Transportation Systems, Inc.

WHILE PERFORMING A WALK AROUND INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO MAINTENANCE, WAS CHECKING THE MOVEMENT OF THE AILERONS AND HEARD A STRANGE GRINDING NOISE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND NOISE COMING FROM THE LT AILERON AREA. GAINED ACCESS TO THE LT AILERON BELL CRANK ASSEMBLY AND DISCOVERED THAT THE AILERON CABLE ASSEMBLY HAD FRAYED TO THRU HALF OF THE CABLE. THE AILERON BELLCRANK ASSEMBLY IS LOCATED AT WS 145.00 JUST FORWARD OF THE LT AILERON. AILERON CABLE ASSEMBLY R & R WITH NEW CABLE ASSEMBLY, PN 500008-27.

PILOT EXPERIENCED LT ENGINE FAILURE IN-FLIGHT DUE TO AN OIL LEAK. AFTER LANDING, INVESTIGATED OIL LEAK AND FOUND THAT THE OIL FILTER ADAPTER ASSEMBLY HAD CRACKED AND BROKEN OFF BELOW THE OIL FILTER, CAUSING THE LOSS OF OIL. INSTALLED NEW OIL FILTER ADAPTER, PN 641639.

ON A MX CK FLIGHT, AFTER CHANGING THE NR1 AND THE NR5 CYLINDERS, THE PILOT SAW SMOKE FROM THE LT ENG NACELLE. HE SECURED THE ENG AND RETURNED TO THE HANGAR. UPON OUR INVESTIGATION WE FOUND THAT THE OIL LEVEL WAS STILL ABOUT THE SAME AND THERE WAS INDICATIONS OF AN OIL LEAK BELOW THE ROCKER BOX COVER ON CYLINDER NR 3 AND AN OIL FILM ON THE EXHAUST RISER BELOW IT. WHEN THE COVER WAS REMOVED, A DISPLACED GASKET WAS FOUND. THE GASKET WAS REPLACED AND THE ENGINE WAS CLEANED. THE ENG GROUND RUN AND LEAK CKS WERE NORMAL AND THE ACFT WAS APPROVED FOR ITS CK FLIGHT.

THE PILOT EXPERIENCED AN UNCOMMANDED INPUT FROM THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING SYS DURING THE LANDING/TAXI PHASE FOLLOWING AN OPS CK OF THE NLG RETRACTION INDICATOR LIGHT. CONTACTED THE ON FIELD FBO AND HAD THE NWS DISABLED AND MEL`D AND THE ACFT WAS FLOWN TO FACILITY. INSP REVEALED FAILURE OF THE CONNECTOR ATTACHMENT WHICH CAUSED A PARTIAL DISCONNECTION OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS TO THE NWS ACTUATOR. A NEW CONNECTOR ATTACHMENT WAS INSTALLED, RECONNECTED AND TESTED. THE NWS SYS WAS DETERMINED AIRWORTHY AND PUT BACK INTO SERVICE.

IB OF RT NACELLE, BLEED AIR PIPE (PN 2784187019), CHAFED OR BURNED THROUGH THE ASBESTOS SLEEVE SURROUNDING THE STARTER RELAY WIRING, WHICH THEN ARCED A HOLE IN THE BLEED PIPE, WHICH THEN BURNED THE SHIELDING FROM THE STARTER RELAY WIRES, WHICH THEN ARCED A HOLE IN A HYDRAULIC LINE (PN 2781032403), RESULTING IN A FIRE.

DURING SID 54-10-04 INSPECTION, CRACKS WERE FOUND ON 3 OF 4 FWD ENGINE SUPPORT BEAMS. CRACKS WERE FOUND AT EDGE OF MOUNT SUPPORT ON OUTBOARD BEAM AND EDGE OF WASHERS ON INBOARD BEAMS. REPAIR PATCHES WERE INSTALLED IAW AERODESIGN AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING, INC ENGINEERING REPORT 5815.1, APPROVED FOR THIS AIRCRAFT ONLY.

DURING A FLUORESCENT PENETRANT INSPECTION OF (CARGO DOOR FRAME LOWER END FORE AND AFT NEAR BAYONET PIN). (FC STUN-M00-2-1-1) A CRACK OF APPROXIMATELY 0.250 INCH WAS DETECTED. THE PROBABLE CAUSE IS SERVICE INDUCED FATIGUE CRACKING. AREA OF CONCERN HAS ALREADY BEEN REINFORCED WITH DOUBLER PLATE AND ADDITIONAL RIVETS. STOP HOLE WILL BE DRILLED AT CRACK END TO PREVENT FURTHER LENGTHENING.

DURING A 50 HOUR FLUORESCENT PENETRANT INSPECTION OF THE LT AND RT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT HOUSINGS, A CRACK WAS FOUND ON THE LT MLG HOUSING. THE CRACK IS .125 INCHES LONG AND IS LOCATED .125 INCHES FROM THE FORWARD EDGE ON THE OB SIDE. THE INSPECTION IS COVERED IN MFG SB 226-32-033. THE HOUSING HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN REWORKED AND CANNOT BE REWORKED ANY FURTHER , IT IS NOT ALLOWED ANY CRACKS. THE PROBABLE CAUSE IS SERVICE INDUCED FATIGUE CRACKING. CONTINUE 50 HOUR INSPECTION INTERVALS SHOULD DETECT THE INITIATION OF CRACKS IN REWORKED HOUSINGS.

INSUFFICENT FLUID LEVEL INSIDE STRUT HOUSING CREATED (SPONGY) STRUT EXTENSION. DURING RETRACTION WIND LOAD COMPRESSING STRUT GREATER THAN .6250 INCH CLOSING MLG SAFETY SQUAT SWITCH. THUS DISABLING THE RETRACT SEQUENCE, LEAVING THE RIGHT MLG PARTIALLY RETRACTED. SERVICING FLUID AND NITROGEN IN LT STRUT, CURED THE PROBLEM. CHECK STRUT FLUID LEVELS REGULARLY.

A GASKET RUPTURED BETWEEN THE POWERPLANT AND THE BLEED AIR TUBE. THIS ALLOWED HOT BLEED AIR TO BLOW DIRECTLY ON AN ENGINE FIRE DETECTOR. THE PILOTS, FOLLOWING MFG PROCEDURES, FEATHERED THE ENGINE AND DIVERTED FOR AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING.

ON SHORT FINAL, HEARD A THUD IN FLOORBOARDS. JUST AFTER PUTTING GEAR DOWN. AIRCRAFT HAD A SLIGHT YAW AND ROLL AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. TAXIED IN, SELECTED FLAPS UP AND SHUTDOWN AIRCRAFT. DURING POSTFLIGHT NOTICED FLAPS WERE STILL FULLDOWN. MAINTENANCE INSPECTION FOUND BROKEN FLAP CONTROL CABLE. REMOVED AND REPLACED FLAP CABLE.

BETWEEN SLC & TWF PILOT REPORTED A LOUD BOOMING/STRIKING NOISE, AS IF HE HAD HIT A BIRD. UPON INVESTIGATION HE NOTICED THE ESCAPE HATCH WAS MISSING. HE NOTIFIED SALT LAKE CENTER OF THE SITUATION. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS NOTICED. THE PILOT SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT AND CONTINUED SAFELY TO TWF.

LEFT ENGINE WENT TO NORMALLY ASPIRATED, DUE TO LT TURBO VALVE FAILURE.

PILOT WAS UNABLE TO GET PROPELLER ON LOCKS AT ENGINE SHUT-DOWN. INSPECTION REVEALED SEPARATION OF CABLE ASSEMBLY WHERE THE MOUNTING BARREL THREADS INTO OUTER SPIRAL ASSEMBLY. THERE ARE NO PROVISIONS FOR THIS AREA TO BE SAFTIED. PART WAS NOT BROKEN, ONLY UNSCREWED FROM POSITION.