Service difficulty report · Turbine Blades · Beech T44C

Difficulty date
February 11, 2015
Submitted
October 16, 2018
Operation
General aviation
Aircraft
N16084
Make and model
Beech T44C
Aircraft serial
160846
Engine
Pwa PT6A34B
Engine time
18,875 hours
Part
Turbine Blades
Part number
3039901
Condition
Fractured
Location
Engine
Part time
1,300 hours
Component
Compressor Turb · Pwc
Component part number
3013411
Stage of operation
TO
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
A, E, Y
Precautionary procedure
F

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

What was found

A. DURING TOUCH-AND-GO MANEUVERS, AFTER ADDING POWER FOR TAKEOFF, THE AIRCREW HEARD A "POP" FROM THE LEFT ENGINE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A CAUTION LIGHT FOR THE LEFT GENERATOR AS IT DROPPED OFFLINE. THE AIRCREW ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AND PERFORMED EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN PROCEDURES. THE FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM WAS DEPLOYED TO SUPPRESS FLAMES EMANATING FROM THE ENGINE EXHAUST DURING SHUTDOWN. B. DURING TEARDOWN THE DISCREPANCY WAS CONFIRMED. THE POP NOISE HEARD IN THE COCKPIT WAS THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE CT DISK ASSEMBLY BROUGHT ON BY THE RUPTURE OF BLADE 10 OR 58. THE FIRE THAT WAS 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 ROTOR ASSEMBLIES. C. THE FAILURE SEQUENCE OF THE TURBINE COMPONENTS BEGAN WITH THE FAILURE OF BLADE 10 OR 58. MAGNIFICATION OF BOTH BLADE FRACTURE SURFACES SHOWS A DELINEATION BETWEEN A PROGRESSIVE FATIGUE ZONE AND AN OVERLOADED RUPTURE AREA. WHILE BOTH BLADES SHOW THE SAME APPARENT FAILURE MODE, IT'S LIKELY THAT THE FAILURE OF ONE BLADE CAUSED THE FAILURE OF THE OTHER. NO METALLURGICAL DEFECTS WERE NOTED AT THE INITIATION SITE OF THE FATIGUE CRACKS IN BLADES 10 AND 58. THERE WAS A SUB-SURFACE VOID AT THE INITIATION SITE OF THE CRACK THAT WAS APPARENT IN BLADE 5, HOWEVER THIS BLADE FAILED DUE TO OVERLOAD AS SECONDARY DAMAGE. THE APPROXIMATE SIZE OF THE VOID WAS 0.0023" LONG BY 0.001" WIDE.