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.
Download complete report [ PDF 3520 Mb]
Recommendations
[R20070015]
[R20070016]
[R20070017]
[R20070018]
[R20070019]
[R20070020]
[R20070021]
[R20070022]
[R20070023]
[R20070024]