Sbr-1 crew returned to teb with a hydraulic emergency.

Attributes
ACN	494901
Time
Date	200012
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : teb.airport
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	msl single value : 2500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : teb.tower
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	Sabreliner 80A
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : instrument pilot : multi engine pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 20 flight time total : 3162 flight time type : 100
ASRS Report	494901
Person 2
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : gear warning hyd. pressure guage other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : diverted to another airport other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew faa : investigated faa : assigned or threatened penalties other
Factors
Maintenance	performance deficiency : logbook entry performance deficiency : non compliance with legal requirements performance deficiency : unqualified personnel
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

On dec/xa/00, I was a copilot on a cpr sabreliner that departed teb en route roc. After departure, my captain called positive rate gear up and I raised the gear. The captain noticed the gear transition light did not go out. Tower controller at that time told us to change frequencys to departure control. At that time I advised him we had a problem. He asked if we wanted to return to the airport and I stated yes. He began giving us vectors back to the airport. During the return to the airport we determined we had a low hydraulic pressure problem. The captain asked that I take over the controls of the aircraft while he checked the system. He was able to bring the system back up to normal pressure and asked that I return the controls back over to him. At this time the tower controller asked if we wanted to declare an emergency. I repeated the statement to the captain and he nodded yes, I stated to the tower controller yes. The tower controller then stated he was rolling the trucks. The captain and I then completed the before landing checklist and everything was normal. At this time we told the tower we no longer needed the trucks. We then made a normal landing. As we taxied in, we performed our normal checklist and doublechked the hydraulic system -- everything was normal. After we parked at the FBO, the captain then left the cockpit to inform the owner of the airplane who was on board of the situation that occurred. When he returned to the cockpit he informed me that he felt the airplane was safe. It was his call and we were going to continue to roc. He then refilled and we then continued our trip to roc. On dec/xb/00, the captain informed me he called the maintenance facility in fort lauderdale that performs the aircraft inspections, and they recommended he should have the hydraulic pressure switches be replaced as a precaution. This was done at the FBO. On dec/xc/00, we returned to boca raton, fl, our home base. My captain informed me that he had been requested to send in a report to the FSDO on the incident and that they implied there might have been a violation for flying an unsafe airplane. At this time, I am researching -- when an emergency is declared, is the aircraft automatically considered unairworthy, and does the captain have the authority/authorized to declare that it is his call and the airplane safe?

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SBR-1 CREW RETURNED TO TEB WITH A HYD EMER.

Narrative: ON DEC/XA/00, I WAS A COPLT ON A CPR SABRELINER THAT DEPARTED TEB ENRTE ROC. AFTER DEP, MY CAPT CALLED POSITIVE RATE GEAR UP AND I RAISED THE GEAR. THE CAPT NOTICED THE GEAR TRANSITION LIGHT DID NOT GO OUT. TWR CTLR AT THAT TIME TOLD US TO CHANGE FREQS TO DEP CTL. AT THAT TIME I ADVISED HIM WE HAD A PROB. HE ASKED IF WE WANTED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT AND I STATED YES. HE BEGAN GIVING US VECTORS BACK TO THE ARPT. DURING THE RETURN TO THE ARPT WE DETERMINED WE HAD A LOW HYD PRESSURE PROB. THE CAPT ASKED THAT I TAKE OVER THE CTLS OF THE ACFT WHILE HE CHKED THE SYS. HE WAS ABLE TO BRING THE SYS BACK UP TO NORMAL PRESSURE AND ASKED THAT I RETURN THE CTLS BACK OVER TO HIM. AT THIS TIME THE TWR CTLR ASKED IF WE WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER. I REPEATED THE STATEMENT TO THE CAPT AND HE NODDED YES, I STATED TO THE TWR CTLR YES. THE TWR CTLR THEN STATED HE WAS ROLLING THE TRUCKS. THE CAPT AND I THEN COMPLETED THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST AND EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. AT THIS TIME WE TOLD THE TWR WE NO LONGER NEEDED THE TRUCKS. WE THEN MADE A NORMAL LNDG. AS WE TAXIED IN, WE PERFORMED OUR NORMAL CHKLIST AND DOUBLECHKED THE HYD SYS -- EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. AFTER WE PARKED AT THE FBO, THE CAPT THEN LEFT THE COCKPIT TO INFORM THE OWNER OF THE AIRPLANE WHO WAS ON BOARD OF THE SIT THAT OCCURRED. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT HE INFORMED ME THAT HE FELT THE AIRPLANE WAS SAFE. IT WAS HIS CALL AND WE WERE GOING TO CONTINUE TO ROC. HE THEN REFILLED AND WE THEN CONTINUED OUR TRIP TO ROC. ON DEC/XB/00, THE CAPT INFORMED ME HE CALLED THE MAINT FACILITY IN FORT LAUDERDALE THAT PERFORMS THE ACFT INSPECTIONS, AND THEY RECOMMENDED HE SHOULD HAVE THE HYD PRESSURE SWITCHES BE REPLACED AS A PRECAUTION. THIS WAS DONE AT THE FBO. ON DEC/XC/00, WE RETURNED TO BOCA RATON, FL, OUR HOME BASE. MY CAPT INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD BEEN REQUESTED TO SEND IN A RPT TO THE FSDO ON THE INCIDENT AND THAT THEY IMPLIED THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A VIOLATION FOR FLYING AN UNSAFE AIRPLANE. AT THIS TIME, I AM RESEARCHING -- WHEN AN EMER IS DECLARED, IS THE ACFT AUTOMATICALLY CONSIDERED UNAIRWORTHY, AND DOES THE CAPT HAVE THE AUTH TO DECLARE THAT IT IS HIS CALL AND THE AIRPLANE SAFE?

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.