20041204029789A

(-23) MIAMI AIR LEASE WHICH OPERATES A CONVAIR 340, TAIL NUMBER N41626 SERIAL NUMBER 274, DEPARTED OPF AT 0840 THIS MORNING, HEADING TO NASSAU, BAHAMAS ISLANDS. WHILE CLIMBING AND PERFORMING THE AFTER TAKE OFF CHECKLIST, THE CREW NOTICED A VIBRATION. THEY CHECKED THEIR INDICATION AND SAW NOTHING IRREGULAR. THE PILOT STATES THAT HE LOOKED OUT OF THE LEFT SIDE WINDOW AND AT THAT TIME SAW WHITE SMOKE AS WELL AS OIL. HE INITIATED THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST AND SHUTDOWN THE ENGINE. HOWEVER, THE #1 ENGINE FAILED TO FEATHER. THEY NOTIFIED MIAMI APPROACH AND STATED THAT THEY WERE RETURNING TO OPF. AT THAT TIME THEY HAD NOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. AFTER PUSHING #2 ENGINE TO MAX POWER, THEY DETERMINED THAT DUE TO THE DRAG FROM THE #1 ENGINE NOT BEING FEATHERED AND DUE TO THE MAX LOAD OF CARGO, THEY WERE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THEY THEN CONTACTED TOWER AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THEY TURNED INTO THE GOOD ENGINE AND PROCEEDED TO FIND A LOCATION TO DITCH. UPON CROSSING OVER US 1, THEY CLEARED SOME HIGH TENSION WIRES, AND DITCHED INTO MAUL LAKE. ON THEIR DESCENT THE AIRCRAFT DID CONTACT SOME TREES BUT ONLY SCRAPED THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT LAYS IN APPROXIMATELY 10-12 FEET OF WATER. (-23 AMENDMENT) NTSB HAS STARTED THE INSPECTION OF THE PROP AND ENG. FIRST TASK ACCOMPLISHED WAS TO APPLY POWER TO THE FEATHER PUMP TO ATTEMPT TO FEATHER THE PROP. TWO OF THE THREE BLADES WERE APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES INTO FEATHER WHILE THE LAST BLADE WAS ABOUT 3 DEGREES INTO THE FEATHER. UPON APPLYING POWER THE BLADES DID NOT MOVE, AFTER ADJUSTING THE PRESSURE THE BLADES MOVED ABOUT 5 DEGREES. THE PROP GOVERNOR HOUSING BEGAN TO LEAK OIL. THE PROP WAS REMOVED AND NO VISIBLE DAMAGE COULD BE SEEN. THE GOVERNOR WAS REMOVED, BUT WE WERE UNABLE TO VERIFY IF THE TEFLON SEAL WAS OF THE CORRECT PART NUMBER. SPECULATION IS THAT THE LEAK COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY POST CRASH IMPACT AND OR WATER CONTAMINATION FROM SITTING IN THE LAKE. THE PROPS AS WELL AS THE PROP GOVERNOR WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF AERO PROPELLER OF MIAMI INC, FOR TEAR DOWN PER REQUEST OF THE NTSB. THE RESULTS OF THE TEARDOWN WILL BE AVAILABLE ON DECEMBER 22, 2004. FURTHER TEARDOWN OF THE ENG FRONT CASE REVEALED SEVERE DAMAGE. THE OIL SCAVENGE PUMP DRIVE SHAFT WAS SHEARED OFF AND THE PUMP WAS FROZEN. THE MAIN OIL PUMP PLATE MOUNT BOLTS WERE SHEARED OFF. THE MAIN OIL PUMP GEARS WERE SHEARED OFF. A LARGE AMOUNT OF METAL WAS FOUND IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CASE. FURTHER TEARDOWN IS REQUIRED, AS THE MAIN BREAK DOWN SEEMS TO BE FURTHER DOWN INSIDE OF THE ENGINE. MOST OF THE CARGO WAS RECOVERED FROM THE ACFT. ALTHOUGH SATURATED WITH WATER, THE NTSB REQUESTED THAT WE WEIGH IT FOR A BALLPARK FIGURE. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED. TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REGARDING THE PROPELLER. HE STATED THAT ALL THE SWITCHES AS WILL AS THE GOVERNOR CHECKED OUT. THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE PROP NOT FEATHERING WAS DUE TO THE OIL TRANSFER TUBE HAD BROKEN IN HALF THUS THE OIL WAS DUMPING INTO THE HOUSING AND NOT PRESSURIZING THE GOVERNOR, THUS THE PROP W/N FEATHER. AS TO THE ENGINE, THE NTSB HAS DECIDED NOT TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE TEARDOWN. THE FINDINGS SEEM TO LEAD TO THE MASTER ROD BEARING FAILED AS THE PRIMARY MALFUNCTION THAT LED TO THE OTHER ASSOCIATED DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE PRELIMINARY PROGNOSES ARE LEANING TOWARDS IMPROPER MAINTENANCE STORAGE PROCEDURES.