# Incident 20150315011919I: Piper Aircraft Inc PA-28-181, Mesa, AZ, March 15, 2015

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 15, 2015, 13:52 local time
- Place: Mesa, AZ
- Airport: Falcon Fld
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Location: 33.4608° N, 111.7283° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FALCON FLD (FFZ), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4608&lon=-111.7283&mi=10
- Aircraft: N28251, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N28251) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102832, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (registry code 42276, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-a4m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-28-181
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150315011919I

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTING FLIGHT TRAINING TO THE SOUTH PF FALCON FIELD WHEN THE ALTERNATOR FAILED. THE PILOTS ATTEMPTED TO RESET SYSTEM BUT WERE UNABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THEY OPTED TO RETURN TO THEIR HOME FIELD AND CALLED TOWER APPROX. 12 MILES SOUTH STATING THEY WERE INBOUND WITH AN ALTERNATOR FAILURE. AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RWY 4R. AIRCRAFT LANDED SUCCESSFULLY WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT AND WAS TAXIED TO MAINTENANCE.

MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL LOOKED AIRCRAFT OVER AND FOUND THE ALTERNATOR IDLER PULLEY HAD SEIZED UP.  THE ALTERNATOR IDLER PULLEY WAS REPLACED, ALL HARDWARE DYE PENETRANT TESTED, AND ALTERNATOR BELT TENSION WAS SET. ENGINE RAN AND ALTERNATOR SYSTEM FUNCTION TESTED PROPERLY. AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AND HAS HAD NO FURTHER ISSUES WITH ALTERNATOR SYSTEM.

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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