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20130815016939I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Middletown, PA · August 15, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 15, 2013 · 18:41 local
Place
Middletown, PA
Airport
Harrisburg Int'L.
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N77DC
Reported as
Beech A36
Reported engine
Allison 250 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
3,048 total825 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days
N77DCRegistered now · Beech A36S/N E-2289 · Built 1985Airframe modelBeech A36Engine modelAllison 250 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.

The subject aircraft was on an IFR flight from (avp) scranton pa to (MDT) Middletown pa at 8000 feet MSL in cruise flight when the aircraft electrical power began to fail without warning. The subsequent landing at (MDT) resulted in minor damage to the propeller, engine, lower cowling and both inboard landing gear doors. Maintenance personnel determined that the wire from the 10 amp gen circuit breaker had failed at terminal "a" on the generator, resulting in loss of charging current to the battery. No low voltage warning followed the failure because the STC for the turbine engine modification did not require a low voltage annunciator light. Consequently, it was removed. The pilot interview, conducted by an operations inspector, revealed no operational error occurred and that proper emergency procedures were used to lower the landing gear. The pilot did not have 3 green lights due to the loss of all electrical power. During the landing roll out the nose gear retracted due to not being fully down and locked. ACE-113, continued operational safety branch, is evaluating the failure for possible further action.

As the FAA filed it

THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT FROM (AVP) SCRANTON PA TO (MDT) MIDDLETOWN PA AT 8000 FEET MSL IN CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN THE AIRCRAFT ELECTRICAL POWER BEGAN TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING. THE SUBSEQUENT LANDING AT (MDT) RESULTED IN MINOR DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER, ENGINE, LOWER COWLING AND BOTH INBOARD LANDING GEAR DOORS. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL DETERMINED THAT THE WIRE FROM THE 10 AMP GEN CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD FAILED AT TERMINAL "A" ON THE GENERATOR, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CHARGING CURRENT TO THE BATTERY. NO LOW VOLTAGE WARNING FOLLOWED THE FAILURE BECAUSE THE STC FOR THE TURBINE ENGINE MODIFICATION DID NOT REQUIRE A LOW VOLTAGE ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT. CONSEQUENTLY, IT WAS REMOVED. THE PILOT INTERVIEW, CONDUCTED BY AN OPERATIONS INSPECTOR, REVEALED NO OPERATIONAL ERROR OCCURRED AND THAT PROPER EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WERE USED TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT DID NOT HAVE 3 GREEN LIGHTS DUE TO THE LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL POWER. DURING THE LANDING ROLL OUT THE NOSE GEAR RETRACTED DUE TO NOT BEING FULLY DOWN AND LOCKED. ACE-113, CONTINUED OPERATIONAL SAFETY BRANCH, IS EVALUATING THE FAILURE FOR POSSIBLE FURTHER ACTION.