A BA-3200 FLT CREW STARTED ENGINES WITH SNOW AND ICE CONTAMINATION IN THE ENGINES. SEVERAL LEGS LATER; BENT COMPRESSOR BLADE WAS DISCOVERED BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.

Date: 2007-04 · Aircraft: Jetstream 32 · Phase: ground

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

A BA-3200 FLT CREW STARTED ENGINES WITH SNOW AND ICE CONTAMINATION IN THE ENGINES. SEVERAL LEGS LATER; BENT COMPRESSOR BLADE WAS DISCOVERED BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.

Narrative

I CONDUCTED A PREFLT CHK OF OUR ACFT. I NEVER SPUN THE PROPS BY HAND. AFTER THE ACFT WAS DEICED WITH TYPE 1 FLUID; AN ENG START WAS ATTEMPTED. ENG ROTATION WAS NEVER ACHIEVED AND THE START WAS ABORTED. MY CAPT AND I DETERMINED THAT THE ENGS WERE FILLED WITH SNOW AND ICE AND CONTACTED OUR COMPANY'S MAINT DEPT. MAINT INSTRUCTED US TO HAVE THE ENGS PREHEATED. THE ENGS WERE PREHEATED; THE #2 ENG BEING THAWED FIRST. THE CAPT STARTED THE #2 ENG WITHOUT INCIDENT; ALL ENG INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE #1 ENG WAS STARTED WITHOUT INCIDENT; ALL ENG INDICATIONS WERE AGAIN NORMAL. APPROX 10 MINS AFTER THE #1 ENG WAS STARTED THE CAPT BROUGHT BOTH ENGS INTO REVERSE TO TAKE THEM OFF OF THE START LOCKS. SHORTLY AFTER THIS THE #1 ENG EXPERIENCED A FLAMEOUT. THE WX AT THIS TIME WAS DRIVING SNOW AND THERE WERE MANY PIECES OF ICE ON THE GND AROUND THE ACFT. THE CAPT CALLED COMPANY MAINT AND WAS TOLD TO ATTEMPT A RESTART ON THE #1 ENG. ENG #1 WAS RESTARTED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ENG #1 INDICATIONS WERE ALL NORMAL. THE FLT DEPARTED ZZZ AND WENT ON TO ZZZ1 AND FROM THERE ON TO ZZZ2 ALL WITHOUT INCIDENT AND WITH NORMAL ENG INDICATIONS. AT ZZZ2 COMPANY MAINT DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE STAGE 1 COMPRESSOR BLADES WAS BENT ON ENG #1. ACTIONS THAT COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE ABOVE INCIDENT INCLUDE: 1) USING THE ENG PLUGS WHENEVER THE ACFT IS LEFT OUTSIDE. 2) ALWAYS SPINNING THE PROPS ON PREFLT TO DETERMINE THAT THEY WILL ROTATE ON ENG START. 3) CHK THE GENERAL RAMP AREA FOR DEBRIS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY GET SUCKED INTO THE ENG INTAKE. 4) COMPANY SHOULD PROVIDE SOME SORT OF STEP LADDER SO THAT THOSE OF US THAT ARE NOT TALL CAN ACTUALLY SEE INTO THE ENG INTAKE FOR THE PREFLT INSPECTION.

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