N326CA
Registered owner: ALPINE AVIATION INC, UT (owner ≠ operator)
Operators of this aircraft
Who operated this tail, and how firmly we know it.
| Operator | Role | Period | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALPINE AVIATION, INC. (TIMA) | Certificate holder | — | Matched by certificate designator |
| ALPINE AVIATION, INC. (TIMA) | Operator | 2017-01-19 – 2017-01-19 | Operator named in NTSB report |
Accident & incident history
Maintenance disclosures
LANDING GEAR DID NOT EXTEND WHEN SELECTED. PUMPED GEAR DOWN MANUALLY. LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE HYDRAULIC POWER PACK.
LANDING GEAR STARTED COMING DOWN IN FLIGHT, HAD TO MANUALLY PUMPED DOWN. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE HYDRAULIC POWER PACK.
LANDING GEAR STARTED COMING DOWN IN FLIGHT, HAD TO MANUALLY PUMPED DOWN. TROUBLE SHOOTING UNDERWAY.
FOLLOWING GEAR RETRACTION AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD THUD. THE LEFT GEAR LIGHT SHOWED GREEN & THE NOSE AND RT GEAR INDICATORS SHOWED UNSAFE. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY A RED LIGHT IN GEAR HANDLE. THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION CHECKLIST WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE GEAR INDICATIONS. TOWER CONFIRMED AN UNSAFE GEAR CONDITION, AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE NLG & RT GEAR PARTIALLY COLLAPSED ON TOUCHDOWN. THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE LT MLG HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR. THE THREADED PORTION OF THE ACTUATOR RAM HAD SHEARED OFF. THE BROKEN RAM DAMAGED THE HYDRAULIC PISTON PROVIDING AN OPENING BETWEEN THE UP SIDE AND DOWN SIDE HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS.
DURING TAKEOFF, THE LANDING GEAR WERE RETRACTED. A FEW SECONDS LATER A LOUD THUD OCCURRED FOLLOWED BY THE RT GEAR GREEN LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE RED "GEAR UNSAFE" LIGHT IN THE HANDLE WAS NOT ILLUMINATED. PRIOR TO LANDING, GEAR WERE SELECTED âDOWNâ. ALL THREE GEAR SHOWED GREEN AND PILOT MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE RT MAIN LANDING GEAR ACTUATOR CLEVIS HAD SEPARATED FROM THE ACTUATOR SHAFT.
INSPECTION REVEALED 4 CRACKS IN THE LT ELEVATOR LE RIB. THE RIB WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW RIB.
DURING ENGINE START ALL ELECTRICAL POWER FAILED. CAUSE WAS FOUND TO BE ACID LEAK THROUGH AT THE NEGATIVE POST OF THE AIRCRAFT LEAD ACID BATTERY WHICH CAUSED CORROSION OF THE CONNECTOR.
CRACK ON SKIN PANEL AT THE ATTACHMENT BRACKET AT 18 INCHES OUTBOARD OF THE INBOARD EDGE OF THE FLAP ASSEMBLY. ALSO 2 CRACKS ON THE SPAR WEB AT 10 INCHES AND 11 INCHES OUTBOARD OF THE INBOARD EDGE OF THE FLAP.
WING SPAR CRACKED IN UPPER AFT OTBD FITTING.
PILOT NOTICED THAT THE LT TORQUE INDICATION SLOWLY AND CONTINUALLY DECREASED. WHEN POWER ADJUSTMENTS PRODUCED NO EFFECT AND ADVERSE YAW CONFIRMED POWER LOSS THE PILOT FEATHERED THE PROP AND SHUTDOWN THE ENGINE. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE FCU HAD FAILED.
DURING CLIMBOUT THE (GEAR IN TRANSIT) AND (DO NOT REVERSE) ANNUNCICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THEN THE LANDING GEAR CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED. PILOT CONTINUED, HAND PUMPED THE GEAR TO GET 3 GREEN. LANDED OK. INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT HYDRAULIC HOSE ON THE LT UP LINE HAD RUPTURED. (K)
THE RT ENGINE FIRE DETECTION LIGHT CAME ON BRIEFLY ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT. THE RT ENGINE WAS RECENTLY CHANGED AND WAS WASHED TO CHECK FOR POSSIBLE OIL LEAKS. WATER FROM THE WASH CAN ENTER THE ENGINE FIRE DETECTORS AND CAUSE FALSE FIRE WARNINGS. THAT IS THE MOST LIKELY CAUSE FOR THIS FALSE FIRE WARNING. TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING THE FIRE DETECTORS ARE GENERALLY COVERED TO PREVENT WATER FROM ENTERING THE DETECTORS. (K)
ON CLIMB OUT, RT ENGINE TORQUE DROPPED TO 500. AC RETURNED, WHERE THE TORQUE SYSTEM WAS JET CAL, GAUGES SWAPPED SIDE TO SIDE AND ALL SYSTEMS WORKED AS REQUIRED. MAINTENANCE SUSPECTS AN ELECTRICAL SPIKE FROM THE NR 1 INVERTER. THE GAUGES STUCK ON 500 BUT DROPPED TO ZERO WHEN INVERTER NR 2 SELECTED. INVERTER NR 1 AND NR 2 INSPECTED, CONNECTOR PLUG, INSPECTED THE WIRES, NOTHING WAS FOUND AND MAINTENANCE CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. SWITCH OF INVERTERS PRODUCED NO PROBLEMS WITH TORQUE SYSTEM. (K)
CRACK FOUND IN RT WING ATTACH FITTING. (BATH TUB FITTINGS) LOCATION CENTER SECTION UPPER FORWARD ATTACH FITTING. RECURRING INSPECTION INTERVAL (SUPER SPAR) 1000 HOURS OR 3 YEARS WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST. (CONTROL NUMBER 004)
CRACK FOUND IN RIGHT WING, CENTER SECTION UPPER FORWARD ATTACH FITTING.
DIRECTIONAL GYRO BECAME INOPERABLE. CHECK OF PITOT SYSTEM FOUND BROKEN CONNECTOR ON BACK OF GYRO. UPON REMOVAL OF GYRO, FOUND ALL THREE LINE CONNTIONS BROKEN.
KING CARGO SYSTEMS COCKPIT CREW DOOR, STC SA1438GL. PILOT HAD DIFFICULTY LATCHING DOOR. TOOK OFF, DOOR CAME OPEN DURING CLIMB. AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. EXAMINATION FOUND LATCH PINS BINDING IN GUIDES; LUBRICATED AND INSTALLED LIGHT SPRINGS TO HOLD PINS IN ALIGNMENT. RECOMMEND STC HOLDER REDESIGN PIN GUIDES TO ALLOW FOR BETTER SUPPORT OF CATCH PIN.