20110722016929I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Diamond Aircraft Ind DA20-C1 · Anchorage, AK · July 22, 2011

Date
July 22, 2011 · 14:30 local
Place
Anchorage, AK
Airport
Merrill Field
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
BQ8S
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N238E
Reported as
Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 20-C1
Reported engine
Continental IO-240
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
6,090 total400 in this make and model72 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.

Took off from mri rnwy 24 with instructor pilot and student. At 500 feet heard noise from engine, then loss of power, all engine gauges reading normal. Declared emergency was able to land at mri rnwy 7, engine stopped completely before landing .weather was not a factor, VFR in VMC conditions. Note:engine had TSO 11.5 hours. Inspected aircraft several hours after incident could not find any discrepancies, fuel at 3/4,full tanks sumped no water in fuel, all controls normal, engine oil at the correct level, standby fuel pump operates.ASI rmg and ASI mac interviewed CFI and A&P. Called student pilot 10:00 am Monday @ 7/25/11 waiting for call back .mechanic ran aircraft engine started right up and ran engine to 1500 RPM found no problems at that time, good acceleration and declaration no unusual noises. Interviewed student pilot 7/28/11.reported that he took off from mri rnwy 25 after performing all preflight items, normal take off until 500 ft then a machine gun type noise and a power loss. Instructor pilot tryed to restart engine with no luck. Instructor pilot then took control of aircraft and declared an emergency and landed back at mri rnwy 7.on 7/29/11, interviewed owner of alaskan aircraft engines that completed the overhaul. After running the engine at high power he was able to duplicate the problem on the engine one time only a machine gun sound and loss of power . The engine was then trouble shoot and a small amount of lint was found in the inlet filter to the fuel control. Opinion that this small amount of lint was not the cause. He returned the aircraft to operator as airworthy. Work order 16923.8/12/2011 spoke to director of maintenance. Found some contamination in fuel possibly causing the problem. Removed fuel cleaned all required items and installed overhauled airframe fuel pump. Reassembled and ran the aircraft with new fuel for approximately two hours the removed all screens for a second time and found no defects.

As the FAA filed it

TOOK OFF FROM MRI RNWY 24 WITH INSTRUCTOR PILOT AND STUDENT. AT 500 FEET HEARD NOISE FROM ENGINE, THEN LOSS OF POWER, ALL ENGINE GAUGES READING NORMAL. DECLARED EMERGENCY WAS ABLE TO LAND AT MRI RNWY 7, ENGINE STOPPED COMPLETELY BEFORE LANDING .WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR, VFR IN VMC CONDITIONS.NOTE:ENGINE HAD TSO 11.5 HOURS.INSPECTED AIRCRAFT SEVERAL HOURS AFTER INCIDENT COULD NOT FIND ANY DISCREPANCIES, FUEL AT 3/4,FULL TANKS SUMPED NO WATER IN FUEL, ALL CONTROLS NORMAL, ENGINE OIL AT THE CORRECT LEVEL, STANDBY FUEL PUMP OPERATES.ASI RMG AND ASI MAC INTERVIEWED CFI AND A&P. CALLED STUDENT PILOT 10:00 AM MONDAY @ 7/25/11 WAITING FOR CALL BACK .MECHANIC RAN AIRCRAFT ENGINE STARTED RIGHT UP AND RAN ENGINE TO 1500 RPM FOUND NO PROBLEMS AT THAT TIME, GOOD ACCELERATION AND DECLARATION NO UNUSUAL NOISES.INTERVIEWED STUDENT PILOT 7/28/11.REPORTED THAT HE TOOK OFF FROM MRI RNWY 25 AFTER PERFORMING ALL PREFLIGHT ITEMS, NORMAL TAKE OFF UNTIL 500 FT THEN A MACHINE GUN TYPE NOISE AND A POWER LOSS. INSTRUCTOR PILOT TRYED TO RESTART ENGINE WITH NO LUCK. INSTRUCTOR PILOT THEN TOOK CONTROL OF AIRCRAFT AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED BACK AT MRI RNWY 7.ON 7/29/11, INTERVIEWED OWNER OF ALASKAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES THAT COMPLETED THE OVERHAUL. AFTER RUNNING THE ENGINE AT HIGH POWER HE WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM ON THE ENGINE ONE TIME ONLY A MACHINE GUN SOUND AND LOSS OF POWER . THE ENGINE WAS THEN TROUBLE SHOOT AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF LINT WAS FOUND IN THE INLET FILTER TO THE FUEL CONTROL. OPINION THAT THIS SMALL AMOUNT OF LINT WAS NOT THE CAUSE. HE RETURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO OPERATOR AS AIRWORTHY. WORK ORDER 16923.8/12/2011 SPOKE TO DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE. FOUND SOME CONTAMINATION IN FUEL POSSIBLY CAUSING THE PROBLEM. REMOVED FUEL CLEANED ALL REQUIRED ITEMS AND INSTALLED OVERHAULED AIRFRAME FUEL PUMP. REASSEMBLED AND RAN THE AIRCRAFT WITH NEW FUEL FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS THE REMOVED ALL SCREENS FOR A SECOND TIME AND FOUND NO DEFECTS.