20181108017009I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 550 · North Platte, NE · November 8, 2018

Date: November 8, 2018 · 18:30 local
Place: North Platte, NE
Airport: North Platte
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N701VV
Reported as: Cessna 550
People aboard: 5
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 10,422 total5,300 in this make and model65 in the last 90 days

N701VVRegistered now · Cessna 550S/N 550-1033 Airframe modelCessna 550

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.

While at cruise alt of FL370, aircraft started to have extreme vibrations. PIC cycled the gear in case the door was partially open causing vibration, no change. Retarded the throttles and the vibration lessened. Crew asked ATC for nearest airport, which was North Platte, NE, declared an emergency and did an idle descent as long as possible, descending through FL240 the left genfail light illuminated. When the throttles were brought forward to level off prior to landing, the severe vibration returned. Crew performed an emergency landing at North Platte. On November 9, 2018, an A&P mechanic inspected the aircraft and determined internal failure of the left engine generator caused the vibration.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE AT CRUISE ALT OF FL370, AIRCRAFT STARTED TO HAVE EXTREME VIBRATIONS. PIC CYCLED THE GEAR IN CASE THE DOOR WAS PARTIALLY OPEN CAUSING VIBRATION, NO CHANGE. RETARDED THE THROTTLES AND THE VIBRATION LESSENED. CREW ASKED ATC FOR NEAREST AIRPORT, WHICH WAS NORTH PLATTE, NE, DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND DID AN IDLE DESCENT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, DESCENDING THROUGH FL240 THE LEFT GENFAIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE THROTTLES WERE BROUGHT FORWARD TO LEVEL OFF PRIOR TO LANDING, THE SEVERE VIBRATION RETURNED. CREW PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT NORTH PLATTE. ON NOVEMBER 9, 2018, AN A&P MECHANIC INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND DETERMINED INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE LEFT ENGINE GENERATOR CAUSED THE VIBRATION.