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PA-31 pilot reported the right pneumatic pump failed; so he diverted after consulting dispatch.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1317785 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201512 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-31 Navajo/Chieftan/Mojave/T1040 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Flight Phase | Takeoff |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Pneumatic System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe |
Narrative:
Right.H. Pneumatic pump warning annunciator came on and remained on during the entire flight. I pushed the annunciator to see if that would reset it; but the light would not go out. I contacted dispatch from the air and the dispatcher discussed the situation with maintenance. After that discussion; dispatch asked that I return directly to ZZZ; which I did without any issues. During the flight all pressure-driven flight instruments operated normally and the pressure was normal. De-ice boots were not needed during this flight. Maintenance removed and replaced the right.H. Pneumatic pump and told me that the shaft in the old pump had sheared. It was a hard pump failure. I don't know the maintenance and performance history of the pneumatic pumps but if they are like the vacuum pumps typically used on smaller GA airplanes; they can be problematic and prone to failure. Some owners/operators replace vacuum pumps prophylactically at 500 hours time in service.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA-31 pilot reported the right pneumatic pump failed; so he diverted after consulting Dispatch.
Narrative: R.H. pneumatic pump warning annunciator came on and remained on during the entire flight. I pushed the annunciator to see if that would reset it; but the light would not go out. I contacted dispatch from the air and the dispatcher discussed the situation with maintenance. After that discussion; dispatch asked that I return directly to ZZZ; which I did without any issues. During the flight all pressure-driven flight instruments operated normally and the pressure was normal. De-ice boots were not needed during this flight. Maintenance removed and replaced the R.H. pneumatic pump and told me that the shaft in the old pump had sheared. It was a hard pump failure. I don't know the maintenance and performance history of the pneumatic pumps but if they are like the vacuum pumps typically used on smaller GA airplanes; they can be problematic and prone to failure. Some owners/operators replace vacuum pumps prophylactically at 500 hours time in service.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.