Narrative:

While climbing through FL300 for FL330, we noticed that the #1 engine's oil pressure was steadily dropping and had fallen into the red zone. There was not an oil pressure warning message on our EICAS associated with the dropping pressure reading. We proceeded with the QRH procedure and based on that, we did not initially shut down the engine. This aircraft had just been worked on prior to our flight because the previous crew had aborted a takeoff because of a low oil pressure warning message associated with this same engine. We called our maintenance control on their cvg local frequency. We told them that we were en route to avp and were getting a falling pressure reading into red on the #1 engine, but that all other engine parameters were normal. Maintenance basically asked us to reiterate that the pressure was indeed in the red. We did so and again stated that all other engine indications were normal. Maintenance advised us to shut the engine down. We acknowledged and then proceeded. I asked ZOB what our exact distance was from port columbus airport. They said 65 NM. Based on our altitude, distance from that airport, its runway lengths, and emergency equipment, I selected it as our diversion point. We told ATC that we needed to divert to cmh, that we were shutting down our #1 engine as a precaution and that we were declaring an emergency. We also told them to advise our company of the situation and to have crash fire rescue equipment equipment waiting and ready at cmh. We told the flight attendant of the situation and that we would make an announcement to the passenger once we were caught up with required checklists. The checklists took time to carefully complete and our proximity to cmh was close. The flight attendant, realizing this, helped us out by making an initial PA announcement while we were busy with checklists. It was immediately after her PA that the first officer also followed up with a PA advising the passenger that we would be landing safely in a few mins after briefly describing to them our problem. The checklists were all completed and everyone was notified and then we landed on runway 10R at cmh without further incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MDT ACFT HAD DECREASING OIL PRESSURE IN #1 ENG. AFTER CONSULTING WITH THEIR COMPANY MAINT, THE FLC SHUT DOWN THE ENG, COMPLETED APPLICABLE CHKLISTS AND DIVERTED TO THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT.

Narrative: WHILE CLBING THROUGH FL300 FOR FL330, WE NOTICED THAT THE #1 ENG'S OIL PRESSURE WAS STEADILY DROPPING AND HAD FALLEN INTO THE RED ZONE. THERE WAS NOT AN OIL PRESSURE WARNING MESSAGE ON OUR EICAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DROPPING PRESSURE READING. WE PROCEEDED WITH THE QRH PROC AND BASED ON THAT, WE DID NOT INITIALLY SHUT DOWN THE ENG. THIS ACFT HAD JUST BEEN WORKED ON PRIOR TO OUR FLT BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS CREW HAD ABORTED A TKOF BECAUSE OF A LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING MESSAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SAME ENG. WE CALLED OUR MAINT CTL ON THEIR CVG LCL FREQ. WE TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE ENRTE TO AVP AND WERE GETTING A FALLING PRESSURE READING INTO RED ON THE #1 ENG, BUT THAT ALL OTHER ENG PARAMETERS WERE NORMAL. MAINT BASICALLY ASKED US TO REITERATE THAT THE PRESSURE WAS INDEED IN THE RED. WE DID SO AND AGAIN STATED THAT ALL OTHER ENG INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. MAINT ADVISED US TO SHUT THE ENG DOWN. WE ACKNOWLEDGED AND THEN PROCEEDED. I ASKED ZOB WHAT OUR EXACT DISTANCE WAS FROM PORT COLUMBUS ARPT. THEY SAID 65 NM. BASED ON OUR ALT, DISTANCE FROM THAT ARPT, ITS RWY LENGTHS, AND EMER EQUIP, I SELECTED IT AS OUR DIVERSION POINT. WE TOLD ATC THAT WE NEEDED TO DIVERT TO CMH, THAT WE WERE SHUTTING DOWN OUR #1 ENG AS A PRECAUTION AND THAT WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER. WE ALSO TOLD THEM TO ADVISE OUR COMPANY OF THE SIT AND TO HAVE CFR EQUIP WAITING AND READY AT CMH. WE TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT OF THE SIT AND THAT WE WOULD MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX ONCE WE WERE CAUGHT UP WITH REQUIRED CHKLISTS. THE CHKLISTS TOOK TIME TO CAREFULLY COMPLETE AND OUR PROX TO CMH WAS CLOSE. THE FLT ATTENDANT, REALIZING THIS, HELPED US OUT BY MAKING AN INITIAL PA ANNOUNCEMENT WHILE WE WERE BUSY WITH CHKLISTS. IT WAS IMMEDIATELY AFTER HER PA THAT THE FO ALSO FOLLOWED UP WITH A PA ADVISING THE PAX THAT WE WOULD BE LNDG SAFELY IN A FEW MINS AFTER BRIEFLY DESCRIBING TO THEM OUR PROB. THE CHKLISTS WERE ALL COMPLETED AND EVERYONE WAS NOTIFIED AND THEN WE LANDED ON RWY 10R AT CMH WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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.