This is an excellent autopilot, perhaps the best there is for GA when
it comes to aircraft control accuracy and stability, but it has a
history of in-flight failures.
It has been fitted to diverse types but probably the most common is
the Socata TB20GT and TB21GT, made since 2000.
I am trying to collect data from other users, to submit to Honeywell.
Can anybody who has had a KFC225 failure please contact me by email,
with the following details
- date of the failure
- which component failed (e.g. roll servo, pitch servo)
- when was the whole KFC225 system fitted (usually, at aircraft
manufacture)
- flight conditions at the time (e.g. level flight, climbing etc)
- what was the mod status (mod number 1...9 etc) of the failed part
The last one won't be easy but the avionics shop that replaced it
should have kept record of it. However, the date when that component
was fitted will also be good because one would assume it had the
then-current mod status when it went in. I am trying to work out the
mod status chronology for the three servos (KS270C, KS271C, KS272C) in
particular but have not been successful in obtaining this data.
Please email it to me at peter (at) peter2000.co.uk. If your email
contains the word 'honeywell' it will bypass my spam checker,
otherwise you will receive an email from my server asking you to REPLY
to it.
The data will be CONFIDENTIAL and details of individual owners or
aircraft (other than type i.e. TB20 or TB21) will not be passed on
without individual consent being obtained.
If you know anybody with a TB2xGT (this is the later model TB20/21
with the curved composite roof) please pass this to them.
Feedback from KFC225 owners who have never had a problem will also be
appreciated. It's quite possible the failures are much more common in
certain types.
Thank you ALL.
Peter
FAA Commercial/Instrument pilot
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