20001218031539I

Incident

FAA incident report · Beech B-60 · Cedar City, UT · December 18, 2000

Date
December 18, 2000 · 19:14 local
Place
Cedar City, UT
Airport
Cedar City Municipal
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N4675M
Reported as
Beech B60
Reported engine
Lycoming TIO541E1C4
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) A/c at flight level 27 when the pilot experienced a sudden loss of manifold pressure. A landing was made at the Cedar City airport without incident. Maintenance found that the turbocharger had failed. The unit was sent to the "firewall forward" repair station (PP5R) for teardown. Inspection revealed that the shaft had broken off at the turbine wheel friction weld point and displayed evidence of foreign object damage to the turbine blades. This damage created excessive vibration in the shaft. Suspecting a piece of broken off exhaust valve passing through the turbine, firewall notified the owner and maintenance activity in cdc of the FOD damage to the blades. They requested that a compression test be performed on the engine cylinders to test the broken valve theory. This was accomplished satisfactorily.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) A/C AT FLIGHT LEVEL 27 WHEN THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE. A LANDING WAS MADE AT THE CEDAR CITY AIRPORT WITHOUT INCIDENT. MAINTENANCE FOUND THAT THE TURBOCHARGER HAD FAILED. THE UNIT WAS SENT TO THE "FIREWALL FORWARD" REPAIR STATION (PP5R) FOR TEARDOWN. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE SHAFT HAD BROKEN OFF AT THE TURBINE WHEEL FRICTION WELD POINT AND DISPLAYED EVIDENCE OF FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE TO THE TURBINE BLADES. THIS DAMAGE CREATED EXCESSIVE VIBRATION IN THE SHAFT. SUSPECTING A PIECE OF BROKEN OFF EXHAUST VALVE PASSING THROUGH THE TURBINE, FIREWALL NOTIFIED THE OWNER AND MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY IN CDC OF THE FOD DAMAGE TO THE BLADES. THEY REQUESTED THAT A COMPRESSION TEST BE PERFORMED ON THE ENGINE CYLINDERS TO TEST THE BROKEN VALVE THEORY. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED SATISFACTORILY.