Page 17 - Volume 11 Number 11

Once the drains were closed, the next takeoff was, of course, normal and I departed on my way. In the shop’s defense, I will mention that the drain valve blade “handles” were unusual. When the metal blade was parallel with the drain line, the drain was closed. Vice versa, when the blade was perpendicular to the line, it was open. Strange and unusual! In fact, as we examined the drains we noted that someone previously had used a Sharpie to draw a picture on the back side of the access panel, showing clearly the proper open and closed orientations of the blade. The mechanic this time obviously did not notice that picture.
Could this mistake have been caught before takeoff? I doubt it, except by observing the airspeed indicators during a ground pressurization test. The main takeaway here is the advantage of making that first flight in day, visual conditions. I hope I could have handled this abnormality successfully even at night or departing into a low overcast, but I am thankful that those conditions did not exist. I would encourage strongly that the first post-maintenance flight be VFR.
A 300 in Sad Shape
A customer and friend, an owner-pilot of a sweet later model 300, was in the habit of asking me to help him perform the post-maintenance acceptance flight. I enjoy doing this and was happy to provide my assistance. First,
I observed that the threshold and cabin door step lights were inop. The mechanic found a short in the wiring and had it fixed in a relatively short time. Doing the cockpit check I found that the Engine Anti-Ice switches were Off, although it is proper procedure in the 300 to have the ice vanes extended (Engine Anti-Ice On) for all ground operation. When questioned about that, the mechanic stated, “It is easier to re-install the cowling with the vanes up.” Okay, that explains it, I thought. But it dawned on me later that either he never did a ground run-up after the cowls were reinstalled or did it with the vanes up ... increasing the chance for FOD. Either is unacceptable.
After we reached the run-up area and performed the complete procedure, we found that neither side’s propeller autofeather system was functioning correctly. That system is a required, no-go item in all 300s. The RH side had no autofeather action at all, whereas the LH side had everything happening at the higher torque value. (At 17 percent torque, the opposite annunciator should extinguish and actual feathering should occur near 10 percent, but here it was all happening together at 17 percent, indicating a chance of feathering both propellers at the same time!)
Needless to say, the 300 was not picked up that day, but nearly a week later.
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NOVEMBER 2017 KING AIR MAGAZINE • 15