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Don't Ignore Perception that "Something Doesn't Seem Right"...Exhaust leak in CT210

WindOnHisNose

BENEFACTOR
Lino Lakes MN (MY18)
Recently Julie and I were flying the CT210 down to southwest MN on Christmas Day to see the grandkids and when we took off we both heard a clicking sound coming from the right side of the instrument panel. The aircraft had just come out of annual and I had a new Hobbs meter put in, and it is in the right side of the cockpit and I remember thinking that perhaps this was making the noise. I changed the power to see if it affected the noise, and it didn't. We were just a few miles from the airport when I made the decision to discontinue the flight and return to base. I had no issues returning to the airport, and all the CHT's and EGT's remained normal. We flew the cub down and had a good Christmas!

I phoned Mike Wiskus, the owner of West Metro Aviation, Sunday and he said I could fly it back over first thing Monday morning. I had the day off, so that was the plan.

I took off for the 10 minute flight to Buffalo MN and it was uneventful for the taxi and first minute of flight. I climbed to 2500 ft msl and noticed that the clicking sound remained. Upon leveling off I throttled back to a MP of 25", reduced the RPM and noticed that the MP was decreasing significantly, lowering to 23". I advanced the throttle and this did not increase the MP.
MP pressure.jpg

At that point I was maintaining altitude, but knew that something was seriously wrong and found myself at the midpoint between KANE and KCFE, my home and destination airports, respectively. I made the decision to terminate the flight at the airport where the mechanics were awaiting and I throttled back, landing without incident.

We pushed the aircraft into the maintenance hangar and Tom Beachum, the A&P/AI who had just replaced two topped off cylinders a week previously, took the cowling off and couldn't find an obvious problem.
Exhaust inspection 3.jpg

The compressions were all good and the exhaust manifold looked good, with no evidence of leaking. Tom was clearly perplexed. I walked away to get a cup of terrific coffee and a few minutes later Tom, who is one poker faced character, shouted over and asked me to come over. He had that "**** eating grin" on his face and he stated that he found the problem. He handed me a mirror and asked me to look at the area on the back side of the exhaust. There was a large, dark 2" diameter hole at the point just before it goes into the turbocharger.
Exhaust inspection mirror.jpg

I looked for any damage from the hot gases acting like a blowtorch and all looked good.

Tom models his findings...
Tom 1.jpg

A closer look...
Tom 2.jpg

...and the view of the reverse side
Tom 3.jpg

This event reinforced instructions that I have been given by mentors in aviation that one should never ignore the feeling that "something just doesn't seem right", particularly in an aircraft. I can tell you that the urge to continue the flight and be on time to see the grandkids was strong, but I put her back into the barn until I could get it checked out. I thought I would share this experience with you folks, to reinforce the thought process I just mentioned.

Randy
 

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A few years ago, I noticed a kind of ticking sound in my 180.
Eventually I looked up into the (dual) exhausts--
one muffler had been missing the female tube since I'd bought it,
now the flame tube on the other side was coming apart.
I didn't want to experience the old "banana in the tailpipe" engine failure,
so I ordered up two brand new mufflers (and tailpipes) from AWI.
No more ticking, & should be good to go for quite a while.
 
That could have been really scary if you were on a longer flight and anything flammable was close!!

Now, time to make cracks about the is caused by having a turbo?? Or will that make a hole in your soul?:lol::lol:

You also seem to have a mechanic that trusts you that something is wrong, and actually investigates. Lost the exhaust gasket on the top cylinder of a beaver. I complained about the clanking sound that was intermittent for a few weeks. They looked and looked. Found it when the cylinder was changed. I like good mechanics!!!8)
 
Wow! Now, THAT’s an exhaust leak! Good catch, Randy! Those can get ugly, as in fire.

And, good on the mechanic for trusting you to continue looking after initial investigation didnt turn up anything.

MTV
 
That didn't happen over night. It probably went through your annual without being noticed?

Glenn
I don't know, Glenn, but it is surely possible. Tom is very methodical and thorough. The fact that there were no noticeable "exhaust stains" near the defect makes me think it to be a very recent event.

George, your point is well taken. Tom's diligence in finding the problem is reassuring.

I wrote a column in MN Flyer magazine declaring the importance of mechanics in keeping us safely in the air. I'll try to find it and post it here.

Randy
 
MNPilotsHangar Flying 2020 12.JPG

MN Flyer magazine 12 2020:

The Holiday Season is a time to reflect on the past and to take time to put things into perspective, and to celebrate life, friends and family. It is also a time to give thanks to those who have made our lives better, those who have helped us…good or not so good…to go from one place to another.This is also the time of year in which I schedule my annual flight physical and the annual inspections of my aircraft. I do so with some degree of trepidation, hoping that my AME will not find a disqualifying condition and that my aviation mechanic will not find a big ticket item that needs to be addressed.

It occurs to me that we hold our AME and our mechanics in somewhat the same place. We want them to be totally honest with us, but we don’t want bad news. They have considerable responsibility for our overall health and well-being. As a physician, I am keenly aware of the years of training that goes into hanging that shingle out stating that we are a physician. I also know that when I completed medical school I was far, far away from being a savvy doc. Book learning I had. Experience I lacked.
The same is true for our aviation mechanics (aviation technicians, A&Ps), and I want to take time to recognize the importance of these fine people in an aviator’s life. I also have been around aviation long enough to know that there are significant differences between good docs and mechanics and not-so-good docs and mechanics. Both may have the credentials, but there are those who stand above the rest.

Larry Cassem has been the mechanic/A&P/IA who I have entrusted to keep my super cub (also Santa’s super cub) in safe flying condition. Larry recently told me it is time for him to pass the wrench to someone else, and I found a terrific mechanic to take the baton, so to speak, from Larry. Larry is a soft-spoken gentleman who served our Country in the Navy and who has had a wealth of experience and possesses a wealth of knowledge. He is extremely capable and he has always given more than a hoot about the quality of his work as he has maintained my cub. I have always felt confident that when he tells me my aircraft is airworthy and safe, it is just that. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff, but he also never scrimps from a safety perspective.

We are facing a very serious decrease in the number of aviation mechanics in general aviation. We have far too few schools for aviation technicians and we need to change this and inspire young people…men and women…to enter this field. It is my feeling that this has reached a critical level and this is reinforced when I see aviation repair shops closing and wise people like Larry retiring. I hope that the Minnesota Pilots Association can work to address this situation and insure a healthy future for aviators!




Let's hear it for our mechanics!!!

rsc
 

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