Issued: March 2017
ATA 00 – Contacting Technical Support
Textron Aviation Technical Support is here to provide technical assistance to owner/operators either by phone or email and sometimes even in person. In order for Technical Support to do this job effectively and accurately, some basic information will be required before the issue is brought to the Technical Representative (Tech Rep). When contacting Technical Support, please ALWAYS include the following:
- Airplane’s serial number
- A detailed description of the issue
- Pictures
- Dimensions, if applicable
- When troubleshooting, tell us what you have already done
- If you have already contacted us and reached another technical representative, let us know their name, this includes any field representative
- Where you are calling/writing from
- If the call is related to an STC or kit
A wealth of information can be provided to the Tech Rep by first providing the serial number of the airplane. The serial number tells the model of the King Air that is in work. Providing the serial number allows the Tech Rep to determine whether the King Air is a 1966 or 2017 model. This will confirm what engines, avionics, propellers, and landing gear (mechanical or hydraulic) systems are installed on the airplane. Knowing the serial number as soon as the conversation begins, the Tech Rep can start reaching for the correct Maintenance Manual, Illustrated Parts Catalog, etc.
A detailed description of the issue prevents the Tech Rep from requiring going back to the customer with more questions regarding the issue. This is crucial in areas where there is a substantial time difference as it may take a 24-hour cycle to complete the conversation.
Be sure to provide, in detail, all work that has already been completed to prevent duplicating the repair efforts. If the issue is already in work with another Tech Rep, let us know so we do not have to start all over again.
Supplying the area where the airplane is being serviced will allow the Tech Rep to contact the nearest Field Rep and/or the closest Service Facility to aid in resolving the issue.
Tech Reps are unable to assist with STCs installed by third parties due to the lack of technical data required to provide accurate support. Please contact the STC holder and/or installer for assistance. Tech Reps can, however, assist with kits developed by Textron Aviation. Be sure to have the kit number ready for quicker response time.
ATA 30 – King Air 250 Propeller De-Ice Boot Protection Circuit Kit, Rev 1
BB-1509 and after; BL-141 and after; BY-1 and after; BZ-1 and after with Composite Propeller Blade STC SA02130SE
King Air Communiqué ME-TP-001 announced the availability of kit 101-3301-0001. This announcement was made premature as the kit has not cleared the final stages for certification. This kit is not yet available, please disregard.
ATA 52 – Cabin Door Weight Limit
All
There have been some reports of the cabin door hinge and the cabin door upper channel cracking prompting the question: What is the cabin door weight limit?
There are no published cabin door weight limits, but it has been a common practice not to allow more than one person at a time on the cabin door. Some operators have even gone to the extent of installing a homemade placard stating, “One person on steps at a time.”
The “one person at a time” rule does little if the one person is heavier than the normal person in the general population. Also, there is an issue with ambulance operators where it requires more than one person at the time in addition to the stretcher and the patient they are trying to load. For these instances, it is a good idea to provide the door some additional support. This communiqué online shows a solution created by one of the operators. The support is placed on the ground in line with the cabin door to provide support while loading and unloading operations are taking place.
Painting the support bright orange and installing flags may help to make it more visible. There is the risk of leaving the support behind as it is not in the line of sight of the person closing the door, so installing flags may aid in preventing this.
The single cable handrail in-stallation makes this situation worse in that the weight loads on the cabin door excerpt a twisting motion on the door. These airplanes will benefit by installation of the dual cable kit. This kit provides parts and information to install an additional cable on the forward side of the door. There is no kit available for the King Air B300 as most B300s left the factory with these cables installed. Kit information is provided online within this communiqué.
The above information is abbreviated for space purposes. For the entire communication, go to www.txtavsupport.com.
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