FAA's Reported Wire Incidents – October & November 2008

Author: Lectromec GSD Team

January 1, 2009

The following are the wire incidents reported in the FAA’s October and November 2008 Advisory Circular 43-16A – Alert Number 363 and 364 [Original Document2 Here] http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/alerts/aviation_maintenance/media/2008/2008_10_Alert.pdf

and here http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/alerts/aviation_maintenance/media/2008/2008_11_Alert.pdf

Incident #1

DASSAULT

Dassault: 900B; Failed Circuit Breaker; ATA 2400

A repair station report states, "While troubleshooting AC electrical outlets for being inoperative, (we) removed a floor panel to access the AC inverter and smelled burning plastic. We found this system had self-resetting circuit breakers installed that had been (resetting themselves)—and were continuing to reset (themselves)—allowing the Kapton wire insulation and spiral wrap to burn. One of the areas that burned was only three inches below a carbon flight control rod. I believe had this happened on a very long flight the outcome could have been very tragic. (It is suggested...) replacing these circuit breakers with (manually operated) circuit breakers would prevent the damage (which this report describes)." (Original Part: Kilxon Circuit breaker; P/N M13516/5-1; aircraft total time not provided.)

Part Total Time: (unknown).

Incident #2

FAA Control Number: GUU2008F00065

Aircraft Make: Beech

Aircraft Model: 1900D

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Out of Position

Difficultly Date: 9/14/2008

Part Location: Landing Light

After takeoff upon turning both landing lights switches off there was a spark coming out of the switch. Spliced and repositioned wire at LT landing light switch. Ops check good. (k)

Incident #2

FAA Control Number: USA2008F00031

Aircraft Make: Boeing

Aircraft Model: 7373G7

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Broken

Difficultly Date: 09/15/2008

Part Location: Emergency Lights

Maint reported the emergency escape path light on seat row 22, LT side, inoperative. Maint troubleshot and found a broken wire. Operational check good. (k)

Incident #3

FAA Control Number: USA2008F00032

Aircraft Make: Boeing

Aircraft Model: 7374B7

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Broken

Difficultly Date: 09/15/2008

Part Location: Emergency Lights

Maint reported the seat mounted emergency lights from seat rows 20 to 25 inoperative. Maintenance found a broken wire. Spliced wires together. Operational check good. (k)

Incident #4

FAA Control Number: USA2008F00029

Aircraft Make: Boeing

Aircraft Model: 7374B7

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Broken

Difficultly Date: 09/13/2008

Part Location: Emergency Lights

Maintenance reported the emergency escape path lighting from seat rows 19 to 25, LT side, inoperative. Maint repaired wiring at seat row 25 IAW standard practices. Emergency lighting operationally checks satisfactory. (k)

Incident #5

FAA Control Number: EIA2008050

Aircraft Make: Boeing

Aircraft Model: 747212B

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Damaged

Difficultly Date: 09/17/2008

Part Location: Emergency Lights

Each emergency light on upper deck ceiling are out. Emergency light assy U/D aft replaced IAW mm 33-51-00. Ops checked normal. Repaired wire at pin NR 3 broken at kite assy IAW standard practices also repaired pin IAW manual ops checked normal. (k)

Incident #6

FAA Control Number: NWAA084196309

Aircraft Make: Boeing

Aircraft Model: 747451

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Loose

Difficultly Date: 09/8/2008

Part Location: Emergency Lights

During over night check, found emergency floor lights from row 51 to 65 ABC inoperative. Maintenance repaired loose wire at pin connection. Ops checked good, and aircraft was returned to service.

Incident #7

FAA Control Number: 2008FA0000671

Aircraft Make: Cessna

Aircraft Model: 208B

Part Name: Wire Harness

Part Condition: Chafed

Difficultly Date: 09/24/2008

Part Location: Flap System

Tie wrap was missing from the clamp at FS 201.50, which allowed the wiring bundle containing the wires for the flap sys primary motor to sag and chafe through wire NR CC75 to the flap system and partially through LA61 to the cargo area lights on the bulkhead. This caused the flaps to only receive power to the primary motor in one direction. Since wire LA61 wasn't chaffed completely through the cargo area lights were still working.

Incident #8

FAA Control Number: COMA0860391

Aircraft Make: CNDAIR

Aircraft Model: CL6002B19

Part Name: Wire Harness

Part Condition: Failed

Difficultly Date: 09/15/2008

Part Location: NLG

Received gear disagree MSG on T/O. NLG did not retract. Performed GRH for gear disagree. Emergency declared, A/C returned back and landed safely. Removed and replaced NLG WOW NR 2 wire harness.

Incident #9

FAA Control Number: COMA0860390

Aircraft Make: CNDAIR

Aircraft Model: CL6002B19

Part Name: Wire Harness

Part Condition: Failed

Difficultly Date: 09/12/2008

Part Location: RT MLG

On climbout, received anti-skid caution MSG. Emergency declared, A/C returned back and landed safely. Removed and replaced RT MLG OB anti-skid wire harness.

Incident #10

FAA Control Number: MWE2008F00038

Aircraft Make: DOUG

Aircraft Model: DC981

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Broken

Difficultly Date: 08/27/2008

Part Location: Emergency Light

Emergency floor level lights out row 5-8. Found broken wire and repaired.

Incident #11

FAA Control Number: AALA200802267

Aircraft Make: DOUG

Aircraft Model: DC983

Part Name: Wire Harness

Part Condition: Loose

Difficultly Date: 09/03/2008

Part Location: Cabin

Emergency light at seat 15D inoperative. Secured wire harness for emergency light at seat 15D. System ground checked normal operation.

Incident #12

FAA Control Number: WGE2008F00002

Aircraft Make: Eclipse

Aircraft Model: Eclipse A500

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Damaged

Difficultly Date: 09/02/2008

Part Location: Overheat Sensor

Repaired fire overheat sensor high wire engine R0612-22 IAW EA 500 wiring repair manual section 3.27 for ops check C/W fire detection wire adjustment/ test IAW EA500, AMM 26-10-00-071-801. Ops check good. Reference log page 0875, DIS NR 2.

Incident #13

FAA Control Number: C2X2008F00043

Aircraft Make: EMB

Aircraft Model: EMB145EP

Part Name: Wire Harness

Part Condition: Burned

Difficultly Date: 09/07/2008

Part Location: Emergency Lights

During preflight inspection the crew reported a smoke odor coming from seats 3 & 4a. The A/C was released on MEL 33-20-00 Cat C control NR 153947. The ac landed, where maintenance removed and replaced the light socket harness assy at row 4A, operationally checked with no defects, removed the MEL, and the A/C was approved for return to service.

Incident #14

FAA Control Number: RAIA00809029

Aircraft Make: EMB

Aircraft Model: EMB145EP

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Broken

Difficultly Date: 09/27/2008

Part Location: NLG WOW

Landing gear air/ground fail message on the EICAS. Maint found a broken wire at the NLG WOW switch. Wires were repaired and ops check proved good fix.

Incident #15

FAA Control Number: FDK2008F00011

Aircraft Make: EMB

Aircraft Model: EMB145LR

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Broken

Difficultly Date: 09/09/2008

Part Location: Emergency Lights

Both lower exit signs and 2 floor strips inoperative. Maintenance repaired broken wire at lower assy.

Incident #16

FAA Control Number: C2XA08CL102

Aircraft Make: EMB

Aircraft Model: EMB145LR

Part Name: Wire Harness

Part Condition: Defective

Difficultly Date: 08/31/2008

Part Location: NLG

CLE flight NR2320 the crew reported an air/ground fail message in flight. The gear would not retract. The A/C returned to CLE and landed without incident. Maintenance inspected and replaced the nose gear wow harness and proximity switch. Ops checks were good.

Incident #17

FAA Control Number: JJW2008F00000

Aircraft Make: ROBSIN

Aircraft Model: R44RavenII

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Chafed

Difficultly Date: 03/25/2008

Part Location: Cabin Air

Found wiring to freeze switch had chafed through the capillary tube temp sensor releasing all its refrigerant, causing switch to open and not allow compressor to run. Switch not field replaceable, had to sent to factory for repairs. Installed spiral wrap anti-chafe to wiring on repaired part to prevent reoccurrence. Notified mfg product support of problem and was told a service bulletin would be issued.

Incident #18

FAA Control Number: 2008FA0000685

Aircraft Make: LEAR

Aircraft Model: 45LEAR

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Chafed

Difficultly Date: 09/26/2008

Part Location: Fire Detection

APU fire detection circuit breaker popped on RT cockpit circuit breaker panel during power up of aircraft. Troubleshot system found wiring chafed at fuselage station 614.210 aft equipment bay upper avionics shelf support angle PN 4525708307. The angle does not have any protection to prevent chafing of wiring from the factory and it appears that clearance is not great enough to keep the wiring from chafing. Have notified mfg tech support.

Incident #19

FAA Control Number: M7KA0628084134

Aircraft Make: UROCOP

Aircraft Model: EC130B4

Part Name: Wire Harness

Part Condition: Damaged

Difficultly Date: 09/01/2008

Part Location: Potentiometer

Failure code at shutdown indicated fault with the collective potentiometer. A new potentiometer was installed and no further defect reported. It was recently discovered that the routing of air conditioning system wiring in contact with the unshielded electrical harness for the potentiometer was causing spurious signals in the control data which were interpreted as a pontentiometer failure. Dozens of these pontentiometers were replaced. Rerouting the air conditioning wiring has almost entirely eliminated the need to replace these potentiometers.

Incident #20

FAA Control Number: MWE2008F00032

Aircraft Make: Douglas

Aircraft Model: DC981

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Broken

Difficultly Date: 08/19/2008

Part Location: Emergency Light

Emergency floor level lights inoperative from row 9 to 20. Repaired broken wire in center section of light track.

Incident #21

FAA Control Number: 2008FA0000561

Aircraft Make: Piper

Aircraft Model: PA44180

Part Name: Wire

Part Condition: Broken

Difficultly Date: 05/13/2008

Part Location: Alternator

Internal failure due to broken wires internally, heavy sparking inside engine compartment.