Service difficulty report · Coalescer Bag · Cessna 550

Difficulty date
April 21, 2012
Submitted
April 24, 2012
Operation
Air carrier
Aircraft
N752GS
Make and model
Cessna 550
Aircraft serial
5500258
Aircraft time
9,575 hours, 9,182 cycles
Part
Coalescer Bag
Part number
18084928
Condition
Contaminated
Location
Ac Bay
Part time
283 hours, 306 cycles
Stage of operation
CL
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
B
Precautionary procedure
A

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

What was found

PILOT WRITE UP ON ROTATION GREY/BLACK SMOKE FILLED CABIN. RETURN TO LAND. INSPECTED - CLEANED ACM WATER SEPARATOR SOCK. PERFORMED GROUND RUNS. NO FAULTS FOUND. AIRCRAFT WAS TEST FLOWN FOR .6 HOUR WITH NO RECURRENCE OF SMOKE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT AIRCRAFT HAD TWO OCCURRENCES OF THE RIGHT ENGINE FAILING TO START DUE TO IGNITION FAULTS RECENTLY, ONCE ON 4/19 AND ONCE ON 4/20. THE IGNITION FAULTS WERE CORRECTED AND THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND GROUND RUN NORMALLY. BOTH FAILURES TO START FLOODED THE ENGINE WITH FUEL WHICH ALSO CONTAMINATED THE ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM. THIS CAUSE SMOKE TO BE PRODUCED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS BROUGHT TO HIGH POWER FOR THE TAKEOFF AND THE BLEED AIR RAISED THE TEMPERATURE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM.

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