20201130017449I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-31T · Prescott, AZ · November 30, 2020

Date
November 30, 2020 · 09:10 local
Place
Prescott, AZ
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N324AR
Reported as
Piper PA-31T
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-28
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0

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.

Aircraft experienced #1 engine shutdown in flight. Aircraft landed without incident.

Engine was removed and sent to a contract maintenance facility to be torn down. Teardown indicated the compressor section of engine did not sustain damage from FOD. Significant damage was noted in the compressor and power section turbine areas. Damage was noted to the compressor turbine vane ring that could have been indicative of poor fuel nozzle flow. Repair facility did flow check nozzles and indicated no anomalies were found at that time. Repair facility recommended that the fuel control be bench checked prior to re-installation. This bench check is not being done at this time. Due to the engine repair cost versus value of the engine, the repair has been ceased to search for another serviceable engine.

Cause of turbine sections damage is unknown at this time.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED #1 ENGINE SHUTDOWN IN FLIGHT. AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT.

ENGINE WAS REMOVED AND SENT TO A CONTRACT MAINTENANCE FACILITY TO BE TORN DOWN. TEARDOWN INDICATED THE COMPRESSOR SECTION OF ENGINE DID NOT SUSTAIN DAMAGE FROM FOD. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS NOTED IN THE COMPRESSOR AND POWER SECTION TURBINE AREAS. DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO THE COMPRESSOR TURBINE VANE RING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN INDICATIVE OF POOR FUEL NOZZLE FLOW. REPAIR FACILITY DID FLOW CHECK NOZZLES AND INDICATED NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND AT THAT TIME. REPAIR FACILITY RECOMMENDED THAT THE FUEL CONTROL BE BENCH CHECKED PRIOR TO RE-INSTALLATION. THIS BENCH CHECK IS NOT BEING DONE AT THIS TIME. DUE TO THE ENGINE REPAIR COST VERSUS VALUE OF THE ENGINE, THE REPAIR HAS BEEN CEASED TO SEARCH FOR ANOTHER SERVICEABLE ENGINE.

CAUSE OF TURBINE SECTIONS DAMAGE IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.