N4078J
Registered owner: STAR MARIANAS AIR INC, MP (owner ≠ operator)
Operators of this aircraft
Who operated this tail, and how firmly we know it.
| Operator | Role | Period | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| STAR MARIANAS AIR INC (1SMA) | Certificate holder | — | Matched by certificate designator |
| STAR MARIANAS AIR INC (1SMA) | Operator | on 2017-08-30 | Operator named in NTSB report |
Accident & incident history
Operated by Star Marianas Air, Inc. (per NTSB report)
Maintenance disclosures
Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA for this airframe. Filing is largely voluntary — the number of reports is not a measure of reliability. To verify a report, search its control number at the FAA SDRS site.
3 reports on file, 2012-02-14 – 2025-11-02.
Part: O-RING — CUT (HYD SYSTEM) · airframe 10,000 hrs
AFTER TAKEOFF, LANDING GEAR FAILED TO RETRACT (STUCK IN TRANSIT). RECYCLING LEVER TO DOWN ALSO FAILED; NO GREEN LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. VISUAL CHECK SHOWED NOSE GEAR STUCK IN A HALFWAY POSITION. PILOT EXECUTED EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION CHECKLIST AND SUCCESSFULLY DEPLOYED ALL THREE GEAR USING THE HAND PUMP. AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY. POST-FLIGHT INSPECTION FOUND A SIGNIFICANT HYDRAULIC FLUID LEAK FROM THE LH ENGINE HYDRAULIC FILTER ASSEMBLY (PUROLATOR, P/N 460-635). INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE O-RING (MS28778-16) HAD FAILED BY EXTRUDING FROM THE HOUSING. THE O-RING WAS FOUND PINCHED BETWEEN THE FILTER BOWL AND HOUSING MATING SURFACES, NOT SEATED IN ITS INTENDED GROOVE. THIS IS A RECURRING FLEET-WIDE SAFETY ISSUE. OUR FLEET PREVIOUSLY REMOVED THE FACET-MANUFACTURED FILTERS DUE TO KNOWN CATASTROPHIC THREAD CRACKING (REF: CASA AWB 29-003). THE "OLDER" PUROLATOR-STYLE FILTERS, NOW IN USE, ARE FAILING DUE TO THIS O-RING RETENTION/INSTALLATION ISSUE. BOTH AVAILABLE DESIGNS FOR THIS COMPONENT HAVE KNOWN FAILURE MODES THAT LEAD TO THE SAME UNSAFE CONDITION: TOTAL LOSS OF MAIN HYDRAULIC PRESSURE. THIS IS THE 4TH SIMILAR HYDRAULIC/FILTER EVENT IN ABOUT 6 MONTHS IN OUR PA-31 FLEET, BUT THE FIRST BEING ENTERED IN THE FAA SDR SYSTEM. BECAUSE OF THE RECURRENCE, SHORT TIME-IN-SERVICE, AND DIRECT EFFECT ON GEAR EXTENSION, WE BELIEVE THIS REPRESENTS A FLEET-RELEVANT FAILURE MODE AND ARE REPORTING IT SO FAA CAN AGGREGATE SIMILAR CASES AND CONSIDER GUIDANCE.
Part: TRANSCEIVER — BURNED (WX RADAR SYS) · airframe 8,789 hrs
AFTER TAKING OFF, THE PILOT REPORTED AN ODOR DESCRIBED AS A HOT, BURNING ODOR LIKE MELTING WIRES COMING FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. NO SMOKE WAS ENCOUNTERED AND NO EMERGENCY DECLARED, BUT THE PILOT ELECTED TO RETURN TO DEPARTURE. TROUBLESHOOTING ON THE GROUND ISOLATED THE ISSUE TO THE WEATHER RADAR INDICATOR WHICH WAS NO LONGER POWERING UP OR DISPLAYING ANY INFORMATION, BUT WHEN POWER SWITCHED TO ON, A HOT ODOR WAS DETECTED. UNIT WAS REMOVED AND RETURNED TO REPAIR STATION FOR INVESTIGATION.
Part: CONNECTOR — BURNED · airframe 6,924 hrs
DURING INSPECTION FOR COMPLIANCE WITH SB1004 THE E303 CONNECTOR WAS FOUND TO BE BADLY BURNED. THE CONNECTION WAS REPAIRED IAW THE SB. INSPECTOR NOTES THAT THE INITIAL INSP OF EVERY ACFT HAS SHOWN NO COMPLIANCE WITH THIS SB AND ALL SHOW THE SAME BURNING OF THE CONNECTOR.