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A learjet 25 on climb out at 15000 ft had the left generator fail, opening the 275 amp limiter, depowering all left busses, resulting in loss of communication.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 487278 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200009 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : mci.airport |
| State Reference | MO |
| Altitude | msl single value : 15000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : mci.tracon tower : las.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Learjet 25 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Navigation In Use | other vortac |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude |
| Route In Use | departure sid : royal 3 dept |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : cfi pilot : commercial pilot : multi engine |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 1740 flight time type : 400 |
| ASRS Report | 487278 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : #1 generator indicator other flight crewa other flight crewb |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : overcame equipment problem |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
After a fuel stop at mci (kansas city international), we departed on the royal 3 departure procedure with the jthro transition. Tower had cleared us to 15000 ft, runway heading. During the climb out, the captain turned on the fan. At that instant the left generator spiked (over voltage), thereby blowing the 275 amp current limiter. The audio panel failed, the gyroscopes momentarily showed flags then returned to normal (both sides displayed flags due to the switching of the standby inverter to the pilots instruments), and the DME circuit breaker popped. I saw an arc of electricity from the captain's hand to the radar (the switch for the fan is next to the radar) when everything failed, at that moment I also saw the radar shut off. We were on an assigned runway heading and continued to climb to 15000 ft. We turned the transponder on to 7600 to alert departure control that we had lost all communications. The captain decided to turn to intercept jthro intersection. We were about to enter IMC and we initiated a descent to maintain VMC and also recoded the transponder to 1200 to continue the flight under VFR. We continued descending until we were in cellular phone range and was able to establish communications with columbia flight service station. We informed them of what had happened and asked them to relay our situation and IFR cancellation to ZKC and mci departure. We contacted our dispatch and informed them of the situation and decision to land at pia (peoria). This was not our intended arrival airport, but we decided this would be the most practicable. The captain asked our dispatch to contact pia tower to inform them that we would be arriving without radio communications. He was also able to contact pia tower and advise them of our intended arrival, and we landed without incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the maintenance department replaced the 400 amp starter-generator unit and checked normal.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A LEARJET 25 ON CLBOUT AT 15000 FT HAD THE L GENERATOR FAIL, OPENING THE 275 AMP LIMITER, DEPOWERING ALL L BUSSES, RESULTING IN LOSS OF COM.
Narrative: AFTER A FUEL STOP AT MCI (KANSAS CITY INTL), WE DEPARTED ON THE ROYAL 3 DEP PROC WITH THE JTHRO TRANSITION. TWR HAD CLRED US TO 15000 FT, RWY HEADING. DURING THE CLBOUT, THE CAPT TURNED ON THE FAN. AT THAT INSTANT THE L GENERATOR SPIKED (OVER VOLTAGE), THEREBY BLOWING THE 275 AMP CURRENT LIMITER. THE AUDIO PANEL FAILED, THE GYROSCOPES MOMENTARILY SHOWED FLAGS THEN RETURNED TO NORMAL (BOTH SIDES DISPLAYED FLAGS DUE TO THE SWITCHING OF THE STANDBY INVERTER TO THE PLTS INSTS), AND THE DME CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED. I SAW AN ARC OF ELECTRICITY FROM THE CAPT'S HAND TO THE RADAR (THE SWITCH FOR THE FAN IS NEXT TO THE RADAR) WHEN EVERYTHING FAILED, AT THAT MOMENT I ALSO SAW THE RADAR SHUT OFF. WE WERE ON AN ASSIGNED RWY HEADING AND CONTINUED TO CLB TO 15000 FT. WE TURNED THE XPONDER ON TO 7600 TO ALERT DEP CTL THAT WE HAD LOST ALL COMS. THE CAPT DECIDED TO TURN TO INTERCEPT JTHRO INTXN. WE WERE ABOUT TO ENTER IMC AND WE INITIATED A DSCNT TO MAINTAIN VMC AND ALSO RECODED THE XPONDER TO 1200 TO CONTINUE THE FLT UNDER VFR. WE CONTINUED DSNDING UNTIL WE WERE IN CELLULAR PHONE RANGE AND WAS ABLE TO ESTABLISH COMS WITH COLUMBIA FLT SVC STATION. WE INFORMED THEM OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND ASKED THEM TO RELAY OUR SIT AND IFR CANCELLATION TO ZKC AND MCI DEP. WE CONTACTED OUR DISPATCH AND INFORMED THEM OF THE SIT AND DECISION TO LAND AT PIA (PEORIA). THIS WAS NOT OUR INTENDED ARR ARPT, BUT WE DECIDED THIS WOULD BE THE MOST PRACTICABLE. THE CAPT ASKED OUR DISPATCH TO CONTACT PIA TWR TO INFORM THEM THAT WE WOULD BE ARRIVING WITHOUT RADIO COMS. HE WAS ALSO ABLE TO CONTACT PIA TWR AND ADVISE THEM OF OUR INTENDED ARR, AND WE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE MAINT DEPT REPLACED THE 400 AMP STARTER-GENERATOR UNIT AND CHKED NORMAL.
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.