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PA-31-350 pilot reported experiencing engine difficulties requiring the left engine be shut down. Pilot returned to departure airport and landed without incident.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1389498 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201609 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.ARTCC |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-31 Navajo/Chieftan/Mojave/T1040 |
| Flight Phase | Climb |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
I departed the airport; during the climb performance was less than normal; approximately 500 feet/minute at blue line. The left oil pressure was low; but still in the green. Left cylinder head temperature (cht) and left oil temperature was high; so I enrichened the mixture and fully opened the left cowl flap. At about 6;000 feet I felt mild surging of the left engine; however the surging was not reflected in the manifold pressure or RPM gauge; this continued for 1 minute and then ceased. I continued to climb out at 400-500 feet/minute up to 9;500 feet where I leveled off to see how the plane would perform in level flight.with cruise power settings the plane was unable to maintain altitude at blue line. I informed center of the problem and picked up an IFR clearance. The left engine performance continued to decrease and I was unable to maintain altitude with climb power setting; so I shut down and feathered the left engine. With the left engine secured; the plane was able to maintain altitude and airspeed. I [advised ATC of the situation] and landed. I was able to clear the active runway and shut down the plane on taxiway.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA-31-350 pilot reported experiencing engine difficulties requiring the left engine be shut down. Pilot returned to departure airport and landed without incident.
Narrative: I departed the airport; during the climb performance was less than normal; approximately 500 feet/minute at blue line. The left oil pressure was low; but still in the green. Left Cylinder Head Temperature (CHT) and left oil temperature was high; so I enrichened the mixture and fully opened the left cowl flap. At about 6;000 feet I felt mild surging of the left engine; however the surging was not reflected in the manifold pressure or RPM gauge; this continued for 1 minute and then ceased. I continued to climb out at 400-500 feet/minute up to 9;500 feet where I leveled off to see how the plane would perform in level flight.With cruise power settings the plane was unable to maintain altitude at blue line. I informed Center of the problem and picked up an IFR clearance. The left engine performance continued to decrease and I was unable to maintain altitude with climb power setting; so I shut down and feathered the left engine. With the left engine secured; the plane was able to maintain altitude and airspeed. I [advised ATC of the situation] and landed. I was able to clear the active runway and shut down the plane on taxiway.
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.