Citation Excel (C560XL)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Training / Qualification; Confusion
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Company Policy
I have previously posed the following question to the program with no official written answer received: On the Cessna Citation XL/XLS fleet; what is the minimum acceptable oil quantity level in the engine's outboard sight gauges?Our company's long-time tribal knowledge/wisdom -- that was taught during my IOE in 2008 by a number of instructors -- is to service the oil quantity level to one of two different points -- depending on the conflicting tribal knowledge -- below the by Pratt and Whitney (P&WC) marked minimum oil quantity line. No official written guidance was ever given. Therefore I ask: What is the official FAA accepted/approved minimum oil quantity level accepted for operations of the Cessna XL/XLS P&WC engines? As a side note: During a recent conversation with a our Company Maintenance Vendor Inspector; the inspector claimed our Company has instructed it's vendors to service the Cessna XL/XLS P&WC engines to one of the two points below the by P&WC marked minimum oil quantity line. Though; every other customer's aircraft of said vendor is being serviced to the P&WC marked minimum oil quantity line.Furthermore; it was claimed that our Company has instructed Maintenance Vendors to only consider an active dripping of oil to the ground and it's pooling on the ground as a possible indication of an active engine oil leak. Therefore; clear indications of engine oil -- streaking or otherwise -- coming out of cowling openings not designed as drain/overflow holes are not to be considered as possible engine oil leaks.Only in this past tour of seven days I have encountered two aircraft that had oil on the lower cowling present without active dripping and/or pooling on the ground. Both aircraft were reported to maintenance; and; an active oil leak was found upon further Maintenance Inspections that needed new parts on both aircraft.
A Cessna XL/XLS Captain reported his company has standardized on engine oil quantity levels lower than the Pratt and Whitney oil quantity level indication and defined a possible active engine oil leak as as the active dripping of oil to the ground; then pooling.