Incident Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain VH-MZI,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 211270
 
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Date:Tuesday 15 September 1998
Time:18:12
Type:Silhouette image of generic PA31 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain
Owner/operator:unknown
Registration: VH-MZI
MSN: 31-8152131
Year of manufacture:1981
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Aircraft damage: Minor
Location:113 km NE of Albury, NSW -   Australia
Phase: En route
Nature:Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:YSCB
Destination airport:YMAY
Investigating agency: BASI
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The aircraft was maintaining 10,000 ft enroute from Canberra, ACT to Albury, NSW. The weather was a south-westerly airstream, resulting in cloud and rain along the flight path. Consequently, the aircraft was being flown in accordance with the Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). At a position approximately 113km north east of Albury, the pilot reported that she had experienced problems with the right engine and had shut the engine down. A PAN was declared. Due to a steady 50 kt headwind to Albury, and maintaining flight on only one engine, the pilot chose to divert the aircraft for a landing at Wagga. After holding south of Wagga, due to low cloud and inclement weather over the aerodrome, the pilot carried out an uneventful single engine landing. The maintenance assessment carried out by the aircraft owner, determined that the right engine problem had occurred due to a failure of the impeller shaft bearing in the right turbocharger unit. This had resulted in a failure of the compressor impeller. The aircraft owner then sent the turbocharger to the manufacturer for examination. This examination found that the impeller and bearing damage had occurred as a result of the ingestion of soft foreign material from an unknown source. Such soft material was stated to include, shop towels, water, paper, filter media or some plastics. The owner reported that no soft material was found following the engine failure. Due to the conflicting examination reports, the reason for the turbocharger failure could not be determined. During the investigation the passengers reported that some icing had been present on the aircraft wings. The investigation determined that some light icing had been present during the flight, however, the extent noted was insufficient to have had any significant effect on the aircraft's performance.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: BASI
Report number: 
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1998/aair/199803860/
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/4930511/199803860.pdf

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
21-May-2018 07:49 Pineapple Added
29-Oct-2019 17:23 Uli Elch Updated [Operator, Location]
29-Oct-2019 17:23 Uli Elch Updated [Aircraft type]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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