Narrative:

Reported to our aircraft at XA40. It was rainy (moderate) and had been all night. All aircraft doors were closed. Entering the flight deck, I noticed that the floor was soaked with water. Flight attendant informed me that there was a leak in the center aisle overhead at row 3. It was a steady drip of water. I gently pressed on the overhead and at 1/2, coffee cup of water drained out. I contacted maintenance. It did not appear that any water had leaked in from a door area. It was determined the water was leaking from a seal in the beacon and that it could not be fixed. However, if we were able to pressurize the aircraft we could fly it home. While performing checks in preparation for engine start to pressurize the aircraft (APU deferred) I noticed a number of anomalies with various system tests: engine fire detection loop was inoperative, lamp drier unit #2 would not illuminate any lights, left 10TH stage bleed warning message would not appear. Additionally, the flight attendant informed me that a number of sidewall lights were flickering in the cabin. Under supervision of a mechanic, we started engine and verified the aircraft would pressurize. However, the source of the left 10TH stage bleed warning failure could not be determined and we were instructed to ferry the aircraft home. I asked the mechanic how I would know if there were a leak in the left 10TH stage bleed and he informed me that I would get a right 10TH stage warning message. This seemed completely bogus and caused me great concern. Additionally, I was very concerned about water having degraded the aircraft electrical system, thus accounting for all the other electrical anomalies. The leak in the cabin from the overhead persisted. Having heard that in cases such as this water had leaked into the avionics bay and caused numerous system failures in flight, we checked the avionics bay and found it contained as much as 1/2 inch of standing water in spots. WX in ZZZ was 300 ft overcast and 1 mi in TRSA with numerous level 3 along our route of flight. I contacted our chief pilot for guidance, as I did not feel comfortable flying the aircraft in these conditions. Eventually, that day the rain stopped, the aircraft 'dried out' sufficiently for electrical functions to appear normal and the WX improved. Under the direction of our CL65 program manager we ferried the aircraft home (did not use left 10TH bleed). Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated when ground power was plugged in it would drop off intermittently and a section of cabin lighting was blinking continuously, fire warning would not test. The reporter said the left 10TH stage pneumatic leak problem was not corrected and was of great concern about whether it was a leak or a false warning. The reporter stated the airplane was not operable in these unsafe conditions. The reporter stated the airplane was left on the ground for 11 hours to dry out. The reporter said the airplane was then ferried to a maintenance facility for repair.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CANADAIR CL65 WITH OVERNIGHT LAYOVER IN RAIN HAD NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL FAULTS AND SYS FAILURES WHEN TESTED IN MORNING. CAUSED BY LEAKING UPPER FUSELAGE ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT.

Narrative: RPTED TO OUR ACFT AT XA40. IT WAS RAINY (MODERATE) AND HAD BEEN ALL NIGHT. ALL ACFT DOORS WERE CLOSED. ENTERING THE FLT DECK, I NOTICED THAT THE FLOOR WAS SOAKED WITH WATER. FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE CTR AISLE OVERHEAD AT ROW 3. IT WAS A STEADY DRIP OF WATER. I GENTLY PRESSED ON THE OVERHEAD AND AT 1/2, COFFEE CUP OF WATER DRAINED OUT. I CONTACTED MAINT. IT DID NOT APPEAR THAT ANY WATER HAD LEAKED IN FROM A DOOR AREA. IT WAS DETERMINED THE WATER WAS LEAKING FROM A SEAL IN THE BEACON AND THAT IT COULD NOT BE FIXED. HOWEVER, IF WE WERE ABLE TO PRESSURIZE THE ACFT WE COULD FLY IT HOME. WHILE PERFORMING CHKS IN PREPARATION FOR ENG START TO PRESSURIZE THE ACFT (APU DEFERRED) I NOTICED A NUMBER OF ANOMALIES WITH VARIOUS SYS TESTS: ENG FIRE DETECTION LOOP WAS INOP, LAMP DRIER UNIT #2 WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE ANY LIGHTS, L 10TH STAGE BLEED WARNING MESSAGE WOULD NOT APPEAR. ADDITIONALLY, THE FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT A NUMBER OF SIDEWALL LIGHTS WERE FLICKERING IN THE CABIN. UNDER SUPERVISION OF A MECH, WE STARTED ENG AND VERIFIED THE ACFT WOULD PRESSURIZE. HOWEVER, THE SOURCE OF THE L 10TH STAGE BLEED WARNING FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED AND WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO FERRY THE ACFT HOME. I ASKED THE MECH HOW I WOULD KNOW IF THERE WERE A LEAK IN THE L 10TH STAGE BLEED AND HE INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD GET A R 10TH STAGE WARNING MESSAGE. THIS SEEMED COMPLETELY BOGUS AND CAUSED ME GREAT CONCERN. ADDITIONALLY, I WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WATER HAVING DEGRADED THE ACFT ELECTRICAL SYS, THUS ACCOUNTING FOR ALL THE OTHER ELECTRICAL ANOMALIES. THE LEAK IN THE CABIN FROM THE OVERHEAD PERSISTED. HAVING HEARD THAT IN CASES SUCH AS THIS WATER HAD LEAKED INTO THE AVIONICS BAY AND CAUSED NUMEROUS SYS FAILURES IN FLT, WE CHKED THE AVIONICS BAY AND FOUND IT CONTAINED AS MUCH AS 1/2 INCH OF STANDING WATER IN SPOTS. WX IN ZZZ WAS 300 FT OVCST AND 1 MI IN TRSA WITH NUMEROUS LEVEL 3 ALONG OUR RTE OF FLT. I CONTACTED OUR CHIEF PLT FOR GUIDANCE, AS I DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE FLYING THE ACFT IN THESE CONDITIONS. EVENTUALLY, THAT DAY THE RAIN STOPPED, THE ACFT 'DRIED OUT' SUFFICIENTLY FOR ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS TO APPEAR NORMAL AND THE WX IMPROVED. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF OUR CL65 PROGRAM MGR WE FERRIED THE ACFT HOME (DID NOT USE L 10TH BLEED). CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED WHEN GND PWR WAS PLUGGED IN IT WOULD DROP OFF INTERMITTENTLY AND A SECTION OF CABIN LIGHTING WAS BLINKING CONTINUOUSLY, FIRE WARNING WOULD NOT TEST. THE RPTR SAID THE L 10TH STAGE PNEUMATIC LEAK PROB WAS NOT CORRECTED AND WAS OF GREAT CONCERN ABOUT WHETHER IT WAS A LEAK OR A FALSE WARNING. THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT OPERABLE IN THESE UNSAFE CONDITIONS. THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS LEFT ON THE GND FOR 11 HRS TO DRY OUT. THE RPTR SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN FERRIED TO A MAINT FACILITY FOR REPAIR.

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.