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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2008 SB-08-27

NTSB ISSUES URGENT RECOMMENDATIONS TO FAA TO INSPECT ALL ECLIPSE 500 THROTTLE QUADRANTS

Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board today issued two urgent recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration to address a safety issue concerning a failure that resulted in uncontrollable engine thrust in an Eclipse 500 airplane and the lack of emergency procedures developed for that failure.

The Safety Board recommended that the FAA should require immediate inspection of all Eclipse 500 airplane throttle quadrants to ensure that pushing the throttle levers against the maximum power stops will not result in an engine control failure, and that the FAA should further require that all units that fail inspection be replaced and replacement parts be similarly inspected.

On June 5, 2008, an Eclipse 500 airplane, N612KB, on approach to Chicago Midway Airport, experienced a failure that resulted in uncontrollable maximum power thrust from two Pratt and Whitney Canada PW610F turbofan engines.  After referencing the emergency procedures of the airplane’s quick reference handbook, the pilots shut down one of the engines. However, following the shutdown of the engine, the other engine rolled back to idle power and continued to be unresponsive to the throttle.  The pilots declared an emergency, were cleared to land on any runway and were able to land the plane without injury to the two pilots or two passengers.

The Safety Board noted that the dual-channel failure of both throttle levers occurred after the airplane had accumulated only 238 hours and 192 cycles since new.  As a result, the Board is concerned about the reliability of an assembly that fails in such a short time. 

The Board further noted that the Eclipse 500’s flight manual and quick reference handbook provide an emergency procedure for a single engine control failure, but not for a dual engine control failure, such as occurred in the incident.  The Safety Board is concerned that should there be another dual engine control failure aboard an Eclipse 500, pilots will be without guidance and may be unable to restore control.

On Tuesday, June 10, 2008, the Safety Board gave a preliminary briefing to the FAA on the status of its investigation into this incident and informed the agency of the Board’s intention to issue urgent recommendations. 

The Safety Board is continuing its investigation. 

A copy of the Board’s safety recommendation letter may be accessed on the NTSB’s website at the following link: http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/2008/A08_46_47.pdf.  

and

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 13, 2008 SB-08-28

NTSB CHAIRMAN LAUDS FAA FOR QUICK ACTION ON ECLIPSE 500

Washington, DC – National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker today applauded the Federal Aviation Administration for its fast response to the urgent recommendations issued yesterday by the Safety Board on the serious airworthiness issue involving the Eclipse 500.

Last night, the FAA issued an airworthiness directive addressing dual engine control failures on the Eclipse 500.  The directive informs pilots of the incident where a pilot lost left and right engine control while landing an Eclipse 500.  It also provides pilots with operational procedures to recover the control of their engines in the event of a similar incident. 

The AD, which is being sent to all owners and operators of Eclipse Aviation Corporation Model EA500 airplanes, also calls for a test procedure of the throttle quadrant to be conducted before their next flight. And, the pilots are required to report the test results to the FAA. 

“The quick FAA response to the urgent recommendations we issued could save lives,” Rosenker said.   “Additionally, the NTSB is looking forward to reviewing the results of the FAA-required inspections of these aircraft.”

Next week, the FAA and Eclipse will be conducting further evaluations and tests on the throttle quadrant from the incident aircraft.

This is my second Cirrus and a terrific airplane with very few squawks in a ~year of ownership.  The first annual was just completed and is available for review along with the rest of the logs.  The plane is in great shape,  hangared and well maintained with all scheduled oil changes, ADs and applicable SBs completed.  The TTSN is ~250 hours.  The flight time hobbs is ~20% less.  This plane was configured with every single factory option available at the time of delivery with a total invoice price of 530K. I took factory new delivery of the plane on 02/16/2007.  Almost two years of warranty coverage remain on the plane expiring on 02/16/2010. Read my factory delivery review here.  Save the brain damage of buying a G3 Cirrus with 700 changes plagued with problems.  The G2 airplanes have been thoroughly vetted over the last 4 years since introduction and are now reliable trouble free planes.  (Ask your local Cirrus Service Center how many times they see a G3 in the shop vs. a late model G2.  Ask about inaccurate fuel guages, autopilot oscillation with full scale deflection from the factory, freezing ailerons, and much more).

My only reason for selling the plane is I am buying a turbine aircraft.  I am a realist and want to close prior to taking delivery on my new airplane so I have priced the plane to sell immediately.  There is no better 4 place single engine piston on the market.  Please contact me at 813-283-0383, by using the contact page on the website, private message, or the following email address: highflying at gmail dot com. $437,000

Features & Options

TTSN: ~250 Hours

Avionics

• Primary Flight Display (PFD)
• EX5000C Multi-Function Display (MFD)
• GMA 340 Audio Panel
• GTX 327 Digital Transponder
• Engine & Fuel Monitor (EMax™)
• GNS 430/430, Autopilot 55X
• Weather Datalink & Audio Entertainment (XM)
• WX-500 Real-Time Lightning (Stormscope®)
• Traffic Information (SKYWATCH™)
• Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (TAWS-B)
• Electronic Approach Plates (CMax™)
• Flight Director

Other Features

• Built-in Oxygen System
• 406 MHz ELT
• Fan Powered Ventilation System
• Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS)
• AmSafe Airbag Safety Restraints
• TKS Deice Protection 
• Dual Alternators
• Dual Batteries
• Factory installed Reiff Preheater

Paint & Graphics 

• Leading Edge Protectant
• Tinted Windows
• Polished Spinner
• Sterling Gray/Silver Exterior
• Black & Silver Accents
• Black Leather Interior

Engine & Performance

• TCM IO-550-N, 310 hp, 6-point mount
• Hartzell 3-Blade Lightweight Composite Prop
• Tornado Alley Turbo Normalized
• Platinum Engine

No requirement to lean for best power when operating at high altitude airports with the turbo Cirrus. The turbo requires a single mixture adjustment through all phases of flight

The turbo is extraordinarily capable allowing the aircraft to capture ideal tailwind altitudes through 25,000 ft.

View of Duluth, MN Harbor at 22,000 ft.

If anybody happens to be interested in a house or two at one of the most spectacular fly in communities in America, I will be happy to do a combination deal with the plane. 

HERE

or

HERE

While twiddling my thumbs waiting for one of the VLJ manufacturers to produce a plane that is both reliable and available, I have been contemplating the existing single engine turbo prop market.  The main competitors are the Meredian by Piper, the TBM by Socata, and the PC12 by Pilatus.  Each plane is known by signature characteristics.  In the case of the PC12, it is the SUV of the skies hauling more payload farther than any aircraft short of business jets in the tens of millions.  The new TBM850 is the race car of the group offering close to 320 kt speed with excellent payload and range.  The Meridian is the price leader of the bunch, has the shortest full fuel range at 1000nm with reserves, and is marginally faster than the PC12 at 260-270 knots.  Full fuel payload is 540 pounds which is acceptable, but lower than the other two.  All three planes now have a full glass cockpit, with the PC12 now offering Honeywell, Garmin for TBM, and Avidyne for the Meridian.  The PC12, TBM850, and Meridian feature P&W engines derated for longevity and thermal concerns to 1200, 850, and 500 HP respectively with associated and correspondingly lower fuel burns.  Now for the breath removing component-a PC12 costs almost 4 million new and for the privilege you can wait until 2011 for the order backlog.  The used market has a few available, but the resale market for PC12s is so vibrant you could expect to pay in some cases more than the original list price to get one. The TBM 850 costs almost 3 million and once again you can wait in line for the privilege of getting one of the new glass panel editions.  The Meridian is just short of 2 million and is immediately available from dealers.  Since the Avidyne glass was implemented in 2006, many late model already depreciated examples are available on the resale market as well.

I decided to call up my local Piper dealer to arrange a demo flight and chose to demo a 2006 model with 400 hours.  Identical in every way to the brand new ones this 2006 seemed like a reasonable alternative to buying new given the 400K reduction in price.   

Starting with the preflight items, the first notable item is the design of the air intake for the PT6.  Without going through nauseating detail, unlike other PT6 installations, the Meridian constantly filters debris and does not require a separate take off and landing configuration for the air intake to deal with potential bird strikes or other FOD.   For what it is worth, the Meridian is a very aesthetically pleasing symmetrical plane lacking in bulbous protuberances that characterize planes like the PC12, which looks to me like a wild boar in full attack mode. 

I was pleased to see that the horizontal stabilizer and rudder have been significantly beefed up from the Piper Mirage which is one argument made in favor of the Meridian over the Mirage Jetprop conversion.  The Meridian was spin tested over 650 times during certification and offers a great deal of rudder authority.    

The Cabin door opens in two pieces with the lower half serving as the stairs.  At 6’4” one of my major concerns with the Meridian was accessibility and cabin comfort.  I found entering and exiting the cabin to be perfectly manageable and no difficulty even when considering loading luggage since the luggage space is behind the seats in the back.  The cabin area is arranged with club seating which was adequately comfortable.  It appeared to me that with careful placement four guys my size could all completely extend their legs.   The seats directly behind the pilot and co pilot are not quite as wide as the aft most seats since a narrow passageway to the cockpit is required.  I will not say that squeezing into the cockpit is not a gymnastic maneuver since it is, but once in the seat I found it to be reasonably comfortable.  Over the last few months I have been flying quite a number of hours in several different Citation models.  My analysis is that entry to the Meridian cockpit is both easier and more comfortable once there than any of the Citations I have flown.  The one exception to this is the Citation Mustang which has no console FMS and has a gloriously uncluttered cockpit, but this model falls under the VLJ category of unavailable since delivery slots are now out to 2011.  The only potential concern I found was the placement of the yoke since it hit my knees during aggressive maneuvering, but so do all of the Citations I have flown.

Once in the Meridian cockpit it felt very familiar since it shares the same Avidyne PFD and MFD configuration of my current primary plane a Cirrus SR22 Turbo.  The Meridian adds a copilot side PFD and other turbine related instrumentation and controls, but overall feels very similar to my Cirrus.  Startup is accomplished with little other than pressing on the ignition, starter and start buttons.  Engine monitoring is slightly different since you monitor torque and ITT instead of N1 and N2 for turbofans, but the reality is that the PT6 is derated to less than half of its thermodynamic horsepower capability and even in the event of an inadvertent over torque all the way to the governor, the engine is still well within its limits.  Taxiing the Meridian took some getting used to mostly since it is controlled with the engine using the Beta function instead of brakes.   Beta changes the pitch of the blades and allows the pilot to control ground speed.  It also has a reverse function, but is POH limited to 60 kts on the ground.  Beta mode is engaged simply by moving the thrust lever backwards past a detent.  An additional detent is required to enter reverse mode.  A sophisticated squat system locks out the Beta and Reverse modes in flight and only reengages when the gear is compressed on landing.    With two pilots, full fuel, and 10 degrees of flaps I gently pulled back on the elevator and the Meridian jumped off the runway around 80 knots.  Staying off the brakes was a bit of a challenge at first since my big feet had to be halfway off the rudders to not touch the brakes.  Once airborne, the plane trimmed easily and once cleaned up began a 2000 ft per minute climb rate with IAS never decreasing below 140kts.  A notable feature of the Meridian gear is that the gear are not only hydraulically actuated, but once retracted depend on the hydraulics to remain stowed.  If the hydraulics are inoperative the gear simply falls down.  A great feature in my opinion since there will never be any blowing or cranking to get faulty gear down.  While hand flying through 14K ft I spent some time maneuvering and must say the plane handled beautifully.  The controls were solid and unencumbered with immediate response to inputs.   50 degree steep turns felt very stable as did all other elements of flight.  The first notch of flaps comes down at 168IAS and with gear down and idle power emergency descents are precipitous but feel very controlled.  This maneuver highlights my only real issue with the Meridian and that is redline.   Unlike a piston, the Meridian will blast through redline in every phase of flight without proper management.  VMO (Max Operating Airspeed similar to VNE in a piston) is 188kts and requires power be quickly removed in descents. 

The Meggit 1500 digital autopilot immediately responds to heading inputs without using a rate based equation as its predecessor the STEC 55X.  It also features a constant airspeed mode which is tremendously helpful not only in managing the aforementioned low VNE, but also in busy airspace where speeds are assigned.  My flight ended around 15K ft, and TAS was around 230 kts at 75% torque.  Extrapolation of TAS to 25k ft shows this plane would easily obtain book airspeed numbers.   On the return, speeds in the pattern were very similar to most pistons.  Short final at 90 kts and over the numbers around 80 resulted in a fair landing.  Using the Beta function, the plane seemed to stop incredibly fast.