N577LF

Part: WEB — CRACKED (FUSELAGE) · airframe 3,489 hrs · 8,923 cycles

WHILE REMOVING THE LOWER DOOR FITTING P/N 350A21-4004.21, FOUND A CRACK ON THE STATION 845 WEB OUTBOARD OF RBL 673.5.

Part: UNKNOWN — ODOR (COCKPIT) · airframe 1,908 hrs · 5,171 cycles

FUEL FUMES IN COCKPIT NOTED ABOUT A MINUTE AFTER TAKEOFF, FOLLOWING A NORMAL START. ODOR BEGAN TO DISSIPATE ON APPROACH TO LANDING. AREA MECHANIC WAS CALLED, AND UPON ARRIVAL, LOWER BELLY PANELS WERE REMOVED, FUEL SYSTEM WAS INSPECTED, AND ENGINE WAS INSPECTED FOR ANY FUEL LEAKS OR OTHER DEFECTS. BELLY PANELS WERE REINSTALLED AND ACFT WAS RUN UP FOR 10 MINUTES, AFTER WHICH ANOTHER CHECK FOR LEAKS WAS PERFORMED, AS WELL AS SB 292-73-2823 FOR ELECTRO-VALVE SEALING, NO FUEL LEAKS NOTED OR FUEL FUMES NOTED AT THAT TIME, OR DURING ENGINE RUN. DURING CONTINUATION OF FLIGHT, NO FURTHER FUEL FUMES WERE ENCOUNTERED.

Part: UNKNOWN — ODOR (COCKPIT) · airframe 1,737 hrs · 4,739 cycles

DURING CLIMB OUT ON RETURN LEG TO BASE, THE FLIGHT NURSE SMELLED FUEL IN THE COCKPIT. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY THE REST OF THE CREW. THE SMELL INITIALLY BECAME STRONGER & THEN BEGAN TO DISSIPATE & WAS NEARLY GONE WHEN THE ACFT LANDED 3 MINS LATER. THE CREW LOOKED OVER THE ACFT ENG & TRANSMISSION DECKS, AS WELL AS THE COWLING UNDERNEATH THE FUEL TANK, NO FUEL WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING OR POOLED IN ANY OF THESE AREAS. THE FUEL TANK DRAIN VLV WAS ALSO DRY & SHOWED NO SIGNS OF LEAKAGE. THE ACFT WAS GND TURNED & NO SIGNS OF FUEL LEAKAGE OR ODORS WERE PRESENT. PERFORMED A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING & FUEL SYS. PERFORMED A 10 MIN GND RUN WITH NO ISSUES NOTED. ACFT WAS RTS.

Part: BUSHING — BINDING (M/R CONTROL) · airframe 1,522 hrs · 4,179 cycles

AFTER INSTALLING DUAL CONTROLS & READY TO DEPART TO RETURN TO BASE FOR PILOT TRAINING, THE ACFT WAS STARTED & BROUGHT TO GND IDLE IAW EC130B4, NORMAL PROCEDURES CHECKLIST. FLIGHT CONTROLS CHECKED GOOD & FREE OF MAJOR BINDING, EXCEPT FOR SLIGHT ADDED FRICTION & WEIGHT. ALL CHECKLISTS WERE COMPLETE. CALLED TOWER & IMMEDIATELY CLEARED OUT OF THE RAMP FOR MY VFR FLIGHT BACK TO BASE. NOTED SOME FRICTION INTERFERING WITH COLLECTIVE & CYCLIC CONTROLS. IMMEDIATELY LANDED THE ACFT & CALLED THE MECHANIC THAT WAS STANDING ON THE RAMP, HE SUGGESTED TO FURTHER RELEASE COLLECTIVE FRICTION KNOB. ONCE A FEW ADDITIONAL NOTCHES WERE LOOSENED OFF ON THE COLLECTIVE FRICTION, CONTROLS FELT BETTER. ELECTED TO BRING THE ACFT BACK TO A 3 FOOT HOVER, BUT ONCE AIRBORNE, FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE NOT RESPONDING NORMALLY, GIVING ME AGAIN A LATERAL CYCLIC MOVEMENTS INDUCED BY COLLECTIVE INPUTS, SAFELY & SMOOTHLY PUT THE ACFT DOWN ON THE RAMP. AFTER INSPECTION & TROUBLESHOOTING FOUND THE LT ROLL BELLCRANK, WHERE IT RIDES ON COLLECTIVE TORQUE TUBE ON TEFLON SLEEVES, IS BINDING. THIS ACFT REMAINS OUT OF SERVICE AT THIS TIME WHILE ALL OF THE PARTS, HARDWARE & TOOLING ARE OBTAINED TO PERFORM THE NECESSARY MX.

Part: BEVEL GEAR — MAKING METAL (M/R GEARBOX) · airframe 2,582 hrs · 8,805 cycles

PILOT REPORTED IN CRUISE FLIGHT, ACFT TRANSMISSION CHIP ILLUMINATED TWICE. CAUTION LIGHT WENT OUT OF IT'S OWN BOTH TIMES. DURATION WAS 5-7 SECONDS EACH TIME. CHIP CAUTION WAS NOT ILLUMINATED, BUT DIVERTED TO AIRPORT. ACFT SHUTDOWN . AFTER INSPECTION OF CHIP DETECTOR, MAIN GEAR BOX IS MAKING METAL. SUSPECT RT INPUT PINION AND BEVEL GEAR. REFER TO ASB EC135-63A-012, REV 5. ACFT IS OUT OF SERVICE.

Part: GEARBOX — CRACKED (MAIN ROTOR)

FOUND MR GB HOUSING CRACKED AT NR1 INPUT PINION FLANGE. PERFORMED DYE PENETRANT INSPECTION TO CONFIRM CRACK.

Part: INDICATOR — MALFUNCTIONED (ATTITUDE) · airframe 1,088 hrs

BACKLIGHTING OUT ON UNIT. REPLACED WITH SERVICABLE UNIT. 04/22/2004

Part: PICKUP — FLUCTUATES (SPEED) · airframe 1,054 hrs

CORE RETURN FOR WARRANTY PO 202294001, CAUSING NEEDLE FLUCTUATIONS AND LIGHT REPLACED WITH SERVICABLE UNIT FROM AEC, 04/28/2004.

Part: MOUNT — COLLAPSED (M/R GEARBOX) · airframe 982 hrs

COLLAPSED AND FLAT, LEAKING FLUIDS, PLUNGER SUCKED UP INSIDE. REPLACED WITH SERVICABLE UNIT. 03/02/2004

Part: MOUNT — COLLAPSED (M/R GEARBOX) · airframe 982 hrs

MAIN ROTOR GEARBOX MOUNT COLLAPSED, AND FLAT. PART ONLY LASTED 46.5 HOURS. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE UNIT. 03/01/2004

Part: CDU — MALFUNCTIONED (COCKPIT)

CENTRAL DISPLAY UNIT HAS LED LIGHTS BAD LINES THREW DISPLAY. REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH A SERVICEABLE UNIT.

Part: MOUNT — COLLAPSED (MAIN ROTOR G/B) · airframe 880 hrs

ARIS MOUNT COLLAPSED. PART REPLACED WITH SERVICABLE UNIT. 01/06/2004

Part: MOUNT — LEAKING (M/R GEARBOX) · airframe 880 hrs

MAIN ROTOR GEARBOX MOUNT LEAKING. PART REPLACED WITH SERVICABLE UNIT. 01/06/2004

Part: COMPUTER — INTERMITTENT (SAS SYSTEM) · airframe 880 hrs

SAS COMPUTER HAS INTERMITENT KICK. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE ASSET PART.

Part: MOUNT — LEAKING (TRANSMISSION) · airframe 584 hrs

MOUNT LEAKING AND COLLAPSED. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE UNIT.

Part: ELECTRICAL BOX — INOPERATIVE · airframe 544 hrs

AIR CONDITIONER. INOPERATIVE. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE UNIT.

Part: MOUNT — LEAKING (GEARBOX) · airframe 521 hrs

PLUNGER IN ALL THE WAY. FLUID LEAKING. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE UNIT.

Part: MOUNT — LEAKING (GEARBOX) · airframe 468 hrs

GEARBOX MOUNT LEAKING. PLUNGER RECESSED. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE UNIT.

Part: MOUNT — LEAKING (GEARBOX) · airframe 468 hrs

GEARBOX MOUNT LEAKING FLUID. PLUNGER RECESSED. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE UNIT.

Part: MOUNT — LEAKING (TRANSMISSION) · airframe 340 hrs

TRANSMISSION MOUNT LEAKING FLUID. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE UNIT.

Part: PROBE — FAILED (FUEL CELL) · airframe 269 hrs

FUEL QUANTITY DEGRADE ON DISPLAY. TEST INDICATED BAD PROBE FROM AFT TANK.

Part: DISPLAY — INOPERATIVE (COCKPIT) · airframe 189 hrs

NUMEROUS SEGMENTS INOPERATIVE. WEIGHT/VNE INOPERATIVE. NO HARD CARD AVAILABLE. REPLACED WITH SERVICEABLE UNIT.