Beech 1900
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Rejected Takeoff; Flight Crew Returned To Gate; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
When we applied takeoff power; the takeoff was aborted due to the left autofeather not arming. We cleared the runway; canceled our IFR flight plan; and contacted Dispatch who transferred me to Maintenance Control. Maintenance Control and I discussed the problem and then we taxied back to the gate to have Maintenance look at the airplane. Maintenance Control had me run the airplane with the Mechanic to determine the problem and to verify the fix. The airplane had been written up earlier in the day for an autofeather issue. That maintenance item was cleared by our company mechanics who 'ops checked' it. This is a reoccurring issue. I think that we as a crew couldn't have done anything different. One of my concerns while the Mechanic was troubleshooting was the possibility of ferrying the aircraft to a maintenance base with an inoperative autofeather. There has been a great debate for as long as I have been here regarding the legality of this. The limitations section says that the autofeather must be operable for all flights; and armed for takeoff; climb; approach and landing. I question the legality of issuing a ferry permit to allow for a ferry with an inoperative autofeather since it goes against the limitations. I am under the impression that a ferry permit is allowed to be issued for inoperative equipment but it is not designed to get around a limitation. Other limitations (such as the cracked windshield) have specific guidance for operating with a ferry permit. I would love to see some clarification on this.
BE1900 Captain reports failure of the left autofeather system to arm as takeoff power is applied and the takeoff is rejected. The reporter wonders if it is legal to issue a ferry permit in this situation when aircraft limitations require the autofeather system to be operational for all takeoffs and landings.