Narrative:

The PIC called me very early in the morning and told me that; on base to final; the fuel filter light had come on and the PIC had written it up. I came in and removed the a/F fuel filter (part number) (P/north xxxxx-22) and installed a new filter that I had in stock (P/north xxxxx-45). This filter is listed in the ipc (illustrated parts catalog) as the alternate filter for this ecureuil AS350B-2 eurocopter.the pilot and I did an operational check; and the light did not come back on. I released the aircraft back to service. At 8 hours later the PIC called me and told me that while enroute to a call; the filter light came on; and they had to divert to XXX airport where YYY is based at. The mechanic there changed the filter again; thinking maybe I had received a bad filter (same P/north). The pilot then took off to return to base and five minutes into flight the light came on again. So the pilot returned to XXX airport. I discussed the situation with the mechanic there and decided that the pressure switch was bad. So I ordered an (aircraft on ground) aog counter to counter. Received the part next day and installed it on aircraft and performed a run-up.the light was coming on even sooner than before. So while the aircraft was running; I unplugged the pressure [switch connector] and had the pilot bring the power up to 80%; showing that the wires were not chafed and touching the airframe causing the light to come on. I plugged the cannon plug back up to pressure switch and then had the pilot bring the power back up. The light came on again. Next day I removed the filter housing and inspected and cleaned to make sure that there was no debris in the housing or fuel lines. I then reinstalled the filter housing with the same filter and performed a leak check by turning the boost pumps on. Now the clog indicator was popping up; so I called the engine manufacturer's technical representative and told him what was going on.the technical representative told me that he had the same problem with another aircraft. He told me to remove the paper filter (P/north XXXX-45) and install a metal filter (P/north xxxxx-22) and that should take care of the problem. I removed the paper filter and installed a metal filter and turned the boost pumps on and the clog indicator was no longer popping. I rolled the aircraft outside and performed a run-up. I had the pilot bring power up to 89% and the light did not come on. I returned the aircraft back to service and the pilot returned to base with no problems.manager's note: this report was submitted by corporate safety; not because the mechanic did anything wrong; but because this has apparently been occurring at other bases with this particular part and should be addressed with the part's manufacturer. It is a safety concern because this light can be a distraction to the PIC in flight and similar events have been reported. The aircraft is an AS350 B2.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Mechanic reports about his trouble shooting efforts to correct a chronic fuel filter pressure light illuminating in-flight and on the ground when an approved paper fuel filter was used on a Ecureuil AS 350B-2 Eurocopter aircraft.

Narrative: The PIC called me very early in the morning and told me that; on base to final; the Fuel Filter light had come on and the PIC had written it up. I came in and removed the A/F fuel filter (Part Number) (P/N XXXXX-22) and installed a new filter that I had in stock (P/N XXXXX-45). This filter is listed in the IPC (Illustrated Parts Catalog) as the alternate filter for this Ecureuil AS350B-2 Eurocopter.The Pilot and I did an Operational Check; and the light did not come back on. I released the aircraft back to service. At 8 hours later the PIC called me and told me that while enroute to a call; the filter light came on; and they had to divert to XXX Airport where YYY is based at. The Mechanic there changed the filter again; thinking maybe I had received a bad filter (same P/N). The Pilot then took off to return to base and five minutes into flight the light came on again. So the pilot returned to XXX Airport. I discussed the situation with the Mechanic there and decided that the pressure switch was bad. So I ordered an (Aircraft on Ground) AOG counter to counter. Received the part next day and installed it on aircraft and performed a run-up.The light was coming on even sooner than before. So while the aircraft was running; I unplugged the pressure [switch connector] and had the Pilot bring the power up to 80%; showing that the wires were not chafed and touching the airframe causing the light to come on. I plugged the Cannon plug back up to pressure switch and then had the Pilot bring the power back up. The light came on again. Next day I removed the filter housing and inspected and cleaned to make sure that there was no debris in the housing or fuel lines. I then reinstalled the filter housing with the same filter and performed a leak check by turning the boost pumps on. Now the clog indicator was popping up; so I called the engine Manufacturer's Technical Representative and told him what was going on.The Technical Representative told me that he had the same problem with another aircraft. He told me to remove the paper filter (P/N XXXX-45) and install a metal filter (P/N XXXXX-22) and that should take care of the problem. I removed the paper filter and installed a metal filter and turned the boost pumps on and the clog indicator was no longer popping. I rolled the aircraft outside and performed a run-up. I had the Pilot bring power up to 89% and the light did not come on. I returned the aircraft back to service and the Pilot returned to base with no problems.Manager's Note: This report was submitted by Corporate Safety; not because the Mechanic did anything wrong; but because this has apparently been occurring at other bases with this particular part and should be addressed with the part's Manufacturer. It is a safety concern because this light can be a distraction to the PIC in flight and similar events have been reported. The aircraft is an AS350 B2.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.