# Incident 20120608012889I: Piper Aircraft Inc PA-44-180, Mesa, AZ, June 8, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 8, 2012, 12:56 local time
- Place: Mesa, AZ
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.4223° N, 111.8226° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Mesa, AZ, within about 7 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4223&lon=-111.8226&mi=10
- Aircraft: N746A, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N746A) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-44-180 (registry code 7104406, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-44-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-360-A1H (registry code 42257, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-a1h) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-44-180
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360-A1H
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 950 total, 460 in this make and model, 215 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120608012889I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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