An AS350-B2 helicopter engine was operated 1% in exceedance of the engine operating manual. Document...

Attributes
ACN	695596
Time
Date	200604
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	AS 350 Astar/Ecureuil
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument technician : powerplant technician : airframe
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 4000 flight time type : 250
ASRS Report	695596
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe maintenance problem : improper documentation non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Factors
Maintenance	performance deficiency : logbook entry performance deficiency : non compliance with legal requirements
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Maintenance Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance Company Aircraft
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

Narrative:

I was the night duty pilot. We were dispatched for an interhospital transport at about XXXX. During takeoff I noticed ng and T4 were relatively high for the torque setting and the bleed valve had failed to close. We notified dispatch we would be aborting the mission and returned to the helipad without incident. Flight time was seven mins. I contacted the on call mechanic; who happened to be the company director of maintenance. He told me the bleed valve had been removed for maintenance two days before. And to check it for loose air lines. I am also an a&P mechanic. I located a loose air line fitting on the bleed valve and tightened it. I performed a flight check and found the bleed valve to be operating 1% ng outside the limits allowed by the engine manual. I recorded the power check and bleed valve numbers in the log book and notified the director of maintenance that they were outside the limits. The director of maintenance said that he would come in to look at the ship; and the day duty pilot replaced me after a brief on the situation. When I returned to work that night; the aircraft was on a flight. The day pilot briefed me that the director of maintenance had spoken with a representative from manufacturer and the aircraft had been approved for return to service with the bleed valve operation 1% out of limits. This was validated by logbook entries. In was dispatched for an interhospital transfer and departed. We returned from the flight to land at our base without incident. The aircraft was scheduled to be moved while maintenance was being performed on the company's other ship. Schedules had been adjusted to accommodate maintenance operations and I was scheduled to be the day pilot. When I reported for work; I was told that the ship had been grounded due to the out of tolerance bleed valve. Manufacturer did not produce a letter allowing continued operations. Through some miscom or misunderstanding the aircraft was kept in service and used to conduct part 135 operations with a discrepant engine component.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AS350-B2 HELICOPTER ENGINE WAS OPERATED 1% IN EXCEEDANCE OF THE ENGINE OPERATING MANUAL. DOCUMENTATION TO ALLOW OPERATION NOT DELIVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER.

Narrative: I WAS THE NIGHT DUTY PLT. WE WERE DISPATCHED FOR AN INTERHOSPITAL TRANSPORT AT ABOUT XXXX. DURING TKOF I NOTICED NG AND T4 WERE RELATIVELY HIGH FOR THE TORQUE SETTING AND THE BLEED VALVE HAD FAILED TO CLOSE. WE NOTIFIED DISPATCH WE WOULD BE ABORTING THE MISSION AND RETURNED TO THE HELIPAD WITHOUT INCIDENT. FLT TIME WAS SEVEN MINS. I CONTACTED THE ON CALL MECH; WHO HAPPENED TO BE THE COMPANY DIRECTOR OF MAINT. HE TOLD ME THE BLEED VALVE HAD BEEN REMOVED FOR MAINT TWO DAYS BEFORE. AND TO CHECK IT FOR LOOSE AIR LINES. I AM ALSO AN A&P MECH. I LOCATED A LOOSE AIR LINE FITTING ON THE BLEED VALVE AND TIGHTENED IT. I PERFORMED A FLT CHECK AND FOUND THE BLEED VALVE TO BE OPERATING 1% NG OUTSIDE THE LIMITS ALLOWED BY THE ENG MANUAL. I RECORDED THE POWER CHECK AND BLEED VALVE NUMBERS IN THE LOG BOOK AND NOTIFIED THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT THAT THEY WERE OUTSIDE THE LIMITS. THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT SAID THAT HE WOULD COME IN TO LOOK AT THE SHIP; AND THE DAY DUTY PLT REPLACED ME AFTER A BRIEF ON THE SITUATION. WHEN I RETURNED TO WORK THAT NIGHT; THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT. THE DAY PLT BRIEFED ME THAT THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT HAD SPOKEN WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM MANUFACTURER AND THE ACFT HAD BEEN APPROVED FOR RETURN TO SERVICE WITH THE BLEED VALVE OPERATION 1% OUT OF LIMITS. THIS WAS VALIDATED BY LOGBOOK ENTRIES. IN WAS DISPATCHED FOR AN INTERHOSPITAL TRANSFER AND DEPARTED. WE RETURNED FROM THE FLT TO LAND AT OUR BASE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ACFT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE MOVED WHILE MAINT WAS BEING PERFORMED ON THE COMPANY'S OTHER SHIP. SCHEDULES HAD BEEN ADJUSTED TO ACCOMMODATE MAINT OPS AND I WAS SCHEDULED TO BE THE DAY PLT. WHEN I REPORTED FOR WORK; I WAS TOLD THAT THE SHIP HAD BEEN GROUNDED DUE TO THE OUT OF TOLERANCE BLEED VALVE. MANUFACTURER DID NOT PRODUCE A LETTER ALLOWING CONTINUED OPS. THROUGH SOME MISCOM OR MISUNDERSTANDING THE ACFT WAS KEPT IN SERVICE AND USED TO CONDUCT PART 135 OPS WITH A DISCREPANT ENG COMPONENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.

An AS350-B2 helicopter engine was operated 1% in exceedance of the engine operating manual. Documentation to allow operation not delivered by the manufacturer.