The FAA requires annuals. I have never come out of one in ten years of ownership without at least one squawk that I had to go back into the shop to have addressed. Plates left off, switches on gear indicators set wrong, lights not working, etc. I always do extensive pre-flights when coming out of an annual since I view it as the highest risk time I fly all year.
Question:
Rather than inspecting wreckage, does the FAA or NTSB ever examine maintenance practices? Like the situation below! Is this months of bad luck or should this level of errors be a concern worth investigation?
Background:
I am at my third shop for an annual in ten years of ownership. One change was made because I moved from the mid-west to Florida. The second change, this year, a change because of Covid-19 and having a shop on my home field do the annual while I was up taking care of my grandchildren while their MD/ER doctor dad and PhD Epidemiologist mom (with newborn) work in Atlanta to fight the virus. I left in March and the local field shop has hanger access to pull the plane over to do the annual while I am gone.
Plane situation:
PA28RT-201T, 4,000 TT, 200 and two years since complete overhaul; firewall forward right down to the mounting frame and through the prop spinner replacement. No expense spared with typical annuals and maintenance spending over $10,000 per year and obviously seven times that for complete firewall forward two years ago. So the aircraft was in top shape going into the annual.
Senario:
Annual Due May 2020
Multi-site Maintenance and Avionics ‘Vendor’ notified in March to do Annual with due date indicated. Only squawk was to check the 525 HSI for delay in catch up tracking of heading bug; occurring only when twisting the heading bug to fly an ATC directed ‘Hold’ manually rather than with Garmin 750 and KFC-200 Auto-Pilot.
Informed in early June Vendor would now start Annual; though they knew since March of the May due date.
Informed by Vendor annual is complete and plane ready to pick up. Vendor claims the company site VP has test-flown the aircraft to confirm the annual was fully complete.
Pilot (me) does post-annual pre-flight and confirms the ‘Stall Horn’ not functioning.
Pilot acquires alternate Stall Horn and company puts in aircraft. Pilot questions the diagnosis that it was a component failure of the horn rather than a connection being disturbed when the HSI was being worked on in the annual. Pilot takes the old stall horn home, connects it to a battery charger with correct poles, turns charger to 2amp setting and Stall Horn sounds correctly. Pilot informs A&P and VP of vendor and is told it is company policy to replace rather than repair failed parts.
Informed by Vendor a second time the annual is complete and plane ready to fly. Pilot again does extensive pre-flight, ground run, had VFR initial clearance for preliminary test flight and IFR filed to activate for next phase approach testing. Aircraft taxied to VOR Test Checkpoint for final step before taxi to runway and departure clearance. At the VOR Test Point, Pilot observes low voltage reading on G3 engine monitor that will not come up to 13.8 minimum even at 1800 RPMs. Flicker also noticed on Garmin 750GTN. Tower told to cancel plans and aircraft taxied back to Vendor. Examination is that electrical generation is fine but that Gear Power-Pack is running continuously. Plane left for diagnosis. Informed it is a bad Power Pack. Sent to rebuild. Returned from rebuild set to wrong pressures even though the pressure switch was sent with the unit. Sent back to rebuild, returned, installed.
Informed by Vendor a third time the annual is complete and plane ready to fly. Ground preflight generally ok except VOR test checkpoint has HSI 525 running -4 degrees. Pilot crosscheck of alternative CDI shows it to be right on the money. Test flight clearance requested with tight pattern, informing Clearance that plane coming out of annual. VFR first, IFR second plan filing in place with intent to do approaches and holds if VFR flight test works. Six touch and goes, observation that EGT probe on cylinder #3 running 200 degrees colder than all other cylinders; Vendor had replaced probe claiming they observed that as a reason to replace probe. Primary Manifold Pressure Gauge pegged to the 12 o’clock position at about 30 no matter the throttle and engine status; G3 is showing variations in manifold pressure consistent with expectations but no way given its location visibility is it considered viable for true IFR approaches in actual IMC (And G3 is NOT approved ‘Primary’ for MP). Pilot lands and aircraft taxied back to Vendor with HSI, #3 EGT, and Manifold Pressure fails for a No Joy on turnover from annual.
HSI fix was failure to do local calibration after it was sent out for rebuild. Vendor admits error and corrects within ten minute. But this is a high visibility major avionic shop. And not the first failure to check issue; ask me about my last November IFR certification where while working on the panel they broke the pilot side window. Plus deactivated my ADS-B that had been operational for three prior years resulting in FAA notice.
#3 EGT and Manifold Pressure issue still remaining on the 21st of August; a Friday before the weekend. May Annual now 3-months and running.
Question:
Rather than inspecting wreckage, does the FAA or NTSB ever examine maintenance practices? Like the situation below! Is this months of bad luck or should this level of errors be a concern worth investigation?
Background:
I am at my third shop for an annual in ten years of ownership. One change was made because I moved from the mid-west to Florida. The second change, this year, a change because of Covid-19 and having a shop on my home field do the annual while I was up taking care of my grandchildren while their MD/ER doctor dad and PhD Epidemiologist mom (with newborn) work in Atlanta to fight the virus. I left in March and the local field shop has hanger access to pull the plane over to do the annual while I am gone.
Plane situation:
PA28RT-201T, 4,000 TT, 200 and two years since complete overhaul; firewall forward right down to the mounting frame and through the prop spinner replacement. No expense spared with typical annuals and maintenance spending over $10,000 per year and obviously seven times that for complete firewall forward two years ago. So the aircraft was in top shape going into the annual.
Senario:
Annual Due May 2020
Multi-site Maintenance and Avionics ‘Vendor’ notified in March to do Annual with due date indicated. Only squawk was to check the 525 HSI for delay in catch up tracking of heading bug; occurring only when twisting the heading bug to fly an ATC directed ‘Hold’ manually rather than with Garmin 750 and KFC-200 Auto-Pilot.
Informed in early June Vendor would now start Annual; though they knew since March of the May due date.
Informed by Vendor annual is complete and plane ready to pick up. Vendor claims the company site VP has test-flown the aircraft to confirm the annual was fully complete.
Pilot (me) does post-annual pre-flight and confirms the ‘Stall Horn’ not functioning.
Pilot acquires alternate Stall Horn and company puts in aircraft. Pilot questions the diagnosis that it was a component failure of the horn rather than a connection being disturbed when the HSI was being worked on in the annual. Pilot takes the old stall horn home, connects it to a battery charger with correct poles, turns charger to 2amp setting and Stall Horn sounds correctly. Pilot informs A&P and VP of vendor and is told it is company policy to replace rather than repair failed parts.
Informed by Vendor a second time the annual is complete and plane ready to fly. Pilot again does extensive pre-flight, ground run, had VFR initial clearance for preliminary test flight and IFR filed to activate for next phase approach testing. Aircraft taxied to VOR Test Checkpoint for final step before taxi to runway and departure clearance. At the VOR Test Point, Pilot observes low voltage reading on G3 engine monitor that will not come up to 13.8 minimum even at 1800 RPMs. Flicker also noticed on Garmin 750GTN. Tower told to cancel plans and aircraft taxied back to Vendor. Examination is that electrical generation is fine but that Gear Power-Pack is running continuously. Plane left for diagnosis. Informed it is a bad Power Pack. Sent to rebuild. Returned from rebuild set to wrong pressures even though the pressure switch was sent with the unit. Sent back to rebuild, returned, installed.
Informed by Vendor a third time the annual is complete and plane ready to fly. Ground preflight generally ok except VOR test checkpoint has HSI 525 running -4 degrees. Pilot crosscheck of alternative CDI shows it to be right on the money. Test flight clearance requested with tight pattern, informing Clearance that plane coming out of annual. VFR first, IFR second plan filing in place with intent to do approaches and holds if VFR flight test works. Six touch and goes, observation that EGT probe on cylinder #3 running 200 degrees colder than all other cylinders; Vendor had replaced probe claiming they observed that as a reason to replace probe. Primary Manifold Pressure Gauge pegged to the 12 o’clock position at about 30 no matter the throttle and engine status; G3 is showing variations in manifold pressure consistent with expectations but no way given its location visibility is it considered viable for true IFR approaches in actual IMC (And G3 is NOT approved ‘Primary’ for MP). Pilot lands and aircraft taxied back to Vendor with HSI, #3 EGT, and Manifold Pressure fails for a No Joy on turnover from annual.
HSI fix was failure to do local calibration after it was sent out for rebuild. Vendor admits error and corrects within ten minute. But this is a high visibility major avionic shop. And not the first failure to check issue; ask me about my last November IFR certification where while working on the panel they broke the pilot side window. Plus deactivated my ADS-B that had been operational for three prior years resulting in FAA notice.
#3 EGT and Manifold Pressure issue still remaining on the 21st of August; a Friday before the weekend. May Annual now 3-months and running.
