A PA46 pilot on a new aircraft delivery flight finds that several system are malfunctioning and whil...

Narrative:

On oct/thu/97, I had taken delivery of a new PA46-350P piper malibu mirage from vero beach, fl. A piper representative had ridden from vrb to orl. I took off from orl alone to deliver the new plane to my employer in california (a piper dealer/distributor). It had already been purchased. I took off on an IFR flight plan on runway 7, and was assigned to turn left to 045 degrees and level off at 1500 ft MSL. Immediately after takeoff I was assigned a westerly heading. During my westerly turn, a red 'low fuel pressure' annunciator light illuminated. This is supposed to mean that the engine driven fuel pump has failed. I looked things over and thought it over quickly and doubted that the engine driven fuel pump had failed. I switched fuel tanks, mixture rich, checked for popped circuit breakers. None were popped and the 'low fuel pressure' light was still illuminated. So I turned off the electric 'emergency fuel pump' to ascertain the problem. The engine continued to run and the light remained illuminated. Therefore it was very apparent that this was a false indication. Before takeoff I had armed the autoplt altitude hold to level off at 1500 ft MSL. It failed to level off and with the distraction of solving what seemed to be potentially a serious emergency I failed to catch the autoplt's failure to level off. I returned to orlando and called my employer who said for me to return the plane to piper in vero beach. I did and after takeoff out of orl when I engaged the autoplt during the initial climb, the autoplt trimmed the nose down all the way. I disconnected the autoplt, retrimmed the plane for the climb then re-engaged the autoplt again. It trimmed the nose all the way down again. I disconnected the autoplt again, then I climbed to cruising altitude, leveled off and engaged the autoplt and altitude hold. It worked fine. On returning to vero beach, piper sent me out to demonstrate the problems to the allied signal/piper autoplt technician. The 'fuel pressure low' light was still on and the system acted the same as the day before. Also the autoplt was goofing up in a very similar way by pitching the nose up or down when it should not. The autoplt man analyzed the problem and said that the control cables on the cap stand were too loose because he could move the control wheel too freely with the autoplt on. He also found a serious problem with the WX radar and wound up replacing the receiver/transmitter. After working on the plane, piper told me the control cables were too loose on the cap stand and that the autoplt clutch was getting 'burned in' and that he adjusted the tension on the clutch. The red light was caused by a bad transducer. They replaced it. Everything worked fine on the way to california. In the future I am going to make sure the autoplt works while I am solving emergency indications (the autoplt was trying to level off, but couldn't).

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA46 PLT ON A NEW ACFT DELIVERY FLT FINDS THAT SEVERAL SYS ARE MALFUNCTIONING AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ANALYZE THE PROBS HE CLBS ABOVE HIS ASSIGNED ALT WHEN THE AUTOPLT FAILS TO LEVEL OFF.

Narrative: ON OCT/THU/97, I HAD TAKEN DELIVERY OF A NEW PA46-350P PIPER MALIBU MIRAGE FROM VERO BEACH, FL. A PIPER REPRESENTATIVE HAD RIDDEN FROM VRB TO ORL. I TOOK OFF FROM ORL ALONE TO DELIVER THE NEW PLANE TO MY EMPLOYER IN CALIFORNIA (A PIPER DEALER/DISTRIBUTOR). IT HAD ALREADY BEEN PURCHASED. I TOOK OFF ON AN IFR FLT PLAN ON RWY 7, AND WAS ASSIGNED TO TURN L TO 045 DEGS AND LEVEL OFF AT 1500 FT MSL. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF I WAS ASSIGNED A WESTERLY HEADING. DURING MY WESTERLY TURN, A RED 'LOW FUEL PRESSURE' ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN THAT THE ENG DRIVEN FUEL PUMP HAS FAILED. I LOOKED THINGS OVER AND THOUGHT IT OVER QUICKLY AND DOUBTED THAT THE ENG DRIVEN FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. I SWITCHED FUEL TANKS, MIXTURE RICH, CHKED FOR POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKERS. NONE WERE POPPED AND THE 'LOW FUEL PRESSURE' LIGHT WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. SO I TURNED OFF THE ELECTRIC 'EMER FUEL PUMP' TO ASCERTAIN THE PROB. THE ENG CONTINUED TO RUN AND THE LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THEREFORE IT WAS VERY APPARENT THAT THIS WAS A FALSE INDICATION. BEFORE TKOF I HAD ARMED THE AUTOPLT ALT HOLD TO LEVEL OFF AT 1500 FT MSL. IT FAILED TO LEVEL OFF AND WITH THE DISTR OF SOLVING WHAT SEEMED TO BE POTENTIALLY A SERIOUS EMER I FAILED TO CATCH THE AUTOPLT'S FAILURE TO LEVEL OFF. I RETURNED TO ORLANDO AND CALLED MY EMPLOYER WHO SAID FOR ME TO RETURN THE PLANE TO PIPER IN VERO BEACH. I DID AND AFTER TKOF OUT OF ORL WHEN I ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT DURING THE INITIAL CLB, THE AUTOPLT TRIMMED THE NOSE DOWN ALL THE WAY. I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT, RETRIMMED THE PLANE FOR THE CLB THEN RE-ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AGAIN. IT TRIMMED THE NOSE ALL THE WAY DOWN AGAIN. I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AGAIN, THEN I CLBED TO CRUISING ALT, LEVELED OFF AND ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AND ALT HOLD. IT WORKED FINE. ON RETURNING TO VERO BEACH, PIPER SENT ME OUT TO DEMONSTRATE THE PROBS TO THE ALLIED SIGNAL/PIPER AUTOPLT TECHNICIAN. THE 'FUEL PRESSURE LOW' LIGHT WAS STILL ON AND THE SYS ACTED THE SAME AS THE DAY BEFORE. ALSO THE AUTOPLT WAS GOOFING UP IN A VERY SIMILAR WAY BY PITCHING THE NOSE UP OR DOWN WHEN IT SHOULD NOT. THE AUTOPLT MAN ANALYZED THE PROB AND SAID THAT THE CTL CABLES ON THE CAP STAND WERE TOO LOOSE BECAUSE HE COULD MOVE THE CTL WHEEL TOO FREELY WITH THE AUTOPLT ON. HE ALSO FOUND A SERIOUS PROB WITH THE WX RADAR AND WOUND UP REPLACING THE RECEIVER/XMITTER. AFTER WORKING ON THE PLANE, PIPER TOLD ME THE CTL CABLES WERE TOO LOOSE ON THE CAP STAND AND THAT THE AUTOPLT CLUTCH WAS GETTING 'BURNED IN' AND THAT HE ADJUSTED THE TENSION ON THE CLUTCH. THE RED LIGHT WAS CAUSED BY A BAD TRANSDUCER. THEY REPLACED IT. EVERYTHING WORKED FINE ON THE WAY TO CALIFORNIA. IN THE FUTURE I AM GOING TO MAKE SURE THE AUTOPLT WORKS WHILE I AM SOLVING EMER INDICATIONS (THE AUTOPLT WAS TRYING TO LEVEL OFF, BUT COULDN'T).

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.

Attributes
ACN	384425
Time
Date	199710
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : orl
State Reference	FL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 1500 msl bound upper : 1500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : mco
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	PA-46 Malibu
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 12150 flight time type : 200
ASRS Report	384425
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : departure
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical aircraft equipment problem : less severe altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : far non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

A PA46 pilot on a new aircraft delivery flight finds that several system are malfunctioning and while attempting to analyze the problems he climbs above his assigned altitude when the autoplt fails to level off.