# Incident 19940111024519I: Cvac 440, Detroit, MI, January 11, 1994

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 11, 1994, 08:05 local time
- Place: Detroit, MI
- Airport: Detroit Metro Wayne County
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.2124° N, 83.3534° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at DETROIT METRO WAYNE COUNTY (DTW), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.2124&lon=-83.3534&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5123 (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CVAC 440
- Reported engine: ALLSN 501D13
- People aboard: 24
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 11,115 total, 1,736 in this make and model, 106 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940111024519I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON JANUARY 1, 1994, CONVAIR 440/580, N5123, OPERATED BY GENERAL MOTORS AIR TRANSPORTATION, PILOTED BY CAPTAIN RICHARD DRUSCHEL AND FIRST OFFICER LINDA YANCA, DEPARTED DTW RUNWAY 21C. THE CREW STATED THAT ON ROTATION OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER THEY NOTICED BOTH D C GENERATOR WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CREW TRIED TO RESET THE GENERATORS WITHOUT SUCCESS. THE CREW CONTINUED ON AROUND THE TRAFFIC PATTERN WITH ONLY THE AIRCRAFT BATTERY FOR D C ELECTRICAL POWER. THE TRANSFORMER RECTIFIER UNIT SWITCH WAS NOT TURNED ON. THE CREW STATED THEY NOTIFIED DTW TOWER OF THE SITUATION AND LANDED ON RUNWAY 21C WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE INITIAL REPORT FROM DTW TOWER TO THE DETROIT FSDO STATED THE TOWER GAVE A LIGHT GUN SIGNAL CLEARING THE AIRCRAFT FOR LANDING. THE CREW DID NOT REMEMBER OR NOTICE THE LIGHT GUN SIGNAL FROM THE TOWER. AFTER LANDING THE CREW STATED THAT THE LEFT GENERATOR RESET ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT BUT THE RIGHT GENERATOR REQUIRED THREE OR FOUR ATTEMPTS BEFORE IT WAS ON THE LINE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO THE GENERAL MOTORS AIR TRANSPORTATION HANGAR WHERE MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND ACCOMPLISHED OPERATIONAL CHECKS OF BOTH GENERATOR SYSTEMS. THERE WERE NO FAILURES OR MALFUNCTION.DETECTED AND OPERATION OF BOTH GENERATOR SYSTEMS WERE NORMAL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AND HAS BEEN IN OPERATION FOR OVER TWO WEEKS WITHOUT ANY ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS. FLIGHT CREW COMPETENCY IS QUESTIONED AS A RESULT OF THE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS INCIDENT. THE CREW STATED THAT WHEN THEY NOTICED BOTH D C GENERATOR WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AT OR JUST AFTER ROTATION OF THE AIRCRAFT, THEY TRIED TO RESET THE GENERATORS WITHOUT SUCCESS BUT DID NOT TURN THE TRANSFORMER RECTIFIER UNIT SWITCH TO THE ON POSITION. THAT ACTION WOULD HAVE RESTORED D C ELECTRICAL POWER TO THE AIRCRAFT SINCE THE POWER SOURCE TO THE TRANSFORMER RECTIFIER UNIT IS THE A C GENERATORS, WHICH WERE BOTH FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. IF THIS ACTION HAD BEEN TAKEN BY THE FLIGHT CREW, THE CHANCES OF THE AIRCRAFT BATTERY POWER BECOMING DEPLETED, ENDANGERING RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE DTW TOWER, WOULD HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED. GENERAL MOTORS AIR TRANSPORTATION MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL HAVE INSPECTED BOTH D C GENERATOR SYSTEMS AND CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE OPERATIONAL CHECKS OF ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ON THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT DETECTING ANY FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE AIRCRAFT HAS BEEN OPERATED FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS IN DAILY OPERATION WITHOUT ANY ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ NO FURTHER ACTIONS WILL BE INITIATED.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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