Service difficulty report · Drain Valve · Urocop EC135T2

Difficulty date
July 6, 2023
Submitted
February 22, 2024
Operation
General aviation
Aircraft
N825MM
Make and model
Urocop EC135T2
Aircraft serial
1109
Aircraft time
4,312 hours
Engine
Tmeca ARRIUS2B2
Engine time
4,144 hours, 1,479 cycles
Part
Drain Valve
Part number
0292687250
Condition
Broken
Location
Combust Section
Part time
294 hours
Stage of operation
TX
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
A
Precautionary procedure
E

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

What was found

CREW BEGAN START ON NO 1 ENGINE. THE TOT BEGAN RISING, N1 DID NOT. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 5 SECONDS, THE CREW ABORTS START. THE START SWITCH WAS MOVED TO THE OFF POSITION. TOT HUNG IN THE HIGH 700C RANGE; A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL WAS DETECTED AS THE TOT BEGAN TO RISE RAPIDLY. ACTIVATED THE VENT SWITCH FOR THE NO. 1 ENGINE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY SINGLE ENGINE SHUTDOWN OF THE NO. 2 ENGINE. C/P WAS ABLE TO OBSERVE SMOKE AND FLAMES EMANATING FROM THE ENGINE. ROTOR RPM BEGAN TO DECREASE WHILE THE NO. 1 TOT INCREASED TO 960 DEGREES CELSIUS AND REMAINED AT THAT TEMPERATURE FOR NUMEROUS SECONDS. ENGINE VENTING CONTINUED. C/P VISUALLY CHECKED THE ENGINE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. VISIBLE FLAMES WERE OBSERVED EXITING THE EXHAUST. APPLIED ROTOR BRAKE JUST BELOW 50 PERCENT NR. THE #1 TOT BEGAN SLOWLY DECREASING, WITH THE ROTOR BRAKE APPLIED THE ROTOR STOPPED, THE ENGINE VENT SWITCH WAS RELEASED TO THE NEUTRAL POSITION AND THE BATTERY MASTER SWITCH WAS TURNED OFF. AT THIS TIME AN AUDIBLE WHINING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE #1 ENGINE. THE ROTOR BRAKE WAS RELEASED, AND THE BLADES BEGAN TO TURN. FIRE WAS STILL BEING OBSERVED COMING FROM THE ENGINE EXHAUST AREA, THE ROTOR BRAKE WAS REAPPLIED, AND THE WHINING NOISE BEGAN TO DIMINISH FROM THE #1 ENGINE. GROUND OBSERVER DEPLOYED A FIRE EXTINGUISHING AGENT DIRECTLY INTO THE ENGINE VIA THE EXHAUST PORT AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE WHINING NOISE AND THE ROTOR BLADES STOPPED. PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. ENG TSO 294.1

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