Service difficulty report · Antenna · Piper PA28235

Difficulty date
October 22, 2010
Submitted
October 22, 2010
Operation
General aviation
Aircraft
N3UW
Make and model
Piper PA28235
Aircraft serial
2810341
Aircraft time
2,100 hours
Engine
Lyc O540*
Part
Antenna
Part number
0130023500
Part serial
55115
Condition
Failed
Location
Gps
Part time
30 hours
Component
Gps · Garmin Intl · GNS430W
Component part number
GNS430W01101060
Stage of operation
AP
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
G
Precautionary procedure
L

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

What was found

THE GNS 430W INDICATED NO SATELLITE COVERAGE WHILE IN FLIGHT. AN ADDITIONAL PORTABLE GPS ALSO INDICATED A LOSS OF SATELLITE COVERAGE. ATC INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER REPORTS OF GPS PROBLEMS. LANDED AND TURNED OFF ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL DEVICES EXCEPT FOR THE 430W. THE LOSS OF SATELLITE COVERAGE WAS STILL SHOWN ON THE 430W AND THE HAND-HELD GPS. WHEN I TURNED OFF THE 430W, THE HAND-HELD GPS IMMEDIATELY STARTED SHOWING GPS COVERAGE. TURNING THE 430W BACK ON CAUSED THE HAND-HELD TO LOOSE COVERAGE AGAIN. WOULD HAVE TO MOVE THE HAND-HELD GPS APPROXIMATELY 20' FROM THE ANTENNA ON THE 430W BEFORE IT WOULD REQUIRE GPS COVERAGE AGAIN. REPLACING THE ANTENNA SOLVED THE PROBLEM. GARMIN INDICATED THAT MOST LIKELY THE ANTENNA HAD FAILED AND WAS OSCILLATING THEREFORE JAMMING THE OTHER GPS RECEIVERS. IN THIS FAILURE SCENARIO, IF I HAD 2 IFR GPS RECEIVERS IN THE ACFT, BOTH GPS RECEIVERS WOULD HAVE LOST GPS SATELLITE COVERAGE UNLESS THE OFFENDING UNIT WAS TURNED OFF.

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