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20120608012889I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-44-180 · Mesa, AZ · June 8, 2012

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 8, 2012 · 12:56 local
Place
Mesa, AZ
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N746A
Reported as
Piper PA-44-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O-360-A1H
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
950 total460 in this make and model215 in the last 90 days
N746ARegistered now · Piper PA-44-180S/N 4496243 · Built 2007Airframe modelPiper PA-44-180Engine modelLycoming O-360-A1HReciprocating

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.

The aircraft was conducting flight instruction when the instructor pilot noted the oil pressure indicator panel light flash on and off. Oil pressure gage for the left hand engine was indicating low so the instructor directed the student pilot to turn back to gateway airport (iwa). As the aircraft was on a 4 mile base the student pilot stated he could see oil accumulating on the left wing. Both pilots reported they thought the engine began running rough. Tower was called and the pilot declared an emergency. The left engine was shut down and the aircraft landed without further incident. Maintenance personnel inspected the engine for oil leak and found the vacuum pump nuts were loose. Maintenance records show this vacuum pump had been installed on June 4 at the iwa maintenance facility. Further discussions with the maintenance director revealed that the vacuum pump had been installed by a mechanic who had just recently been certificated, and the facility had not provided sufficient oversight of the work he had performed.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTING FLIGHT INSTRUCTION WHEN THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT NOTED THE OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR PANEL LIGHT FLASH ON AND OFF. OIL PRESSURE GAGE FOR THE LEFT HAND ENGINE WAS INDICATING LOW SO THE INSTRUCTOR DIRECTED THE STUDENT PILOT TO TURN BACK TO GATEWAY AIRPORT (IWA). AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A 4 MILE BASE THE STUDENT PILOT STATED HE COULD SEE OIL ACCUMULATING ON THE LEFT WING. BOTH PILOTS REPORTED THEY THOUGHT THE ENGINE BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH. TOWER WAS CALLED AND THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE LEFT ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL INSPECTED THE ENGINE FOR OIL LEAK AND FOUND THE VACUUM PUMP NUTS WERE LOOSE. MAINTENANCE RECORDS SHOW THIS VACUUM PUMP HAD BEEN INSTALLED ON JUNE 4 AT THE IWA MAINTENANCE FACILITY.FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WITH THE MAINTENANCE DIRECTOR REVEALED THAT THE VACUUM PUMP HAD BEEN INSTALLED BY A MECHANIC WHO HAD JUST RECENTLY BEEN CERTIFICATED, AND THE FACILITY HAD NOT PROVIDED SUFFICIENT OVERSIGHT OF THE WORK HE HAD PERFORMED.