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20061126028399I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Cessna 550 · Wellsboro, PA · November 26, 2006

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 26, 2006 · 18:30 local
Place
Wellsboro, PA
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
ON0A
Aircraft
N50NF
Reported as
Cessna 550
People aboard
5
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
13,500 total8,000 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days
N50NFRegistration cancelled Jul 17, 2014 · Cessna 550S/N 550-0636Airframe modelCessna 550

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) Aircraft was enroute at FL370 from kluk to khfd. Aircraft experienced a loss of pressurization and crew initiated an emergency descent. The flight crew donned breathing apparatus and declared an emergency. Flight was continued to destination at 10,000 MSL and landed uneventfully. The director of maintenance (dom) inspected the aircraft and discovered that the air tube providing warm air to area around the door seal valve was taped over. Due to exceptionally cold temperatures at altitude, and the lack of warming air to the valve, the valve froze, causing the door seal to lose effectiveness. Subsequently, cabin pressurization was lost. The dom was unsure as to why the tube was taped over, but stated that it was an improper maintenance technique. The area of the taped over air tube is not accessible to the flight crew during preflight inspection, nor maintenance personnel during routine maintenance. Dom stated that inspection of the area was last performed by contract maintenance personnel during a phase inspection in June 2006.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT WAS ENROUTE AT FL370 FROM KLUK TO KHFD. AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION AND CREW INITIATED AN EMERGENCY DESCENT. THE FLIGHT CREW DONNED BREATHING APPARATUS AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. FLIGHT WAS CONTINUED TO DESTINATION AT 10,000 MSL AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE (DOM) INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE AIR TUBE PROVIDING WARM AIR TO AREA AROUND THE DOOR SEAL VALVE WAS TAPED OVER. DUE TO EXCEPTIONALLY COLD TEMPERATURES AT ALTITUDE, AND THE LACK OF WARMING AIR TO THE VALVE, THE VALVE FROZE, CAUSING THE DOOR SEAL TO LOSE EFFECTIVENESS. SUBSEQUENTLY, CABIN PRESSURIZATION WAS LOST. THE DOM WAS UNSURE AS TO WHY THE TUBE WAS TAPED OVER, BUT STATED THAT IT WAS AN IMPROPER MAINTENANCE TECHNIQUE. THE AREA OF THE TAPED OVER AIR TUBE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE FLIGHT CREW DURING PREFLIGHT INSPECTION, NOR MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. DOM STATED THAT INSPECTION OF THE AREA WAS LAST PERFORMED BY CONTRACT MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL DURING A PHASE INSPECTION IN JUNE 2006.