Motoring

While in cruise flight, pilot noticed smoke coming out from under instrument panel. Pilot aborted flight but noticed landing gear extension much slower than normal. Aircraft was placed on jacks and gear retracted. Pump motor (p/n 98811281) could be heard grinding and working very slowly. Pump motor was too hot to be touched. Battery was disconnected, aborting retraction. New pump and motor were installed.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, July 20, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Aircraft motors across various systems (landing gear, autopilot, fuel pump, flaps) experienced failures due to diverse issues.
Reported causes included electrical shorts, mechanical breakage of components (couplings, actuator arms), internal contamination (grease, sludge), and suspected improper part setup.
These motor failures led to significant operational problems such as smoke, burning smells, sluggish system performance, inoperative flight controls, and even forced landings.