Engine Failure, Lake Burbury, Tasmania, on 5 February 2006, VH-KLP, Cessna 208

On 5 February 2006, at approximately 1725 Eastern Daylight-saving Time, a Cessna Aircraft Company 208 floatplane, registered VH-KLP, departed from Strahan, Tasmania on a chartered tourist flight over Frenchman's Cap with the pilot and ten passengers.

When the aircraft was over Frenchman's Cap at an altitude of 4,500 ft above mean sea level, the pilot observed that a chip detector light on the master caution warning panel had illuminated. The pilot decided to land the plane as soon as possible. During the diversion, five minutes after the chip detector light illuminated, a loud noise was heard and the engine lost power. The pilot immediately feathered the propeller and carried out a forced landing on Lake Burbury.

The pilot reported that the aircraft landed heavily, and its forward speed could not be controlled. The aircraft came to a stop on a mud bank on the edge of Lake Burbury with its floats clear of the water. There were no reported injuries.

The engine was removed, disassembled and inspected, revealing damaged components with characteristics consistent with electrical discharge damage. The source of the electrical discharge damage was a starter-generator that was replaced due to a malfunction 18.7 hours prior to the engine failing. This was the forty-third reported starter-generator electrical discharge damage event reported to have taken place on PT6A series engines world-wide since 1992.

As a result of this investigation several safety recommendations have been issued to the aircraft manufacturer, the engine manufacturer, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Transport Canada and the US Federal Aviation Administration.

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Recommendations

[R20070015] [R20070016]  [R20070017]  [R20070018]  [R20070019]  [R20070020]  [R20070021]  [R20070022]  [R20070023]  [R20070024]