Engine Issues

The following information is derived from the FAA's Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts.

Friday, October 19, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Paul Loschiavo soloed at 16 years old in a Piper Cub, flew helicopters off carriers in the Marine Corps, currently owns and flies a Bristell LSA in South Florida. Joel Kimmel

Key Takeaways:

A Lycoming IO-540 intake valve failed catastrophically, causing engine damage, with a manufacturing stress riser suspected as the cause.
A Lycoming TIO-540 experienced sudden power loss due to a broken fuel injector line, occurring unexpectedly during climb despite recent inspections.
New Champion REM38S spark plugs failed prematurely due to mis-manufactured resistors, leading to hot start difficulties.
A Slick 6310 magneto failed due to a missing contact point, suspected to be an improper crimp from manufacturing.

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Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 – Failed Intake Valve
Inspection of the cylinder removed from a Robinson R44 Raven II showed catastrophic damage to the piston and combustion area from multiple (piston/valve/head) contacts. Fractured valve parts became wedged in the induction tube and in the common manifold area. The top portion of the valve stem above the ‘keepers’ was the area of separation/failure. In the submitter’s opinion, the failure may have been caused from a stress riser created during manufacturing.

Part Total Time: 381.0 hours