Narrative:

Upon landing in ZZZ was told to contact dispatch; called dispatch and they said we had a maintenance issue and they would be delaying us and they would patch me through to maintenance control. Maintenance control informed me that ZZZ1 operations notified them of a propeller lanyard was possibly sucked into the engine. No write-up was entered into the logbook by that crew. Aircraft flew 3 flts prior to us accepting it. Everything looked in order in the logbook when we accepted the aircraft so we proceeded to ZZZ as scheduled. Upon landing in ZZZ and talking to maintenance control they asked if a trend had been completed today; one had been completed by the previous crew and they noted a delta T of 51 degrees but had not made a logbook entry related to that fact. I did not look at the split when I did the logbook review prior to our flight; I only looked to see if a trend had been completed so I could plan to do one in flight if needed. Our in-flight delta T was not more than 15 degrees so we had no reason to be concerned. Also; en route to ZZZ we observed no engine parameters out of normal and had a delta T of less than 15 degrees so everything appeared normal during our flight. Maintenance control delayed then canceled our flight and sent a maintenance crew out to perform the required inspections -- maintenance associated with the lanyard issue and the subsequent delta T shift (noted by the previous crew). Maintenance borescoped the engine and found no abnormalities but they did find a stress mark on the leading and trailing edge of the nickel guard on the leading edge of a single propeller blade that they believed was related to stress associated with having the lanyard attached during the engine start earlier in the day. I should have looked more closely at the previous delta T while reviewing the logbook prior to flight. If I had looked at the split it would have raised a red flag. Typically I check to see if a trend was completed that day for planning purposes so I remember to do one if one was not completed. I usually don't look at the previous specific trend data until I am completing my trend in flight. Also; confounding the fact was we had an aircraft with a deferred gpu connection and I spent a little time reviewing the flight manual to confirm our responsibilities related to this as the MEL book is very vague on this particular item; so I reviewed our battery start stuff in our flight manual prior to start so I wouldn't have any battery issues. Also confounding this was the fact that this was a crew change in the middle 2 leg flight; so we had passenger on board anxiously waiting for our departure. Supplemental information from acn 809360: this situation would have been avoided if the original crew had done a more thorough preflight and noticed the propeller tether still securing the propeller or if the outstation personnel had noticed the propeller tether prior to giving the sign for engine start. After that; the crew before us should have recognized a significant delta T shift and written up the engine. Our part in this could have been remedied if we would have noticed the delta T shift recorded in the logbook prior to departing from ZZZ. I would think that if there are going to be implements that secure propellers overnight; they should be large and brightly colored and there should be some check in place for the ground crew to make sure that those tethers are removed prior to giving the sign to the captain for engine start.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SF340 FLT CREW IS ADVISED ON LANDING THAT A PREVIOUS FLT CREW MAY HAVE STARTED AN ENGINE WITH THE PROP LANYARD ATTACHED. FLIGHT IS CANCELED AND MAINTENANCE DISPATCHED.

Narrative: UPON LNDG IN ZZZ WAS TOLD TO CONTACT DISPATCH; CALLED DISPATCH AND THEY SAID WE HAD A MAINT ISSUE AND THEY WOULD BE DELAYING US AND THEY WOULD PATCH ME THROUGH TO MAINT CTL. MAINT CTL INFORMED ME THAT ZZZ1 OPS NOTIFIED THEM OF A PROP LANYARD WAS POSSIBLY SUCKED INTO THE ENG. NO WRITE-UP WAS ENTERED INTO THE LOGBOOK BY THAT CREW. ACFT FLEW 3 FLTS PRIOR TO US ACCEPTING IT. EVERYTHING LOOKED IN ORDER IN THE LOGBOOK WHEN WE ACCEPTED THE ACFT SO WE PROCEEDED TO ZZZ AS SCHEDULED. UPON LNDG IN ZZZ AND TALKING TO MAINT CTL THEY ASKED IF A TREND HAD BEEN COMPLETED TODAY; ONE HAD BEEN COMPLETED BY THE PREVIOUS CREW AND THEY NOTED A DELTA T OF 51 DEGS BUT HAD NOT MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY RELATED TO THAT FACT. I DID NOT LOOK AT THE SPLIT WHEN I DID THE LOGBOOK REVIEW PRIOR TO OUR FLT; I ONLY LOOKED TO SEE IF A TREND HAD BEEN COMPLETED SO I COULD PLAN TO DO ONE IN FLT IF NEEDED. OUR INFLT DELTA T WAS NOT MORE THAN 15 DEGS SO WE HAD NO REASON TO BE CONCERNED. ALSO; ENRTE TO ZZZ WE OBSERVED NO ENG PARAMETERS OUT OF NORMAL AND HAD A DELTA T OF LESS THAN 15 DEGS SO EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL DURING OUR FLT. MAINT CTL DELAYED THEN CANCELED OUR FLT AND SENT A MAINT CREW OUT TO PERFORM THE REQUIRED INSPECTIONS -- MAINT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LANYARD ISSUE AND THE SUBSEQUENT DELTA T SHIFT (NOTED BY THE PREVIOUS CREW). MAINT BORESCOPED THE ENG AND FOUND NO ABNORMALITIES BUT THEY DID FIND A STRESS MARK ON THE LEADING AND TRAILING EDGE OF THE NICKEL GUARD ON THE LEADING EDGE OF A SINGLE PROP BLADE THAT THEY BELIEVED WAS RELATED TO STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH HAVING THE LANYARD ATTACHED DURING THE ENG START EARLIER IN THE DAY. I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED MORE CLOSELY AT THE PREVIOUS DELTA T WHILE REVIEWING THE LOGBOOK PRIOR TO FLT. IF I HAD LOOKED AT THE SPLIT IT WOULD HAVE RAISED A RED FLAG. TYPICALLY I CHK TO SEE IF A TREND WAS COMPLETED THAT DAY FOR PLANNING PURPOSES SO I REMEMBER TO DO ONE IF ONE WAS NOT COMPLETED. I USUALLY DON'T LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS SPECIFIC TREND DATA UNTIL I AM COMPLETING MY TREND IN FLT. ALSO; CONFOUNDING THE FACT WAS WE HAD AN ACFT WITH A DEFERRED GPU CONNECTION AND I SPENT A LITTLE TIME REVIEWING THE FLT MANUAL TO CONFIRM OUR RESPONSIBILITIES RELATED TO THIS AS THE MEL BOOK IS VERY VAGUE ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM; SO I REVIEWED OUR BATTERY START STUFF IN OUR FLT MANUAL PRIOR TO START SO I WOULDN'T HAVE ANY BATTERY ISSUES. ALSO CONFOUNDING THIS WAS THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A CREW CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE 2 LEG FLT; SO WE HAD PAX ON BOARD ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR OUR DEP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 809360: THIS SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE ORIGINAL CREW HAD DONE A MORE THOROUGH PREFLT AND NOTICED THE PROP TETHER STILL SECURING THE PROP OR IF THE OUTSTATION PERSONNEL HAD NOTICED THE PROP TETHER PRIOR TO GIVING THE SIGN FOR ENG START. AFTER THAT; THE CREW BEFORE US SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED A SIGNIFICANT DELTA T SHIFT AND WRITTEN UP THE ENG. OUR PART IN THIS COULD HAVE BEEN REMEDIED IF WE WOULD HAVE NOTICED THE DELTA T SHIFT RECORDED IN THE LOGBOOK PRIOR TO DEPARTING FROM ZZZ. I WOULD THINK THAT IF THERE ARE GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTS THAT SECURE PROPS OVERNIGHT; THEY SHOULD BE LARGE AND BRIGHTLY COLORED AND THERE SHOULD BE SOME CHK IN PLACE FOR THE GND CREW TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE TETHERS ARE REMOVED PRIOR TO GIVING THE SIGN TO THE CAPT FOR ENG START.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.