US TO CONTACT DEP. THE FO CHKED IN WITH DEP AND DEP ACKNOWLEDGED. UP UNTIL THIS POINT; EVERYTHING ON THE ACFT HAD CHKED OUT AND WORKED PROPERLY. BTWN 1000 FT AND 3000 FT; THE EFIS TUBES ON MY SIDE (THE CAPT'S SIDE) WENT BLANK. THERE WAS NO INDICATION ON THEM AT ALL. I POINTED THIS OUT TO MY FO; JUST THEN; DEP TOLD US TO TURN L ON COURSE AND CLB AND MAINTAIN 15000 FT. MY FO ACKNOWLEDGED DEP AND WE INITIATED A TURN TO APPROX 030 DEGS ON THE HDG AND CONTINUED OUR CLB. I GAVE CTL OF THE ACFT TO THE FO AND SWITCHED TO MY BACKUP SYS (SYMBOL GENERATOR #3) TO VERIFY THE PROB. WE BOTH ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SYMBOL GENERATOR #1 WAS INOP; AND THAT WE NEED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT TO GET THIS PROB FIXED. THE FO GAVE CTL OF ACFT BACK TO ME; AND HE CALLED DEP AND INFORMED THEM THAT WE NEED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT. DEP TOLD US TO TURN L TO A 360 DEG HDG AND DSND AND MAINTAIN 5000 FT; HE ALSO ASKED IF WE NEEDED ANY ASSISTANCE. WE TOLD HIM NO; THAT IT WAS JUST A MINOR PROB. THIS IS WHERE THE PROB GOT A LITTLE MORE TASKING. WE WERE CLBING THROUGH 7000 FT AND SPD OF ABOUT 200 KTS. I PULLED THE THRUST LEVERS TO IDLE AND STARTED A DSCNT TO 5000 FT. WE STARTED GETTING THE ACFT READY FOR RETURNING TO ZZZ; WHEN WE BOTH NOTICED THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATE. WE BOTH POINTED THIS OUT TO EACH OTHER AND DOUBLECHKED IT WITH FALLING OIL PRESSURE ON THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE. I MADE SURE THE THROTTLE WAS AT IDLE; THINKING I HAD AN OIL LEAK. NEXT; THE LOW FUEL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON FOLLOWED BY THE RIGHT GENERATOR LIGHT COMING ON. I THEN REALIZED THAT THE R ENG HAD SHUT DOWN. BOTH THE FO AND I VERIFIED THAT IT WAS THE R ENG THAT WAS SHUT DOWN; BUT STILL WIND MILLING. WE CHKED THAT ALL OF THE FUEL PUMPS WERE IN THE RIGHT POS; WHICH THEY WERE. AT THIS TIME; THE FO CALLED DEP; AND SAID WE HAD LOST OUR R MOTOR AND NEEDED TO PROCEED DIRECT TO THE ARPT. THE CTLR CLRED US IMMEDIATELY FOR THE VISUAL ON RWY 19R AND TOLD US TO CONTACT THE TWR. THE FO CALLED THE TWR; AND THEY CLRED US TO LAND. WE DECIDED TO TRY TO START THE R MOTOR WITH A STARTER-ASSISTED START (JUST LIKE WE START THE ENG EVERY TIME). THE MOTOR STARTED UP NORMALLY. THEN I MOVED THE START SWITCH FROM START TO GENERATOR; AND THE ENG WAS BACK TO OPERATING NORMALLY. BY THIS TIME; WE WERE TURNING AN EXTENDED L BASE FOR RWY 19R. WE DECIDED TO LAND WITH FLAPS 20 DEGS JUST IN CASE WE LOST THE MOTOR AGAIN ON SHORT FINAL. WE FINISHED THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST FOR LNDG CHKLIST FOR A FLAPS 20 DEG LNDG. I KEPT A LITTLE PWR ON BOTH MOTORS ALL THE WAY UNTIL WE TOUCHED DOWN; AND THEN I PULLED THEM BOTH TO IDLE AND USED REVERSE THRUST. THE LNDG WAS VERY NORMAL WITH BRAKES BEING APPLIED AND THE SPOILERS AND ALL SYS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. THE FIRE TRUCKS WERE STANDING BY ON THE TXWY AND FOLLOWED US BACK TO THE FACTORY. WE EXITED RWY 19R ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN THE RWY AND MADE A L TURN AND TAXIED N TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 14-32. WITH THE THROTTLES AT IDLE AND TAXING NBOUND THE R MOTOR SHUT DOWN AGAIN ON THE GND. THE TWR NOTIFIED US THAT THERE WAS SOME SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE R MOTOR; AND THAT WE SHOULD STOP AND HAVE THE FIRE CREWS INVESTIGATE. THE FIRE CREWS LOOKED AT THE R MOTOR AND FOUND NOTHING ELSE WRONG. WE THEN GOT A TAXI CLRNC BACK AND SHUTDOWN THE ACFT. TOTAL FLT TIME FOR THE FLT WAS 8 MINS. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS VERY CALM AND RELAXED IN THE COCKPIT. THE CREW FLIES AT LEAST ONCE A WK TOGETHER IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT MAKES OF LEARJET; WHICH HELPED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE WHEN THE EMER AROSE. WE BOTH DEBRIEFED WITH MECHS; AND THE ON-SITE ENGINE MANUFACTURE FOR THE ACFT X INSPECTOR. WE ALSO DEBRIEFED WITH THE FIRE CREW AND GAVE OUR FULL ACCOUNT TO THEM.

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