20100628035679I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Portland, OR · June 28, 2010

Date: June 28, 2010 · 17:46 local
Place: Portland, OR
Airport: Portland International
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: JIKA
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N961CA
Reported as: Piper PA-31-350
Reported engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,600 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

N961CARegistration cancelled Aug 20, 2025 · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-7652014 · Built 1975 Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

Pilot made normal takeoff from Portland heading toward roseburg soon after leveling off (35 miles south of battleground VOR) pilot had a vacumn failure and then the number 1 navigation system HSI failed. Switching to the number 2 navigation system he also had an off flag on the OBS. The pilot decided to return to Portland and landed without further problems. The pneumatic pump had sheared it's shaft. The number one navigation system's HSI had a poor grounding contact and the radio for the number two system was loose in the rack. Good decision on pilot's part, an incident due to the potential hazard if the weather had been IMC.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT MADE NORMAL TAKEOFF FROM PORTLAND HEADING TOWARD ROSEBURG SOON AFTER LEVELING OFF (35 MILES SOUTH OF BATTLEGROUND VOR) PILOT HAD A VACUMN FAILURE AND THEN THE NUMBER 1 NAVIGATION SYSTEM HSI FAILED. SWITCHING TO THE NUMBER 2 NAVIGATION SYSTEM HE ALSO HAD AN OFF FLAG ON THE OBS. THE PILOT DECIDED TO RETURN TO PORTLAND AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER PROBLEMS.THE PNEUMATIC PUMP HAD SHEARED IT'S SHAFT. THE NUMBER ONE NAVIGATION SYSTEM'S HSI HAD A POOR GROUNDING CONTACT AND THE RADIO FOR THE NUMBER TWO SYSTEM WAS LOOSE IN THE RACK.GOOD DECISION ON PILOT'S PART, AN INCIDENT DUE TO THE POTENTIAL HAZARD IF THE WEATHER HAD BEEN IMC.