Narrative:

Part 91 flight from orf to ruq. Aircraft was plugged in with ground power unit. Aircraft left engine was started first with no problem. Right engine was started, but the start sequence was slower than normal. Signal was given to disconnect ground power unit and all system on aircraft went dead. We placed the generator switches to on and nothing happened. We shut the engines down using normal procedures. After reviewing the start with the first officer and going over the checklist we felt we had a dead battery. I got out of the aircraft and went to the back to check if the battery was plugged in securely and found that it was. We told our passenger that they might as well wait inside while we made some phone calls. I called my chief pilot and told him about the problem that we were having. He first asked what did you leave on to run the battery down? I told him that nothing was left on and that we either had a dead battery or a starter relay was bad. He told me to call the citation service in gso and to ask what they thought might be the be the problem. I talked to the weekend service manager and told him the events. I also stated that our other plane might be available to pick the passenger up and that it could swing by gso and pick up a mechanic and parts and bring to orf. He stated that he would start looking for all possible problems and get the parts together with a crew and be ready. I called my chief pilot back and explained to him what I was told by the service center. He then said to plug the ground power unit into the aircraft and charge the battery that way. I reminded him that the operations manual of the citation states not to charge the battery by a ground power unit, that this could cause a lot of damage. The chief pilot stated well the service center does not agree with me on these things but this is what you do. We did try to charge the battery with the ground power unit but it did not charge. The chief pilot then told us to start the engines and turn the generator on before disconnecting the ground power unit. He stated to load the passenger up and to fly back VFR with no battery. I told him that we were not going to put the passenger on the aircraft and fly with no battery. He stated have you ever had a dual generator failure? I stated that we do not know what the electrical problem is that is causing this, but if I had no battery then that is when I would have a dual generator failure. The other pilot and I felt very uncomfortable with passenger on board and were not going to do this. We did however feel that since it was daylight and VFR we could fly it to the service center in gso and drop it off so they could work on it. With the two of us we still felt somewhat uneasy about doing it but felt like if the worst would happen we would lose the generator and then we would land at the nearest airport. Our flight was uneventful and we arrived in gso with no further problems. Driving back home my first officer and I were talking and we both thought after the fact that we should have obtained a ferry permit for the flight. Our chief pilot did not suggest this at all and even wanted the passenger boarded and flown home. My first officer and I never discussed a ferry permit prior to the flight we were so concentrated on trying to get the plane fixed and to find out what the problem was, and getting the passenger home on the other company plane, that it really never was thought of or discussed. We feel that we should have obtained a ferry permit, and talking to some other people in aviation, not our chief pilot, that this would have been the right and safe action to take. The aircraft battery relay was the problem, and a new relay was installed. We are picking the plane up tomorrow jul/xx/96. The battery had 26 volts on the test after we arrived at the service center in gso. I want you to know that at no time did the service center say to fly the plane. They wanted to come to orf and check out the plane, stating that they might not fix the problem on sat but they would either drive up or have our other company pick them up. The service center said not to charge the battery using the APU, and I stated that my first officer and I agreed, but we did as our chief pilot told us to do. As I have said, our other company plane picked the passenger up in orf and flew them home. My first officer and I feel that a ferry permit should have been obtained and if the situation ever came up again then we would obtain the ferry permit. This statement is written by both myself and my first officer. We felt this would not only save time but paperwork. Our names are on the identify strip with my address and phone number. Please call if you have any questions. Thank you for your time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. DEAD BATTERY DUE TO FAULTY RELAY. THE ACFT MANUFACTURER WAS GOING TO BRING SOMEONE TO REPAIR THE ACFT, BUT THE FLC'S CHIEF PLT TRIED TO COERCE THEM TO FLYING PAX WITHOUT A BATTERY TO WHICH THEY REFUSED. THE FLC DID AGREE TO FERRY THE ACFT TO THE SVC CTR VFR WITHOUT A BATTERY WHICH THEY DID UNEVENTFULLY. LATER THEY REALIZED THAT A FERRY PERMIT WAS PROBABLY REQUIRED UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Narrative: PART 91 FLT FROM ORF TO RUQ. ACFT WAS PLUGGED IN WITH GND PWR UNIT. ACFT L ENG WAS STARTED FIRST WITH NO PROB. R ENG WAS STARTED, BUT THE START SEQUENCE WAS SLOWER THAN NORMAL. SIGNAL WAS GIVEN TO DISCONNECT GND PWR UNIT AND ALL SYS ON ACFT WENT DEAD. WE PLACED THE GENERATOR SWITCHES TO ON AND NOTHING HAPPENED. WE SHUT THE ENGS DOWN USING NORMAL PROCS. AFTER REVIEWING THE START WITH THE FO AND GOING OVER THE CHKLIST WE FELT WE HAD A DEAD BATTERY. I GOT OUT OF THE ACFT AND WENT TO THE BACK TO CHK IF THE BATTERY WAS PLUGGED IN SECURELY AND FOUND THAT IT WAS. WE TOLD OUR PAX THAT THEY MIGHT AS WELL WAIT INSIDE WHILE WE MADE SOME PHONE CALLS. I CALLED MY CHIEF PLT AND TOLD HIM ABOUT THE PROB THAT WE WERE HAVING. HE FIRST ASKED WHAT DID YOU LEAVE ON TO RUN THE BATTERY DOWN? I TOLD HIM THAT NOTHING WAS LEFT ON AND THAT WE EITHER HAD A DEAD BATTERY OR A STARTER RELAY WAS BAD. HE TOLD ME TO CALL THE CITATION SVC IN GSO AND TO ASK WHAT THEY THOUGHT MIGHT BE THE BE THE PROB. I TALKED TO THE WEEKEND SVC MGR AND TOLD HIM THE EVENTS. I ALSO STATED THAT OUR OTHER PLANE MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO PICK THE PAX UP AND THAT IT COULD SWING BY GSO AND PICK UP A MECH AND PARTS AND BRING TO ORF. HE STATED THAT HE WOULD START LOOKING FOR ALL POSSIBLE PROBS AND GET THE PARTS TOGETHER WITH A CREW AND BE READY. I CALLED MY CHIEF PLT BACK AND EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT I WAS TOLD BY THE SVC CTR. HE THEN SAID TO PLUG THE GND PWR UNIT INTO THE ACFT AND CHARGE THE BATTERY THAT WAY. I REMINDED HIM THAT THE OPS MANUAL OF THE CITATION STATES NOT TO CHARGE THE BATTERY BY A GND PWR UNIT, THAT THIS COULD CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE. THE CHIEF PLT STATED WELL THE SVC CTR DOES NOT AGREE WITH ME ON THESE THINGS BUT THIS IS WHAT YOU DO. WE DID TRY TO CHARGE THE BATTERY WITH THE GND PWR UNIT BUT IT DID NOT CHARGE. THE CHIEF PLT THEN TOLD US TO START THE ENGS AND TURN THE GENERATOR ON BEFORE DISCONNECTING THE GND PWR UNIT. HE STATED TO LOAD THE PAX UP AND TO FLY BACK VFR WITH NO BATTERY. I TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO PUT THE PAX ON THE ACFT AND FLY WITH NO BATTERY. HE STATED HAVE YOU EVER HAD A DUAL GENERATOR FAILURE? I STATED THAT WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE ELECTRICAL PROB IS THAT IS CAUSING THIS, BUT IF I HAD NO BATTERY THEN THAT IS WHEN I WOULD HAVE A DUAL GENERATOR FAILURE. THE OTHER PLT AND I FELT VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH PAX ON BOARD AND WERE NOT GOING TO DO THIS. WE DID HOWEVER FEEL THAT SINCE IT WAS DAYLIGHT AND VFR WE COULD FLY IT TO THE SVC CTR IN GSO AND DROP IT OFF SO THEY COULD WORK ON IT. WITH THE TWO OF US WE STILL FELT SOMEWHAT UNEASY ABOUT DOING IT BUT FELT LIKE IF THE WORST WOULD HAPPEN WE WOULD LOSE THE GENERATOR AND THEN WE WOULD LAND AT THE NEAREST ARPT. OUR FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL AND WE ARRIVED IN GSO WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. DRIVING BACK HOME MY FO AND I WERE TALKING AND WE BOTH THOUGHT AFTER THE FACT THAT WE SHOULD HAVE OBTAINED A FERRY PERMIT FOR THE FLT. OUR CHIEF PLT DID NOT SUGGEST THIS AT ALL AND EVEN WANTED THE PAX BOARDED AND FLOWN HOME. MY FO AND I NEVER DISCUSSED A FERRY PERMIT PRIOR TO THE FLT WE WERE SO CONCENTRATED ON TRYING TO GET THE PLANE FIXED AND TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROB WAS, AND GETTING THE PAX HOME ON THE OTHER COMPANY PLANE, THAT IT REALLY NEVER WAS THOUGHT OF OR DISCUSSED. WE FEEL THAT WE SHOULD HAVE OBTAINED A FERRY PERMIT, AND TALKING TO SOME OTHER PEOPLE IN AVIATION, NOT OUR CHIEF PLT, THAT THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE RIGHT AND SAFE ACTION TO TAKE. THE ACFT BATTERY RELAY WAS THE PROB, AND A NEW RELAY WAS INSTALLED. WE ARE PICKING THE PLANE UP TOMORROW JUL/XX/96. THE BATTERY HAD 26 VOLTS ON THE TEST AFTER WE ARRIVED AT THE SVC CTR IN GSO. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT AT NO TIME DID THE SVC CTR SAY TO FLY THE PLANE. THEY WANTED TO COME TO ORF AND CHK OUT THE PLANE, STATING THAT THEY MIGHT NOT FIX THE PROB ON SAT BUT THEY WOULD EITHER DRIVE UP OR HAVE OUR OTHER COMPANY PICK THEM UP. THE SVC CTR SAID NOT TO CHARGE THE BATTERY USING THE APU, AND I STATED THAT MY FO AND I AGREED, BUT WE DID AS OUR CHIEF PLT TOLD US TO DO. AS I HAVE SAID, OUR OTHER COMPANY PLANE PICKED THE PAX UP IN ORF AND FLEW THEM HOME. MY FO AND I FEEL THAT A FERRY PERMIT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBTAINED AND IF THE SIT EVER CAME UP AGAIN THEN WE WOULD OBTAIN THE FERRY PERMIT. THIS STATEMENT IS WRITTEN BY BOTH MYSELF AND MY FO. WE FELT THIS WOULD NOT ONLY SAVE TIME BUT PAPERWORK. OUR NAMES ARE ON THE IDENT STRIP WITH MY ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER. PLEASE CALL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.