CITIZEN AIR LLC

MAGNETO FAILED IN FLIGHT, 30.1 HRS TSN 11 DAYS AFTER FIRST INSTALLATION. DID NOT OPEN MAGNETO TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF FAILURE DUE TO MFG WARRANTY LIMITATIONS CONCERNING DISTURBING THE SEAL. MAGNETO BEING RETURNED TO MFG UNDER WARRANTY.

ENGINE RAN ROUGH WHEN ON AFFECTED MAGNETO ONLY. DURING RUNUP FOR ROUTINE SCHEDULED INSPECTION. ON DISASSEMBLY OF MAGNETO, DISCOVERED THE DISTRIBUTOR FINGER HAD DISLODGE FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR GEAR, CAUSING ERRATIC TIMING. HAVE SEEN THESE FINGERS COME SLIGHTLY LOOSE IN THERE MOUNTING BEFORE, BUT NEVER JUST COMPLETELY LOOSE, READY TO FALL OUT.

ENGINE MISFIRING AT ALL POWER SETTINGS. DIAGNOSED FAULT TO BE THE IGNITION HARNESS LEADS. UTILIZING AN EASTERN TECHNOLOGY IGNITION HARNESS TESTER. IT WAS DETERMINED ALL THE BOTTOM LEADS WERE EITHER INTERMITTENT OR NONFUNCTIONAL FOR BOTH MAGNETOS. INSTALLING A NEW HARNESS COMPLETELY ELIMINATED THE MISFIRE CONDITION.

IT IS APPARENT THAT MFG MAGNETOS HAVE HAD THE CONTACT BREAKER ASSY REPLACED IAW SB2-06A, DATED 7/1/06 ARE EXPERIENCING RAPID INTERNAL TIMING CHANGES. THE CONDITION NOTED ON NUMEROUS ACFT EQUIPPED WITH 4300 AND 6300 SERIES MAGNETOS IS ALWAYS A TIMING ADVANCE OF 2 TO 4 DEGREES AT INTERVALS OF 100 HRS OR LESS. BESIDES THE ADDED EXPENSE OF RESETTING INTERNAL TIMING AT UNUSUALLY FREQUENT INTERVALS, THERE IS A REAL RISK OF SERIOUS ENGINE DAMAGE OCCURRING FROM ADVANCED TIMING OPERATION. IAW SEVER PHONE CONVERSATIONS , OWNER OF ACFT MAGNETO SERVICE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER OPERATORS EXPERIENCING THE SAME CONDITION.

THE ACCELERATOR PUMP DISCHARGE TUBE DISLODGED FROM ITS MOUNTING IN THE FLOAT BOWL ASSY AND BECAME LODGE IN THE THROTTLE UPON LANDING. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO MAKE A SAFE LANDING WHEN THE ENGINE WAS SHUTDOWN. THE DISCHARGE TUBE FELL OUT OF THE THROTTLE VALVE AS THE AIRFLOW STOPPED. THE DISCHARGE TUBE IS INSTALLED IN THE FLOAT BOWL WITH ADHESIVE. WHILE IT IS A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE, HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, WHERE THE BONDING AGENT FAILS. THERE IS ANO SECONDARY MEANS OF RETENTION FOR THE DISCHARGE TUBE.

DURING ROUTINE SCHEDULED INSPECTION, FOUND FWD PROP BULKHEAD TO BE CRACKED. THIS IS AN ON GOING PROBLEM WITH THESE COMPONENTS. HAVE SEEN APPROXIMATELY (10) OF THESE BULKHEADS, ALL CRACKED IN THE SAME MANNER. ALL IN THE SAME LOCATION, RIGHT AT THE BEND RADIUS OB OF THE MOUNTING BOLT HOLES, ON DIFFERENT AIRPLANES, ENGINES AND PROPS. BELIEVE THE BEND RADIUS IS TOO SMALL ON THIS PART. ALSO, THE HEAT TREATMENT OR METALURGY MIGHT BE WRONG. (K)

DURING ROUTINE PHASE INSPECTION, FOUND FWD PROP BULKHEAD ASSY TO BE CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES, ALL NEAR THE BOLT HOLES AND NEARBY RADIUS. HAVE FOUND SEVERAL IN THE SAME CONDITION ON THIS AND OTHER AC. SUSPECT EITHER IMPROPER HEAT TREATING DURING MFG AND OR INSUFFICIENT BEND RADIUS DURING FORMING. (K)

DURING ROUTINE SCHEDULED INSPECTION. FOUND FWD PROP SPINNER BULKHEAD CRACKED NEAR THE BOLT HOLES. NO APPARENT REASON COULD BE DETERMINED, THE PROP BOLTS WERE CORRECTLY TORQUED. THE PROP WAS CORRECTLY CLOCKED. GROUND AND FLIGHT CHECKS SHOWED NO ABNORMAL VIBRATION. (K)

DURING ROUTINE SCHEDULED INSPECTION, FOUND FWD PROP SPINNER BULKHEAD CRACKED NEAR THE BOLT HOLES. NO APPARENT REASON COULD BE DETERMINED. THE PROP BOLTS WERE CORRECTLY TORQUED. THE PROP WAS CORRECTLY CLOCKED. GROUND AND FLIGHT CHECKS SHOWED NO ABNORMAL VIBRATION. (K)

DURING ROUTINE SCHEDULED INSPECTION. FOUND FWD PROP SPINNER BULKHEAD CRACKED NEAR THE BOLT HOLES. NO APPARENT REASON COULD BE DETERMINED. THE PROP BOLTS WERE CORRECTLY TORQUED. THE PROP WAS CORRECTLY CLOCKED. GROUND AND FLIGHT CHECKS SHOWED NO ABNORMAL VIBRATION. (K)

DURING GROUND RUNUP, FOUND FUEL SELECTOR OPERATION INTERMITTENT. INSP, FOUND UNIT EXTERIOR COVERED IN FINELY GROUND METAL SHAVINGS. UPON DISASSEMBLY, FOUND INTERNAL WALL SCORED BY SELECTOR DETENT MECHANISM. AFTER ANALYSIS OF FUEL SELECTOR INSTALL, WHICH IS PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN DONE AT FACTORY DURING MFG DUE TO LACK OF MAINT ENTRIES CONCERNING FUEL SELECTOR. COVER PLATE MOUNTING SCREWS HAD BEEN WORKING WHERE THEY PASS THROUGH AIRFRAME SUPPORT STRUCTURE. THIS IS WHAT PRODUCE METAL SHAVINGS. WHICH THEN WORKED THEIR WAY INTO THE SELECTOR BODY THROUGH DETENT STOP HOLES. SCREWS IN QUESTION WERE FOUND SAFTIED WITH STAINLESS STEEL SAFETY WIRE. REMOVE SAFETY WIRE, RETORQUE SCREWS AND RESAFETY. (K)

DURING 100 HOUR INSPECTION ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF THE STARTER DRIVE CLUTCH, INSTALLED UNDER STC NR SE995GL DATED 08 SEPT 86, FOUND BEARING RACE CRACKED AND SEVERAL ROLLERS LOOSE ENOUGH TO FALL OUT OF THE RACE. THIS ITEM REQUIRES DISASSEMBLY, CLEANING AND LUBRICATION AT 100 HOUR INTERVALS, WHICH IT HAS HAD. CAUSE AND PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS UNKNOWN. POSSIBLY MFG DEFECT? (K)

DURING POST FLIGHT INSPECTION, FOUND SEVERAL SPINNER SCREWS LOOSE, AND ONE MISSING THAT HAD BEEN THERE AT PREFLIGHT. REMOVED SPINNER TO INVESTIGATE, AND FOUND FORWARD BULKHEAD CRACKED, WITH MANY SMALL PIECES MISSING. DURING PROPELLER REMOVAL TO REPLACE DAMAGED PARTS, FOUND PROPELLERS TO INSTALLED AND CLOCKED CORRECTLY, INCLUDING BOLT TORQUES IAW MFG MM. INSPECTION FOUND PROPELLER UNDAMAGED, AND IN AIRWORTHY CONDITION. NO APPARENT CAUSE COULD BE DETERMINED, DEFECTIVE PART FROM MFG SUSPECTED. TT 227 HOURS. ACCUMULATED IN LESS THAN A THREE MONTH PERIOD. PILOT REPORTED NO VIBRATION OR ANY OTHER OPERATIONAL CONCERNS.

DURING PRE-PURCHASE EVALUATION FOUND DRY VACUUM PUMP INSTALLED AT ENGINE OVERHAUL APPROX 90 HOURS AGO. ORIGINAL PUMP WAS WET TYPE. ALL PLUMBING FOR WET PUMP WAS UTILIZED WITH DRY PUMP INSTALLED WITH NON STANDARD FITTINGS. NO APPROVAL FOR INSTALLATION OF DRY PUMP.

DURING PRE-PURCHASE EVALUATION FOUND VOR ANTENNA ON TOP OF VERTICAL STABILIZER LOOSE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED ANTENNA MOUNT BLOCK P/N 0570026-1 CRACKED AND BROKEN IN 2 PIECES. PREVIOUS UNKNOWN PERSON HAD ATTEMPTED REPAIR OF PART WITH EPOXY.

DURING PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION FOUND RT EXHAUST PIPE CLAMP CRACKED AND BROKEN AWAY FROM SUPPORT.