Service difficulty report · Autopilot Sys · Cessna 510

Difficulty date
October 28, 2008
Submitted
December 14, 2008
Operation
General aviation
Aircraft
N510AZ
Make and model
Cessna 510
Aircraft serial
510124
Aircraft time
20 hours, 10 cycles
Part
Autopilot Sys
Part number
GFC700
Condition
Malfunctioned
Part time
20 hours
Stage of operation
AP
How discovered
C
Nature of condition
O
Precautionary procedure
H

As reported to the FAA. Reports are unverified, and codes are left as the FAA publishes them.

What was found

WHEN A DISCREPENCY BETWEEN THE NAVDATA DATABASE & ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION OF A LOCALIZER NAVAID, GFC700 WILL NOT INTERCEPT & TRACK LOCALIZER SIGNAL CORRECTLY. IT EITHER FLIES THROUGH COURSE OR WILL ACTIVATE LOC MODE & IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF COURSE. AFCS APPEARS TO REFERENCE LOCALIZER COURSE FROM DATABASE RATHER THAN SELECTED COURSE ON HSI. FIRST DISCOVERED ON ASE LOC DME A APPROACH LAST APRIL. NAVDATA HAD INCORRECT COURSE OF 120 FOR I-PKN LOCALIZER. I-PKN TUNED, HSI WOULD AUTO-SET COURSE TO 120. THE PILOT CAN TURN THE NEEDLE TO THE CORRECT COURSE OF 300, AND THE HSI WILL PROVIDE CORRECT SENSING. AUTOPILOT WILL NOT CAPTURE THAT COURSE & WILL FLY RIGHT THROUGH LOCALIZER TOWARD TERRAIN. MANUFACTURERS AND FAA/NFDC WERE NOTIFIED, & NFDC CORRECTED ENTRY IN LOCALIZER DATABASE. NEXT DISCOVERED ON EUG ILS 16R APPROACH. FREQUENCY FOR LOCALIZER RECENTLY CHANGED TO 110.1 WITH NEW FREQUENCY PUBLISHED BY NOTAM. TUNING 110.1, HSI AUTO-SETS COURSE WESTWARD. PILOT CAN MANUALLY SET HSI COURSE TO 160 TO GET CORRECT SENSING. ATTEMPTING TO INTERCEPT COURSE FROM NORTHEAST, AFCS WILL ENTER LOC MODE & THEN TURN WEST. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO INTERCEPT FROM NORTHWEST, THE AFCS WILL FLY THROUGH LOCALIZER COURSE.

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