N263MC
Registered owner: BIGHORN AIRWAYS INC, WY (owner ≠ operator)
Operators of this aircraft
Who operated this tail, and how firmly we know it.
| Operator | Role | Period | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIGHORN AIRWAYS, INC. (BIGA) | Certificate holder | — | Matched by certificate designator |
Accident & incident history
Maintenance disclosures
AFTER CONFIRMING A BLEED AIR SEAL COUPLING LEAK ON SDR BIGA20160114-001, THE ACFT FIRE DETECTION SYS WAS GND TESTED NORMAL. A TEST FLIGHT WAS REQUESTED, DURING THE FLIGHT THE LT FIRE DETECTION FLICKERED. AGAIN THE SYS WAS TESTED ON THE GND & COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED, THE ENG FIRE LOOPS WERE SWAPPED FROM THE LT ENG TO THE RT ENG & ALL CONNECTIONS WERE INSPECTED, CLEANED & REASSEMBLED. GND CHECKS WERE NORMAL, TWO TEST FLIGHT WERE PERFORMED & THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE SUSPECTED HARNESS MAY HAVE HAD A CONNECTION PROBLEM THAT WAS NOT IDENTIFIED, THAT WAS CORRECTED DURING THE FIRE LOOP REMOVAL & INSTALLATION.
PILOT WAS PERFORMING A NIGHT CURRENCY FLIGHT, AS HE BEGAN HIS FINAL APPROACH THE LT ENG FIRE WARNING CAME ON. THE PILOT PULLED BACK POWER & THE FIRE LIGHT WENT OUT BELOW 40% TORQUE. PUSHING THE POWER UP CAUSED THE LIGHT TO COME BACK ON. THE PILOT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. INSPECTED THE ACFT, NO HEAT DAMAGE, OR FIRE COULD BE FOUND & THE SYS GND TESTED NORMAL. THE ACFT WAS GND RUN & THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. FOUND ONE BLEED AIR DUCT COUPLING & CONNECTOR SEEMED LOOSE GOING FROM THE ENG COMPARTMENT INTO THE AIRFRAME. THE SYS WAS PRESS CHECKED & FOUND EXCESSIVE LEAKAGE. THIS BLEED AIR LEAKAGE WAS INLINE WITH THE FIRE DETECTION WIRE LOOP. THE COUPLING SEALS WERE REMOVED & FOUND TO BE WORN & HARD. THE SEALS IN THE COUPLER & CONNECTOR WERE REPLACED & THE ACFT WAS GND RUN & TESTED NORMAL.
THE LEFT GENERATOR SYSTEM KICKED OFF LINE. AFTER TROUBLESHOOTING THE SYSTEM THE 20 GAUGE "D" WIRE WAS FOUND TO BE BROKEN INSIDE THE SHEATH IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND WAS ONLY DETECTABLE BY OHM CHECKING THE HARNESS. DURING THE OHM READING CHECKS OF THE GENERATOR SYSTEM A SECONDARY PROBLEM WAS FOUND WITH HIGH RESISTANCE ON THREE WIRES AT THE LEFT GCU CANNON PLUG. THEY WERE BREAKING AWAY AT THE AT THE PINS DOWN IN THE PLUG PAST THE STRAIN RELIEF. THESE WERE ALL REPAIRED. VIBRATION AND THE FREQUENT REMOVAL OF THE GCUS AND STARTER GENERATORS FOR REPLACEMENT, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND INSPECTION MAY BE LEADING TO THE WIRING TO BREAKDOWN.
CRACKS FOUND ON RIB NR 12 ON RIGHT SIDE AND RIB NR 13 ON LEFT SIDE. LT RIB CRACKED THROUGH 4 RIVETS HOLES ON TOP SKIN, LENGTH OF CRACK WAS 5 INCHES. RT RIB CRACKED THROUGH 1 RIVET HOLE, LENGTH OF CRACK WAS 2 INCHES. CRACKS WERE FOUND DURING COMPLIANCE WITH AD 2001-21-01 AND DORNIER SB228-234.