Narrative:

Aircraft: citation III. Mission: part 91 trip to depart and transport 3 executives to washington national airport, overnight until sun/sep/94. Preflight WX briefing/weight and balance computation: obtained through duat -- no adverse conditions/NOTAMS pilot reports. Aircraft found to be within weight and balance limitations for takeoff and landing. Aircraft pre-flight: normal, no discrepancies found during walk-around or cockpit pre-flight. Clearance: norfolk 3 departure hpw, direct ric, irons 2 arrival dca, after departure maintain runway heading, climb and maintain 4000 ft, expect FL220 10 mins after departure. Normal operations, (final altitude amended to FL200 by ATC (washington center) until the vicinity of the ric. During the turn to intercept the outbound course from richmond, noticed several lights on the annunciator panel had illuminated. Immediately following the auxiliary hydraulic pump activated, providing hydraulic pressure to the system. During analysis of the event it was decided to return to orf. Clearance to do so was requested from ATC ZDC and was granted via a left turn direct to the harcum VOR (hcm), at which time a gentle (maximum angle of bank 10 degrees) left turn toward hcm was initiated. Please note that during the remainder of the flight minimum power/power changes were used to preclude catastrophic failure of the engine driven hydraulic pumps. The decision to return to orf was made for the following reasons: time was needed to further assess the situation and to complete the appropriate checklist(south). It was felt after the initial analysis that minimal flight control usage would help minimize the loss of hydraulic fluid. At no time during the route back to orf would the aircraft be out of range of a suitable airport for landing. Normal operations during descent, (auxiliary pump providing pressure). Crossed over hcm at approximately 14000 ft, and were turned over to the norfolk approach control frequency 126.05. Normal operations during approach, (auxiliary pump providing pressure), with the exception of extension of the landing gear which was lowered using the alternate method as was called for in the checklist. Normal operations during landing, (auxiliary pump providing pressure), with the exceptions of the spdbrakes/spoilers, and thrust reversers which were inoperative (appropriate allowances for the lack of speed brakes/spoilers with regards to landing distances were computer as per the checklist). Nosewheel steering provided by the nosewheel steering accumulator. Normal operations during taxi, (auxiliary pump providing pressure), with the exception of aircraft shut down on taxiway foxtrot after nosewheel steering accumulator depleted. Shutdown of aircraft normal with all appropriate checklist being completed before aircraft was towed back to the FBO.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CORP LTT HAS HYD FAILURE AT CRUISE.

Narrative: ACFT: CITATION III. MISSION: PART 91 TRIP TO DEPART AND TRANSPORT 3 EXECUTIVES TO WASHINGTON NATIONAL ARPT, OVERNIGHT UNTIL SUN/SEP/94. PREFLT WX BRIEFING/WT AND BAL COMPUTATION: OBTAINED THROUGH DUAT -- NO ADVERSE CONDITIONS/NOTAMS PLT RPTS. ACFT FOUND TO BE WITHIN WT AND BAL LIMITATIONS FOR TKOF AND LNDG. ACFT PRE-FLT: NORMAL, NO DISCREPANCIES FOUND DURING WALK-AROUND OR COCKPIT PRE-FLT. CLRNC: NORFOLK 3 DEP HPW, DIRECT RIC, IRONS 2 ARR DCA, AFTER DEP MAINTAIN RWY HDG, CLB AND MAINTAIN 4000 FT, EXPECT FL220 10 MINS AFTER DEP. NORMAL OPS, (FINAL ALT AMENDED TO FL200 BY ATC (WASHINGTON CTR) UNTIL THE VICINITY OF THE RIC. DURING THE TURN TO INTERCEPT THE OUTBOUND COURSE FROM RICHMOND, NOTICED SEVERAL LIGHTS ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL HAD ILLUMINATED. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE AUXILIARY HYD PUMP ACTIVATED, PROVIDING HYD PRESSURE TO THE SYS. DURING ANALYSIS OF THE EVENT IT WAS DECIDED TO RETURN TO ORF. CLRNC TO DO SO WAS REQUESTED FROM ATC ZDC AND WAS GRANTED VIA A L TURN DIRECT TO THE HARCUM VOR (HCM), AT WHICH TIME A GENTLE (MAX ANGLE OF BANK 10 DEGS) L TURN TOWARD HCM WAS INITIATED. PLEASE NOTE THAT DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT MINIMUM PWR/PWR CHANGES WERE USED TO PRECLUDE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ENG DRIVEN HYD PUMPS. THE DECISION TO RETURN TO ORF WAS MADE FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: TIME WAS NEEDED TO FURTHER ASSESS THE SIT AND TO COMPLETE THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST(S). IT WAS FELT AFTER THE INITIAL ANALYSIS THAT MINIMAL FLT CTL USAGE WOULD HELP MINIMIZE THE LOSS OF HYD FLUID. AT NO TIME DURING THE RTE BACK TO ORF WOULD THE ACFT BE OUT OF RANGE OF A SUITABLE ARPT FOR LNDG. NORMAL OPS DURING DSCNT, (AUXILIARY PUMP PROVIDING PRESSURE). CROSSED OVER HCM AT APPROX 14000 FT, AND WERE TURNED OVER TO THE NORFOLK APCH CTL FREQ 126.05. NORMAL OPS DURING APCH, (AUXILIARY PUMP PROVIDING PRESSURE), WITH THE EXCEPTION OF EXTENSION OF THE LNDG GEAR WHICH WAS LOWERED USING THE ALTERNATE METHOD AS WAS CALLED FOR IN THE CHKLIST. NORMAL OPS DURING LNDG, (AUXILIARY PUMP PROVIDING PRESSURE), WITH THE EXCEPTIONS OF THE SPDBRAKES/SPOILERS, AND THRUST REVERSERS WHICH WERE INOP (APPROPRIATE ALLOWANCES FOR THE LACK OF SPD BRAKES/SPOILERS WITH REGARDS TO LNDG DISTANCES WERE COMPUTER AS PER THE CHKLIST). NOSEWHEEL STEERING PROVIDED BY THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING ACCUMULATOR. NORMAL OPS DURING TAXI, (AUXILIARY PUMP PROVIDING PRESSURE), WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ACFT SHUT DOWN ON TXWY FOXTROT AFTER NOSEWHEEL STEERING ACCUMULATOR DEPLETED. SHUTDOWN OF ACFT NORMAL WITH ALL APPROPRIATE CHKLIST BEING COMPLETED BEFORE ACFT WAS TOWED BACK TO THE FBO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.