Service difficulty report · Warning Message · Snias AS350B3

Difficulty date
January 29, 2013
Submitted
January 31, 2013
Operation
Air carrier
Aircraft
N257AM
Make and model
Snias AS350B3
Aircraft serial
7203
Aircraft time
444 hours, 868 cycles
Engine
Tmeca ARRIEL2B1
Engine time
444 hours, 675 cycles
Part
Warning Message
Condition
Illuminated
Location
Engine Oil Press
Stage of operation
AA
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
N
Precautionary procedure
A

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

What was found

TEN MINUTES INTO A FLIGHT, ENGINE OIL PRESSURE ENTERED YELLOW AREA. SLIGHTLY LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE TO RELIEVE PRESSURE. NEEDLE CONTINUED TO CLIMB AND PROCEEDED INTO RED. SHORTLY AFTER REACHING MAXIMUM INDICATION AVAILABLE ON THE GAUGE, GAUGE DISSAPPEARED AND WAS REPLACED BY A YELLOW .7500 CIRCLE AND THE WORD "PRESS" UNDER IT IN YELLOW. AS THE SYSTEM DETECTED THE PRESSURE WAS BACK IN THE MEASURABLE RANGE OF THE GAUGE IT REAPPEARED WITH THE ARROW AT THE HIGH YELLOW AREA AND MOVING TOWARD THE RED. IT AGAIN DISSAPPEARED AND WAS REPLACED BY THE YELLOW SEMI CIRCLE. THIS PROCESS REPEATED A TOTAL OF THREE TIMES PRIOR TO LANDING AND SHUTDOWN, APPROX THREE MINUTES IN DURATION. NEEDLE WAS NOT SNAPPING TO MAXIMUM BUT WAS MAKING A GENERALLY SMOOTH MOVEMENT FROM LOW TO HIGH. INSPECTED ENGINE OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR ON VEMD DISPLAY, ENGINE OIL PRESSURE TRANSDUCER, ENGINE OIL BYPASS INDICATORS, ENGINE OIL PRESSURE TRANSDUCER CONNECTOR SOCKET AND PINS. MO1 AND MO5 MAGNETIC PLUGS, ELECTRONIC ENGINE OIL CHIP DETECTOR AND PERFORMED ENGINE GROUND RUN. UNABLE TO DUPLICATE DISCREPANCY AT THIS TIME. PERFORMED OPS CHECK FLIGHT FOR THE PURPOSE OF CHECKING ENGINE OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR OPERATION. ENGINE OIL PRESSURE INDICATION WAS NORMAL AND NO FURTHER DEFECTS WERE NOTED AT THIS TIME. ACFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE.