WESTERN AIRCRAFT, INC.

REPORTS FROM ANOTHER OPERATOR IN THAT THEY FOUND CRACKING AT TOP CLOSE-OUT OF VERTICAL STABILIZER UNDERNEATH TOP PORTION OF AIRCRAFT RUDDER. INSPECTED BOTH TEXTRON 408'S IN OUR FLEET AND DISCOVERED ON THE CARGO VARIANT SERIAL 408-019 THAT THE VERTICAL STABILIZER TOP CLOSE-OUT PANEL ON THIS AIRCRAFT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CRACKED AND SEPARATING. A PIECE SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN A QUARTER AT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE PANEL WAS MISSING AND EVIDENTLY PRIOR TO DEPARTURE FROM AIRCRAFT WAS RUBBING AT BOTTOM PORTION OF UNDERSIDE OF TOP RUDDER PORTION. THE ANGLED EDGE THAT THE TOP PANEL RIVETS WAS DETACHED ON BOTH PORT AND STARBOARD SIDES OF VERTICAL STAB AND THE DETACHED PIECES (BOTH APPROXIMATELY 8-INCHES) WERE FOUND STILL ATTACHED TO THE TOP PANEL. RUDDER HAD SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH "WEAR-THROUGH" THAT TEXTRON REQUIRES REPAIR OF NOT ONLY THE TOP PORTION OF VERTICAL STABILIZER, BUT RUDDER HAS TO BE REMOVED AND SENT BACK TO TEXTRON FOR REPAIRS. TEXTRON REPORTS IT IS WORKING ON AN " IMPROVEMENT" TO THE TOP CLOSE OUT TO PREVENT RECURRENCE. THE AIRCRAFT IS GROUNDED UNTIL VERT STABILIZER CLOSE-OUT AND RUDDER ARE REPAIRED.

DURING PRE-FLIGHT PILOT NOTICED ON RH ENGINE INERTIAL SEPARATOR DOOR WAS OUT OF POSITION. MAINTENANCE INSPECTION FOUND BOTH ACTUATING 'SHOCK LINK ASSEMBLY'S" FAILED. THESE LINKS CONNECT THE INERTIAL SEPARATOR DOOR TO THE ACTUATING TORQUE-TUBE. THE ASSEMBLY ENDS WERE STILL CONNECTED, THE CORE OF THE ASSEMBLIES INCLUDING RINGS AND SPRINGS FAILED AND TURNED INTO FOD IN THE COWLINGS. BECAUSE THE TORQUE-TUBE AND ARMS WERE STILL CONNECTED THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS OR CASS MESSAGES.

A ROUTINE FLIGHT FROM HNL TO LNY, FLIGHT NUMBER 216 DEPARTED, EXPERIENCED A NON REQUIRED SHAKER ACTIVATION APPROX 5 SECS AFTER TAKEOFF. LEVELED ACFT & HELD PUSHER INTERRUPT BUTTON TO PREVENT PUSHER ACTIVATION, & TO TROUBLESHOOT BRIEFLY & ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO ABORT TAKEOFF. PIC PITCHED AIRCRAFT DOWN TO LAND BACK AT RUNWAY & ADVISED TOWER. UPON PITCHING DOWN & FOR EXTRA SAFETY THE PIC UTILIZED THE BETA RANGE OF POWER TO ENSURE PROPER LANDING DISTANCE. ONCE THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN, CREW SHUT ACFT DOWN & FOLLOWED SHUT DOWN PROCEDURES. APPROX 500FT LEFT OF AVAILABLE RUNWAY. CREW ADVISED TOWER THAT THEY HAD SHUTDOWN ON THE RUNWAY & DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL OR EMERGENCY ASSIST. CONTACTED MAINTENANCE OPS & ADVISED NEEDED AN AIRCRAFT TOW. MAINT DOWNLOADED CVFDR & SENT FILES TO ENGINEERING FOR ANALYSIS. FDR DATA SHOWED THAT AS SOON AS THE WOW SWITCHES WENT INTO AIR, STICK PUSHER COMPUTER ACTIVATED SHAKER DUE TO ONE OF THE AOA SENSORS WAS STUCK AT A HIGH ANGLE. FDR DATA DIDN'T SHOW WHICH AOA SENSOR WAS STUCK SO MAINT HAS REPLACED BOTH SENSORS.

COWLING CRACKING IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS BOTH #1 AND #2 ENGINES. INTERNAL CRACKING AROUND RIVETS AND NUT-PLATES. CRACKING IN ROOT OF BEND RADIUS ON ANGLE BRACKETS. CRACKS ADJACENT TO CAMLOCKS ON COWLING PANELS. CRACKS PROTRUDING DIRECTLY FROM CAMLOCKS ON COWLING PANELS.

DURING SCHEDULED INSPECTION FOUND BOTH FLAPS LOWER CANOE FAIRING ATTACHMENT FITTINGS GENERATING CRACKS INTO FLAP SKIN PROTRUDING FROM ATTACHMENT ANCHOR RIVET POINTS. AIRCRAFT REMOVED FROM SERVICE. TWO REPLACEMENT FLAPS ON THE WAY FOR AIRCRAFT. PILATUS NOTIFIED, EVIDENTLY THIS IS NO A UNIQUE OCCURRENCE AS IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER AIRCRAFT. REMOVED FLAPS WILL BE REPAIRED (RESKINNED) AND PUT INTO ROTABLE INVENTORY.

DURING SCHEDULED INSPECTION FOUND BOTH FLAPS LOWER CANOE FAIRING ATTACHMENT FITTINGS GENERATING CRACKS INTO FLAP SKIN PROTRUDING FROM ATTACHMENT ANCHOR RIVET POINTS. AIRCRAFT REMOVED FROM SERVICE. TWO REPLACEMENT FLAPS ON THE WAY FOR AIRCRAFT. PILATUS NOTIFIED, EVIDENTLY THIS IS NO A UNIQUE OCCURRENCE AS IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER AIRCRAFT. REMOVED FLAPS WILL BE REPAIRED (RESKINNED) AND PUT INTO ROTABLE INVENTORY.

DURING SCHEDULED INSPECTION FOUND BOTH FLAPS LOWER CANOE FAIRING ATTACHMENT FITTINGS GENERATING CRACKS INTO FLAP SKIN PROTRUDING FROM ATTACHMENT ANCHOR RIVET POINTS. AIRCRAFT REMOVED FROM SERVICE. TWO REPLACEMENT FLAPS ON THE WAY FOR AIRCRAFT. PILATUS NOTIFIED, EVIDENTLY THIS IS NO A UNIQUE OCCURRENCE AS IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER AIRCRAFT. REMOVED FLAPS WILL BE REPAIRED (RESKINNED) AND PUT INTO ROTABLE INVENTORY.

DURING SCHEDULED INSPECTION FOUND BOTH FLAPS LOWER CANOE FAIRING ATTACHMENT FITTINGS GENERATING CRACKS INTO FLAP SKIN PROTRUDING FROM ATTACHMENT ANCHOR RIVET POINTS. AIRCRAFT REMOVED FROM SERVICE. TWO REPLACEMENT FLAPS ON THE WAY FOR AIRCRAFT. PILATUS NOTIFIED, EVIDENTLY THIS IS NO A UNIQUE OCCURRENCE AS IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER AIRCRAFT. REMOVED FLAPS WILL BE REPAIRED (RESKINNED) AND PUT INTO ROTABLE INVENTORY.

PILOT DISCREPANCY AND ASAP-13 WRITE-UP: UPON REACHING CRUISE ALTITUDE, 3 GEAR UNSAFE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE “AIRSPEED” AURAL WARNING STARTED GOING OFF DUE TO US BEING ABOVE 180KIAS. AFTER SLOWING THE AIRCRAFT, WE CONTINUED TOWARDS PHNL AND TRIED EXTENDING THE GEAR. AFTER GETTING GREEN INDICATIONS FOR BOTH MAIN GEAR, WE WERE STILL RECEIVING THE UNSAFE INDICATION FOR THE NOSE. WE PERFORMED THE CHECKLIST ITEMS REQUIRED FOR EMERGENCY EXTENSION, BUT THAT STILL DID NOT PRODUCE A GEAR SAFE INDICATION. AFTER A FLY-BY ON 4L TO GET VISUAL CONFIRMATION FROM TOWER THAT ALL 3 GEAR WERE DOWN, WE DECIDED TO PERFORM THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST FOR LANDING WITH NOSE GEAR UNSAFE SINCE THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THE NOSE WAS NOT LOCKED IN PLACE. AFTER (UNEVENTFUL) LANDING AND SECURING THE ENGINE WE WERE ABLE TO ROLL CLEAR OF THE RUNWAY AND SAFELY EVACUATE BOTH PASSENGERS. MAINTENANCE: WITH GUIDANCE FROM PILATUS ENGINEERING, HONEYWELL, WESTERN TECH REP, AND DOM OFFICE. INSPECTED ALL GEAR AND SWITCHES, WIRING. PERFORMED GEAR ADJUSTMENT AND TEST AND MULTIPLE SWINGS, NO DEFECTS NOTED. PILATUS ENGINEERING REQUESTED REPLACEMENT OF BOTH NOSE GEAR UPLOCK AND DOWN LOCK PROXIMITY SWITCHES. REPLACEMENT COMPLETED AND MULTIPLE GEAR SWINGS COMPLETED FOLLOWED BY EXTENSIVE OPERATIONAL CHECK FLIGHT. NO FURTHER ISSUES NOTED, AIRCRAFT APPROVED FOR RETURN TO SERVICE UNDER WORK ORDER N799LA-230227-1

IN CRUISE FLIGHT WITH GEAR RETRACTED, CREW REPORTS CASS DISPLAY OF "LANDING GEAR EXCEEDANCE". PILOTS IN FLIGHT DECLARED EMERGENCY WHEN GEAR WAS LOWERED AND UNSAFE NOSE GEAR WAS INDICATED. FLIGHT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT.

FUEL BEGAN LEAKING FROM LEFT WING UPON REMOVAL OF LEFT OUTBOARD FLAP LINEAR ACTUATOR FROM THE WING REAR SPAR. INVESTIGATION REVEALED FLAP ACTUATOR BOX, SEAL PACKING HAD BEGUN LEAKING DUE TO (4 EACH) IMPROPERLY SECURED FASTENERS. THESE FASTENERS ATTACH THE BOX TO THE INSIDE OF THE AFT SPAR. THE TWO FLAP ACTUATOR ATTACHMENT FASTENERS SECURE INTO THIS BOX ASSEMBLY ALONG WITH THE FOUR IMPROPERLY SECURED FASTENERS. REMOVAL OF THE ACTUATOR RELEASED THE BOX ALLOWING FUEL TO ESCAPE THE WING THROUGH THE AFT SPAR. EMERGENCY DEFUELING OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS REQUIRED TO PREVENT ASSOCIATED MAINTENANCE FACILITY HAZARDS. AN AIRCRAFT HISTORICAL RECORDS SEARCH REVEALED NO PREVIOUS MAINTENANCE TO THE AFFECTED BOX ASSEMBLY.

LEFT THRUST REVERSER STOW HOSE PULLED OUT OF SWAGGED FITTING AT PYLON ATTACH POINT, CAUSING IT TO LEAK. DETERMINED THAT LOWER SUPPORT BRACKET ATTACHED AT THE LOWER 5:30 CLOCK POSITION ON THE T/R IS RIVETED .250 CLOSER TO LIGHTING HOLE (WHERE HOSE PASSES THROUGH) WHEN COMPARING BRACKET ALIGNMENT TO OTHER SIMILAR AIRCRAFT, CAUSING HOSE TO BE STRETCHED TO THE POINT OF SEPARATION. CONTACTED MFG FOR APPROVAL TO MOVE BRACKET TO RELEAVE TENSION ON HOSE. MOVED BRACKET IAW MFG INSTRUCTION AND REPLACED HOSE WITH NEW AND PERFORMED LEAK CHECK WITH NO DEFECTS NOTED.(A1/1102)

ENGINE OIL FOUND LEAKING FROM WING ROOT/FUSELAGE JUNCTION AT LEADING EDGE. LEADING EDGE REMOVED. FOUND ALUMINUM OIL PRESSURE GAUGE LINE CHAFFED THROUGH FROM CONTACT WITH INBOARD RIB OF 102-100026-602 LEADING EDGE FAIRING ASSEMBLY. RECOMMEND INSPECTING OIL PRESSURE GAUGE LINE AT INBOARD END WHERE IT ATTACHES TO BULKHEAD FITTING AT FUSELAGE FOR EVIDENCE OF CONTACT WITH ADJACENT STRUCTURE.