Service difficulty report · Turbine Blades · Beech T44C

Difficulty date
April 18, 2018
Submitted
October 16, 2018
Operation
General aviation
Aircraft
N16084
Make and model
Beech T44C
Aircraft serial
16084
Engine
Pwa PT6A34B
Engine time
19,414 hours, 5,442 cycles
Part
Turbine Blades
Part number
3039901
Condition
Fractured
Location
Engine
Part time
2,491 hours
Component
Turbine · Pwc
Component part number
3013411
Stage of operation
CR
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
E, B, Y
Precautionary procedure
O

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

What was found

A. AT END OF A 3 HOUR MISSION, AT 5000 FEET MSL, AIRCREW REPORTED A LOUD BANG FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE, FOLLOWED BY SUDDEN NOSE RIGHT YAW AND AIRFAME VIBRATIONS. AIRCREW NOTED SMOKE COMING FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE. RIGHT ENGINE SECURED. AIRCREW DECLARED THE EMERGENCY, PERFORMED AN UNEVENTFUL SINGLE ENGINE, SECURED THE AIRCRAFT AND REMANDED THE AIRCRAFT TO MAINTENANCE. B. DURING TEARDOWN THE FLEET REPORTED DISCREPANCY WAS CONFIRMED. THE LOUD BANG HEARD BY THE PIOLET WAS THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE CT DISK ASSEMBLY BROUGHT ON BY THE RUPTURE OF A SINGLE CT BLADE. THE SMOKE SEEN EMANATING FROM THE ENGINE EXHAUST WAS CAUSED BY THE COLLATERAL DESTRUCTION OF ADJACENT COMPONENTS AS METALLIC DEBRIS WAS PROCESSED BY THE COMPRESSOR AND POWER TURBINE ASSEMBLIES. C. THE FAILURE SEQUENCE OF THE TURBINE COMPONENTS BEGAN WITH THE FAILURE OF A SINGLE CT BLADE. MAGNIFICATION OF THE BLADE'S FRACTURE SURFACE SHOWS A CLEAR DELINEATION BETWEEN A PROGRESSIVE FATIGUE ZONE AND AN OVERLOADED RUPTURE AREA. THE FATIGUE CRACK ORIGINATED FROM A MICROSHRINKAGE 0.060 INCHES FROM THE FORWARD CORNER ON THE PRESSURE SIDE, APPROXIMATELY 0.001" BELOW THE CAST SURFACE. 1. FOLLOWING THE LIBERATION OF THE INITIAL BLADE, THE INTERFERENCE WITH ADJACENT PARTS INITIATED A DESTRUCTIVE SEQUENCE WHICH RESULTED IN THE FAILURE OF THE REMAINING BLADES. PROCESSING THIS DEBRIS THROUGH THE TURBINE SECTION RESULTED IN THE REMAINDER OF THE DAMAGE DOCUMENTED IN THE FINDINGS ABOVE.