TAUGHANNOCK AVIATION CORP.

Operated by Taughannock Aviation (per NTSB report)

AT NIGHT, ON THE GROUND WITH PASSENGERS AND THE APU RUNNING, (PRIOR TO THE ENGINES RUNNING) THE CREW SMELLED A VERY STRONG ELECTRICAL/PLASTIC ODOR. CREW POWERED DOWN THE AIRCRAFT AND ALL PERSONNEL EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. PASSENGERS RETURNED TO THE FBO, AND THE CREW STARTED TO WALKAROUND THE AIRCRAFT. SMOKE WAS NOTICED AROUND THE APU EXHAUST DUCT BY THE CREW. THE CREW THEN DISCHARGED THE APU FIRE BOTTLE. THE SMOKE WENT AWAY. THE FBO CALLED THE LOCAL FIRE RESPONSE UNIT AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED BY THEM AND DETERMINED TO BE IN A SAFE CONDITION. THE NEXT MORNING THE CREW INSPECTED THE AFT BAY TO DISCOVER THAT A FIRE HAD OCCURRED, STARTING FROM THE GA PANEL WITCH HAS HIGH AMPERAGE PRIMARY DC CONTACTORS FOR VARIOUS SYSTEMS. IT WAS NOT THE APU AS INITIALLY THOUGHT.

DURING FLIGHT, PILOTS WINDSHIELD STARTED TO DELAMINATE. THE DELAMINATION SPREAD AND EVENTUALLY CRACKED. DESCENDED. NO LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURE. AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY. AN EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED AS A PRECAUTION.

ACFT DEPARTED HEADING BACK TO THE EAST COAST. WHILE CLIMBING FROM 29,000 FT TO 31,000 FT CREW EXPERIENCED A LOUD BANG, A NOTICEABLE VIBRATION ON THE NR 2 ENGINE, N1 CLIMBED TO 105 PERCENT AND TEMP CLIMBED TO 1,600 DEGREES. CREW REDUCED POWER BACK TO IDLE ON THE NR 2 ENGINE AND VIBRATIONS, N1 AND TEMPS STABILIZED WHILE THEY DIVERTED TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. ONCE THEY HAD THE RUNWAY IN SIGHT, THE AFFECTED ENGINE WAS SHUTDOWN. THEY LANDED SAFELY. DURING THIS EVENT, AN EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED.

CHECK "BAG FIRE" SMOKE DETECTORS - THE "BAG FIRE" ANNUNCIATOR FOR THE SMOKE DETECTOR SYSTEM, FLASHED 3 TIMES THEN EXTINGUISHED. THE CREW VISUALLY VERIFIED THAT NO SMOKE OR FIRE WAS EVIDENT AT EACH SMOKE DETECTOR LOCATION'S, FWD BAGGAGE, AFT BAGGAGE AND LAV BAGGAGE COMPARTMENTS. THE CREW COMPLETED THE CURRENT FLIGHT WITH ON OTHER ANOMALIES. INSPECTED EACH SMOKE DETECTOR SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED WIRING. NO DEFECTS NOTED. PREFORMED SYSTEM TEST, OPERATIONAL TEST WAS SATISFACTORY. COULD NOT DUPLICATE DISCREPANCY.

CABIN HIGH ALTITUDE LIGHT ILLUMINATE AFTER REACHING FL 370. ON LEVEL OFF DURING ACCELERATION, CABIN HIGH ALTITUDE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. DONNED OXYGEN MASKS, DEPLOYED PAX MASKS AND COMPLETED CHECKLIST ITEMS. REFERRED TO CHECKLIST, ELECTED TO DECEND. PERFORMED CABIN ALTITUDE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST AND STARTED AN EMERGENCY DESCENT. HIGHEST INDICATION OBSERVED ON CABIN ALTITUDE ALTIMETER WAS 10,500 FT WITH A 2,000 FPM CLIMB INDICATION. ON REACHING 10,000 FT, RESUMED NORMAL COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH BOOM MICS. CONTINUED WITH NORMAL CHECKLISTS AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING.

DURING AN INSPECTION OF THE COCKPIT OVERHEAD EVIDENCE OF CORROSSION WAS NOTED IN THE STRUCTURE LOCATED ABOVE THE WINDSCREENS. THIS IS T STRUCTURE ABOVE/BETWEEN THE WINDSCREENS WHICH IS PART OF THE AIRCRAFT PRIMARY STRUCTURE.

ACFT DEPARED, AT ABOUT 1300L FOR A 5 MINUTE REPO FLT (NO PAX), WITH APU RUNNING, SHORTLY AFTER LEVEL OFF AT 3000', FIRE WARNING SOUNDED, APU FIRE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, & APU AUTOMATICALLY SHUTDOWN. WARNING LIGHT DID NOT EXTINGUISH & FOLLOWING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, CREW FIRED APU FIRE BOTTLE. FIRE LIGHT STILL DID NOT EXTINGUISH, REQUESTED PRIORITY & FIRE EQUIPMENT. CREW HAD NO OTHER SYSTEMS AFFECTED & EXPERIENCED NO SMOKE OR FUMES. UPON LANDING & CLEARING RUNWAY THEY SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN. UPON INSP OF AFT COMPARTMENT NO SIGN OF FIRE INDICATED. CREW RE-STARTED 1 ENGINE TO TAXI IN, FIRE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. MX PREFORMED A VISUAL INSP OF APU & AFT BAY WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. DETERMINED ACFT TO BE SAFE FOR CONTINUED OPS & PLACE FOLLOWING ITEMS ON MEL. MEL 26-2 CAT "C" APU FIRE WARNING SYS. MEL 26-3 CAT"C" APU FIRE EXTINGUISHER SYS. PLACARDED INSTRUMENT PANEL & INSTRUCTED THAT "APU MAY NOT BE USED".

AFTER TAKEOFF, AT ABOUT 7000 MSL THE ACFT EXPERIENCED AN "APU FIRE INDICATION". CREW FOLLOWED THEIR EMERGENCY PROCEDURES CHECK LIST AND DISCHARGED THE APU FIRE BOTTLE. THE SOLE INDICATION WAS THE LIGHT. THE CREW HAD NO ASSOCIATED SCENTS OR FUME AND NO OTHER SYS SHOWED SIGNS OF BEING AFFECTED. THE CREW DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND RETURNED TO DEPARTURE. MX INSPECTED THE APU, AFT BLEED LINES AND SURROUNDING AREA WITH NO EVIDENCE OF BLEED AIR LEAK OR FIRE BEING INDICATED. NO DEFECTS WERE NOTED BY MX. THE FOLLOWING APU SYS WERE PLACED ON MEL 26-2 APU FIRE WARNING SYSTEM AND MEL 26-3 APU FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYS. APU WAS PLACARDED "APU MAY NOT TO BE USED". THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED WITHOUT ANY ISSUES OR ADDITIONAL OCCURRENCES.

A 'WIGGINS' CONNECTOR IN THE RIGHT ENGINE FUEL FEED, FORWARD AND ADJACENT TO THE RIGHT BATTERY TRAY BECAME DISLODGED CAUSING THE RIGHT ENGINE TO FLAME OUT. THE CONNECTOR WAS REFITTED AND WIRE LOCKED (AN OPTION IN LEAR JET SIL 28-004). NO LEAKS APPARENT IN SUBSEQUENT GROUND RUN. CAUSE UNKNOWN. SUBMITTER SUGGESTED WIRE LOCKING OF 'WIGGINS' CONNECTORS IN FUEL SYSTEMS BE MANDATORY.

LEFT AND RIGHT WING FIXED TRAILING EDGE VERTICAL BREATHER ANGLES WERE CRACKED AND PER MM, REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. ANGLES WERE REPLACED PER GULFSTREAM REPAIR 'SE3580790' (INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS ANGLES) FOR A PERMANENT FIX. HOWEVER, THE ANGLES THAT WERE REMOVED WERE ALREADY STAINLESS. REPLACED IN DECEMBER, 1990.

LEFT AND RIGHT WING FIXED TRAILING EDGE VERTICAL BREATHER ANGLES WERE CRACKED AND PER MM, REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. ANGLES WERE REPLACED PER GULFSTREAM REPAIR 'SE3580790' (INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS ANGLES) FOR A PERMANENT FIX. HOWEVER, THE ANGLES THAT WERE REMOVED WERE ALREADY STAINLESS. REPLACED IN DECEMBER, 1990.