Narrative:

On aug/xa/00 after takeoff and subsequent retraction of the landing gear, a strange and unfamiliar thumping sound was heard and felt coming from somewhere outside the aircraft. Simultaneously there was the intermittent illumination of the right wing overheat light. I extended the landing gear and the thumping sound stopped. The right overheat light also remained extinguished. I left the gear extended and returned to the airport of departure where a normal landing was carried out. On aug/xb/00 I was met by maintenance personnel from the ZZZ base, one of whom was the acting ZZZ base maintenance supervisor. He informed me that he could rectify the wing overheat indication, but for the landing gear problem the aircraft would have to be ferried to ZZZ. I inquired from him whether he was in possession of a ferry permit for such a ferry flight, and he replied negative, but he'd try to see what he could do. He subsequently called me to the cockpit and pointed out an unsecure safety clip by the landing gear emergency hand pump handle, and informed me that he felt the unsecure clip was probably responsible for an incorrect valve position, which subsequently was causing the sound I was hearing. He then resecured the clip and asked me if I could do a quick circuit to see if his actions rectified the problem. I told him that if I took off, and following gear retraction the thumping sound did not return, there would be no reason to return for landing. However, if the thumping returned, I would have to return for a landing and acquire a ferry permit for the flight. This point was agreed on by both myself and maintenance. I took off, retracted the landing gear. Retraction was normal and there was no thumping sound. I, therefore, continued my flight to my destination ZZZ. While on the downwind leg for landing in ZZZ, my maintenance person (who was on board as aircraft crew member) requested that I cycle the landing gear to see if it was still ok. This was complied to, landing gear was extended and retracted, and following retraction the thumping sound returned. The gear was lowered once again, and the thumping stopped. A subsequent normal landing was carried out. On arrival in the maintenance office in ZZZ, I was informed by the same maintenance personnel who were with me in wxy that my flight to ZZZ was illegal since I took off and conducted a commercial flight with an unrectified defect and without a ferry permit (which I think he should have brought with him from ZZZ, being aware of the nature of the problem before his departure from ZZZ to meet myself). He then demanded that I nullify my logbook entry on aug/xa/00 by scratching it out and writing 'entered in error.' I complied with his forceful request, and subsequently entered in the aircraft flight log the detect as it occurred on aug/xa/00. The aircraft was then grounded in ZZZ for extensive gear retraction checks. I may now be subject to actions by my superiors or the auths for my seemingly inappropriate action in taking off and conducting a commercial flight with a known and unrectified defect.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A METRO SA227 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH OPEN LOG RPTS UNANSWERED AND NOT DEFERRED. FLOWN WITH NO MAINT FERRY PERMIT.

Narrative: ON AUG/XA/00 AFTER TKOF AND SUBSEQUENT RETRACTION OF THE LNDG GEAR, A STRANGE AND UNFAMILIAR THUMPING SOUND WAS HEARD AND FELT COMING FROM SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE THE ACFT. SIMULTANEOUSLY THERE WAS THE INTERMITTENT ILLUMINATION OF THE R WING OVERHEAT LIGHT. I EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR AND THE THUMPING SOUND STOPPED. THE R OVERHEAT LIGHT ALSO REMAINED EXTINGUISHED. I LEFT THE GEAR EXTENDED AND RETURNED TO THE ARPT OF DEP WHERE A NORMAL LNDG WAS CARRIED OUT. ON AUG/XB/00 I WAS MET BY MAINT PERSONNEL FROM THE ZZZ BASE, ONE OF WHOM WAS THE ACTING ZZZ BASE MAINT SUPVR. HE INFORMED ME THAT HE COULD RECTIFY THE WING OVERHEAT INDICATION, BUT FOR THE LNDG GEAR PROB THE ACFT WOULD HAVE TO BE FERRIED TO ZZZ. I INQUIRED FROM HIM WHETHER HE WAS IN POSSESSION OF A FERRY PERMIT FOR SUCH A FERRY FLT, AND HE REPLIED NEGATIVE, BUT HE'D TRY TO SEE WHAT HE COULD DO. HE SUBSEQUENTLY CALLED ME TO THE COCKPIT AND POINTED OUT AN UNSECURE SAFETY CLIP BY THE LNDG GEAR EMER HAND PUMP HANDLE, AND INFORMED ME THAT HE FELT THE UNSECURE CLIP WAS PROBABLY RESPONSIBLE FOR AN INCORRECT VALVE POS, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY WAS CAUSING THE SOUND I WAS HEARING. HE THEN RESECURED THE CLIP AND ASKED ME IF I COULD DO A QUICK CIRCUIT TO SEE IF HIS ACTIONS RECTIFIED THE PROB. I TOLD HIM THAT IF I TOOK OFF, AND FOLLOWING GEAR RETRACTION THE THUMPING SOUND DID NOT RETURN, THERE WOULD BE NO REASON TO RETURN FOR LNDG. HOWEVER, IF THE THUMPING RETURNED, I WOULD HAVE TO RETURN FOR A LNDG AND ACQUIRE A FERRY PERMIT FOR THE FLT. THIS POINT WAS AGREED ON BY BOTH MYSELF AND MAINT. I TOOK OFF, RETRACTED THE LNDG GEAR. RETRACTION WAS NORMAL AND THERE WAS NO THUMPING SOUND. I, THEREFORE, CONTINUED MY FLT TO MY DEST ZZZ. WHILE ON THE DOWNWIND LEG FOR LNDG IN ZZZ, MY MAINT PERSON (WHO WAS ON BOARD AS ACFT CREW MEMBER) REQUESTED THAT I CYCLE THE LNDG GEAR TO SEE IF IT WAS STILL OK. THIS WAS COMPLIED TO, LNDG GEAR WAS EXTENDED AND RETRACTED, AND FOLLOWING RETRACTION THE THUMPING SOUND RETURNED. THE GEAR WAS LOWERED ONCE AGAIN, AND THE THUMPING STOPPED. A SUBSEQUENT NORMAL LNDG WAS CARRIED OUT. ON ARR IN THE MAINT OFFICE IN ZZZ, I WAS INFORMED BY THE SAME MAINT PERSONNEL WHO WERE WITH ME IN WXY THAT MY FLT TO ZZZ WAS ILLEGAL SINCE I TOOK OFF AND CONDUCTED A COMMERCIAL FLT WITH AN UNRECTIFIED DEFECT AND WITHOUT A FERRY PERMIT (WHICH I THINK HE SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT WITH HIM FROM ZZZ, BEING AWARE OF THE NATURE OF THE PROB BEFORE HIS DEP FROM ZZZ TO MEET MYSELF). HE THEN DEMANDED THAT I NULLIFY MY LOGBOOK ENTRY ON AUG/XA/00 BY SCRATCHING IT OUT AND WRITING 'ENTERED IN ERROR.' I COMPLIED WITH HIS FORCEFUL REQUEST, AND SUBSEQUENTLY ENTERED IN THE ACFT FLT LOG THE DETECT AS IT OCCURRED ON AUG/XA/00. THE ACFT WAS THEN GNDED IN ZZZ FOR EXTENSIVE GEAR RETRACTION CHKS. I MAY NOW BE SUBJECT TO ACTIONS BY MY SUPERIORS OR THE AUTHS FOR MY SEEMINGLY INAPPROPRIATE ACTION IN TAKING OFF AND CONDUCTING A COMMERCIAL FLT WITH A KNOWN AND UNRECTIFIED DEFECT.

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.