20071217830019I

(-23) PILOT STATEMENT DATED 20 DEC 2007: THIS NARRATIVE IS THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE REDUCED POWER, GEAR-UP LANDING OF AIRCRAFT N231CK ON RUNWAY 26 AT 4SD. ON 05 DEC I BROUGHT THE PLANE IN FOR AVIONICS UPGRADE TO A GARMIN 520W AND INSTALLATION OF A JPI EDM-700 ENGINE MONITOR. AT THAT TIME THE PLANE WAS RUNNING GREAT AND HAD NO ELECTRICAL OR ENGINE PROBLEMS AND SERVICE REQUESTED WAS TO UPGRADE EXISTING EQUIPMENT ONLY. ON FRIDAY 14 DEC, THE DATE WHEN THE WORK WAS TO BE COMPLETED, I ARRIVED TO PICK UP THE PLANE. THE PLANE WAS STILL BEING WORKED ON AND I WAITED UNTIL ABOUT 4:30 PM. AT THAT TIME THE MECHANIC GOT THINGS BUTTONED UP AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I GOT INTO THE PLANE FOR A RUN-UP TO TEST THE NEW EQUIPMENT. ON START-UP, THE PLANE RAN POORLY, WAS NON-RESPONSIVE TO THROTTLE AND HAD A CONTINUING 'HIGH/LOW VOLTAGE' WARNING LIGHT ON EVEN AS IT INCREASED RPM TO +2000 RPM. THE JPI WAS GIVING ERRATIC READINGS, INCLUDING NEGATIVE CHT AND TIT, AND FUEL FLOW READINGS RANGING FROM -4 GPH TO +38 GPH. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN WEAK, WITH IT SOUNDING LIKE IT WAS NOT MAKING POWER, BACKFIRING AND CUTTING OUT. AFTER RUNNING IT LONG ENOUGH TO WARM IT UP WE DID A MAG CHECK AT 2000 RPM AND HAD RPM DROP IN EXCESS OF 300 RPM (MAYBE AS MUCH AS 400)ON BOTH SIDES, NEARLY QUITTING RUNNING, AND IT CONTINUING TO RUN VERY POORLY THROUGHOUT THE RPM RANGE. WE SHUT IT DOWN AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HE WOULD TRY TO GET A MECHANIC IN OVER THE WEEKEND TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE, AND WOULD PULL THE JPI OUT AND HAVE A NEW ONE OVERNITED. ON MONDAY, 17 DEC 8 ARRIVED AT THE SHOP AT APPROX. 1030 AND WAS ADVISED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT THE JPI HAD BEEN REMOVED AND SENT BACK, APPPARENTLY HAD A BAD CPU WHICH GAVE ERRATIC READINGS AND THAT HE HAD A NEW ONE ON THE WAY AND WOULD BE READY FOR INSTALLATION THE NEXT MORNING. HE SAID HE HAD A MECHANIC ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ LOOK AT THE ENGINE AND HAD FOUND THE CAUSE FOR THE POOR PERFORMANCE ON FRIDAY NIGHT. HE STATED THAT THE #1 PLUG WAS BADLY OIL FOULED AND HAD BEEN CLEANED AND REINSTALLED AND THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING GOOD. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE JPI HAD BEEN REMOVED, HE STATED THAT ALL WAS WELL WITH THE PLANE AND THAT I COULD DO A 1 HOUR TEST FLIGHT TO DETERMINE AND RECORD CURRENT CHT AND OIL TEMPERATURES AT VARIOUS POWER SETTINGS TO SEE IF THE BAFFLE SEAL JOB HAD INCREASED FLOW OVER THE OIL COOLER AND TO HAVE A COMPARISON REFERENCE FOR WHEN THE FJP WAS INSTALLED. THE PLANE WAS OUTSIDE WHERE THEY HAD BEEN RUNNING IT AND WAS STILL WARM. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PUT THE TOP COWL ON AND WE PUSHED THE PLANE TO THE TAXIWAY IN FRONT OF THE HANGAR. I STARTED THE ENGINE AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED IRREGULAR OIL PRESSURE READINGS ON THE GAUGE; IT BOUNCED BETWEEN 0 TO 30 PSI THEN STABILIZED. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY BUT DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME SOUND OF POWER AS BEFORE. THE CHT AND OIL TEMP THEN CAME UP TO LOW TEMP READINGS AND WAS IDLING AT APPROX 1200 RPM WITH THE LOW VOLT LIGHT ON. AT 2000+ RPM THE LOW VOLT LIGHT WENT OUT AND THE AMP GAUGE WENT FROM DISCHARGE TO A CHARGE READING. THE CHT, OIL PRESSURE AND OIL TEMP GAUGES THEN DROPPED TO ZERO AND I CALLED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OVER. HE GOT IN THE RIGHT SEAT AND I TOLD HIM I WASN'T GETTING ANY READINGS ON THE GAUGES AND WAS ABOUT TO SHUT IT DOWN. HE CYCLED THE THROTTLE AND THE GAUGES CAME BACK UP TO NORMAL LEVELS. WE THEN DID A MAG CHECK AT 2000 RPM AND HAD A 50-75 RPM DROP ON THE LEFT MAG AND A 75-100 RPM DROP ON THE RIGHT MAG WHICH SEEMED NORMAL. WE DID A LOW RPM MAG CHECK AT 1200 RPM AND HAD A NOTICEABLE HIGH DROP ON THE RIGHT MAG OF OVER 200 RPM. WE THEN DID ANOTHER MAG CHECK AT HIGH RPM AND ALL SEEMED NORMAL AND I DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE TEST FLIGHT. I THEN TAXIED TO THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 26, DID A NORMAL RUN-UP INCLUDING CYCLING THE PROP AND TOOK OFF. AT APPROX 200' AGL I RAISED THE GEAR AND INITIATED A RIGHT CROSSWIND TURN WHILE CLIMBING ("A"). AT APPROX 700" AGL I REDUCED POWER FROM 36" MP TO 32" MP AND REDUCED RPM FROM 2650 TO 2400 RPM ("B"). STILL CLIMBING AT +-200FPM, AT APPROX ABEAM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 26 THERE WAS A HUGH DECREASE IN POWER (50-75%)("C") AND THE ENGINE SOUNDED TERRIBLE, SIMILAR TO HOW IT SOUNDS WHEN YOU CYCLE THE PROP GOVERNOR ALL THE WAY OUT ON RUN-UP. FEARING THE ENGINE WAS GOING TO QUIT COMPLETELY I DEPLOYED FLAPS +-15 DEGREES FOR LIFT AND SET UP FOR A LANDING ON RWY 26. WHEN I SAW THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE THE RUNWAY I DEPLOYED FLAPS THE REST OF THE WAY AND STARTED TO MAKE A RADIO CALL. AT THIS POINT THE ENTIRE PANEL WENT DARK ("D"). I DEPLOYED THE LANDING GEAR BUT FELT NOTHING AND DID NOT HEAR THE NORMAL SOUND OF AIRFLOW OVER THE GEAR. I CHECKED THE BREAKERS BUT NONE WERE TRIPPED. I CYCLED THE GEAR LEVER SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO RESULTS. AT THIS POINT I WAS OVER RUNWAY 26 ("E") AT LESS THAN 50' AGL. I DECIDED TO GIVE IT POWER TO SEE IF I COULD MAINTAIN AIRSPEED WHILE CLIMBING AND GO AROUND TO TROUBLESHOOT TO AVOID A GEAR-UP LANDING OR TO DEPLOY THE GEAR MANUALLY. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN AIR SPEED WHILE CLIMBING BUT WAS AT A FULL BOOST POWER SETTING OF 40" MP. AT THE DEPARTURE END OF 26 I BEGAN A RIGHT CROSSWIND TURN ("F") WHILE CHECKING ALL BREAKERS, MIXTURE SETTING AND GAUGES AGAIN. THE PANEL WAS DARK AND THE GAUGES ON ZERO. I CYCLED THE GEAR LEVER SEVERAL TIMES AND BEGAN TO MANUALLY DEPLOY THE GEAR WHEN I BEGAN TO SMELL ELECTRICAL SMOKE ("G"). AT THIS POINT, FEARING FIRE, I LEFT THE GEAR LEVER IN THE DOWN POSITION, BANKED HARD RIGHT FOR A SHORT FINAL ON RUNWAY 32 AND LANDED AS SOFT AS POSSIBLE TRYING TO KEEP THE PLANE IN THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY ("H"). AFTER THE LANDING THE GEAR WAS IN A PARTIALLY DEPLOYED POSITION. I THINK THE GEAR WAS HANGING DOWN AND COLLAPSED ON TOUCHDOWN. AS PEOPLE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE I POINTED OUT TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE LINGERING SMELL OF ELECTRICAL SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CONFIRMED THE SMELL OF SMOKE AND INSTRUCTED SOMEONE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND REMOVE THE COWL FOR INSPECTION. ONE OF THE MECHANICS NOTICED THAT THE STARTER MOTOR WAS STILL QUITE HOT EVEN THOUGH THE CYCLINDER HEADS WERE COOL. THE PLANE WAS THEN LIFTED ONTO ITS GEAR AND TOWED TO THE HANGAR FOR FURTHER ISPECTION.