20050524011009I

Incident

FAA incident report · Beech 76 · Stockton, CA · May 24, 2005

Date
May 24, 2005 · 13:45 local
Place
Stockton, CA
Phase of flight
Practice Training Manuevers
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
SRJS
Aircraft
N6701T
Reported as
Beech 76
Reported engine
Lycoming O360*
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
685 total115 in this make and model175 in the last 90 days

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) During part 141 training maneuver flight instructor had student shut down left hand engine and feather left hand propeller. During engine restart attempt the left hand aircraft propeller failed to unfeather, preventing an air start of engine. An in-flight engine start was attempted using the electric starter which also failed to restart engine. After numerous engine restart attempts flight instructor opted to land aircraft at Stockton airport with left hand engine off and feathered. Maintenance personnel later performed an inspection of the propeller feathering system and observed that the propeller accumulator head failed to hold a required 75 PSI air pressure. The measured accumulator head pressure was observed at 20 PSI. This observed low pressure was attributed to a leaking accumulator service port valve core.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING PART 141 TRAINING MANEUVER FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR HAD STUDENT SHUT DOWN LEFT HAND ENGINE AND FEATHER LEFT HAND PROPELLER. DURING ENGINE RESTART ATTEMPT THE LEFT HAND AIRCRAFT PROPELLER FAILED TO UNFEATHER, PREVENTING AN AIR START OF ENGINE. AN IN-FLIGHT ENGINE START WAS ATTEMPTED USING THE ELECTRIC STARTER WHICH ALSO FAILED TO RESTART ENGINE. AFTER NUMEROUS ENGINE RESTART ATTEMPTS FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR OPTED TO LAND AIRCRAFT AT STOCKTON AIRPORT WITH LEFT HAND ENGINE OFF AND FEATHERED. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL LATER PERFORMED AN INSPECTION OF THE PROPELLER FEATHERING SYSTEM AND OBSERVED THAT THE PROPELLER ACCUMULATOR HEAD FAILED TO HOLD A REQUIRED 75 PSI AIR PRESSURE. THE MEASURED ACCUMULATOR HEAD PRESSURE WAS OBSERVED AT 20 PSI. THIS OBSERVED LOW PRESSURE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A LEAKING ACCUMULATOR SERVICE PORT VALVE CORE.