Service difficulty report · Baffle · Piper PA44180

Difficulty date
August 12, 2011
Submitted
January 23, 2013
Operation
Air carrier
Make and model
Piper PA44180
Aircraft time
2,763 hours
Engine
Lyc LO360A1H6
Propeller
Hartzl HCC2YR2
Part
Baffle
Part number
86299007AWL
Condition
Broken
Location
Muffler
Part time
1,419 hours
Stage of operation
AP
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
O
Precautionary procedure
O

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

What was found

(CAN) THE PILOT REPORTED THAT ON APPROACH WITH PROPS IN FULL FINE, THE ENGINE RPMS WERE SPLIT WITH MORE THAN 100 RPM DIFFERENCE FROM LT TO RT. INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT PART OF THE INTERNAL BAFFLES ON THE FWD MUFFLER ON THE LT ENGINE HAD DROPPED DOWN AND WAS BLOCKING THE MUFFLER OUTLET PIPE. THIS WAS THE RESULT OF THE RT FLANGE OF THE MUFFLER BEING BROKEN. THIS MUFFLER WAS MFG WITH A 2 PIECE INTERNAL BAFFLE WHICH SLEEVED TOGETHER IN THE MIDDLE. THE CENTER SLEEVED SECTION WITH THE ABSENCE OF ANY HOLES, WAS THE PART THAT BLOCKED THE OUTLET. THE NEW REPLACEMENT MUFFLER WAS PURCHASED IN MAY 2011, FROM THE SAME MFG AS THE FAILED UNIT, BUT, HAS A ONE PIECE INTERNAL BAFFLE SYS WHICH WOULD PREVENT THIS TYPE OF BLOCKAGE FROM OCCURRING.

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