A jetstream 41 in cruise at 16000 declared an emergency and diverted due to left engine flameout. Ca...

Attributes
ACN	550181
Time
Date	200206
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz1.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	msl single value : 16000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zzz.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Jetstream 41
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 3400 flight time type : 1400
ASRS Report	550181
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : left eng indications other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : diverted to another airport
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

We were cruising at 16000 ft in smooth air in clear WX when without any advance warning the left engine flamed out. There was no change in the engine sound or any fluctuations in the engine gauges. The autoplt disconnected from the resulting yau. At that point I took the controls by had and the first officer started the appropriate check. After the engine was secured an emergency was declared and I retrimmed the airplane and reconnected the autoplt. We initiated the QRH advised the ATC that we would divert to ZZZ1 and started drifting down. After this I briefed the flight attendant, talked to the passengers and attempted to notify the company. Air carrier operations reported our transmission as weak and scratchy, so I sent the company a message via ACARS. By this time we had a visual on the airport and we were cleared to land. The reason that we did not try to restart the engine was that I could not tell for sure if there was any damage to the engine and if trying to restart it could possibly start a fire. Also even if the engine had started again I could not have trusted it since it already had flamed out. We might have been on a short final when it could have failed again, forcing us to perform a single-engine go around. With a secured engine at least we knew we could be stabilized throughout the approach. Also, even though ZZZ2 was about 20 miles closer to us than ZZZ1 I felt that ZZZ1 was more suitable because ZZZ2 is a special airport with mountains around it. Later on I learned that the engine failure was caused by a shaft that had sheared. It's location was in between the fuel pump and the fuel control unit. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the engine flameout was caused by a sheared drive shaft on the engine driven fuel pump. The reporter said the engine was an allied signal ase TPE331-14 and cannot recall this type of incident ever happening to this engine.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A JETSTREAM 41 IN CRUISE AT 16000 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO L ENG FLAMEOUT. CAUSED BY THE ENG DRIVEN FUEL PUMP DRIVE SHAFT SHEARED.

Narrative: WE WERE CRUISING AT 16000 FT IN SMOOTH AIR IN CLR WX WHEN WITHOUT ANY ADVANCE WARNING THE L ENG FLAMED OUT. THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE ENG SOUND OR ANY FLUCTUATIONS IN THE ENG GAUGES. THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECTED FROM THE RESULTING YAU. AT THAT POINT I TOOK THE CONTROLS BY HAD AND THE FO STARTED THE APPROPRIATE CHECK. AFTER THE ENG WAS SECURED AN EMER WAS DECLARED AND I RETRIMMED THE AIRPLANE AND RECONNECTED THE AUTOPLT. WE INITIATED THE QRH ADVISED THE ATC THAT WE WOULD DIVERT TO ZZZ1 AND STARTED DRIFTING DOWN. AFTER THIS I BRIEFED THE FA, TALKED TO THE PASSENGERS AND ATTEMPTED TO NOTIFY THE COMPANY. ACR OPERATIONS RPTED OUR XMISSION AS WEAK AND SCRATCHY, SO I SENT THE COMPANY A MSG VIA ACARS. BY THIS TIME WE HAD A VISUAL ON THE ARPT AND WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. THE REASON THAT WE DID NOT TRY TO RESTART THE ENG WAS THAT I COULD NOT TELL FOR SURE IF THERE WAS ANY DAMAGE TO THE ENG AND IF TRYING TO RESTART IT COULD POSSIBLY START A FIRE. ALSO EVEN IF THE ENG HAD STARTED AGAIN I COULD NOT HAVE TRUSTED IT SINCE IT ALREADY HAD FLAMED OUT. WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ON A SHORT FINAL WHEN IT COULD HAVE FAILED AGAIN, FORCING US TO PERFORM A SINGLE-ENG GAR. WITH A SECURED ENG AT LEAST WE KNEW WE COULD BE STABILIZED THROUGHOUT THE APCH. ALSO, EVEN THOUGH ZZZ2 WAS ABOUT 20 MILES CLOSER TO US THAN ZZZ1 I FELT THAT ZZZ1 WAS MORE SUITABLE BECAUSE ZZZ2 IS A SPECIAL ARPT WITH MOUNTAINS AROUND IT. LATER ON I LEARNED THAT THE ENG FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A SHAFT THAT HAD SHEARED. IT'S LOCATION WAS IN BETWEEN THE FUEL PUMP AND THE FUEL CTL UNIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ENG FLAMEOUT WAS CAUSED BY A SHEARED DRIVE SHAFT ON THE ENG DRIVEN FUEL PUMP. THE RPTR SAID THE ENG WAS AN ALLIED SIGNAL ASE TPE331-14 AND CANNOT RECALL THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT EVER HAPPENING TO THIS ENG.

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.

A jetstream 41 in cruise at 16000 declared an emergency and diverted due to left engine flameout. Caused by the engine driven fuel pump drive shaft sheared.