Date: 201506
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: ZZZ.ARTCC, US
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Regional Jet 900 (CRJ900)
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Ferry / Re-Positioning
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class A ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Center ZZZ
Aircraft component: Turbine Engine
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Pilot Flying; Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Troubleshooting; Communication Breakdown
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Maintenance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Diverted; General Release Refused / Aircraft Not Accepted; General Maintenance Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Contributing factors: Environment - Non Weather Related; Company Policy; Aircraft; Human Factors; Procedure
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: In the morning; we had a short flight to ZZZ following a weather divert the previous night. On climbout the Right Engine oil pressure fluctuated low. The quantity indicated 15%. The QRH advised monitoring. We landed ZZZ without incident. Local Maintenance found a serious oil leak and added 9-quarts of oil to the Right engine. We ran the engine as prescribed and a significant leak was detected. The cowling and engine was quite oil covered. Company Maintenance sent two mechanics on a road trip to replace the starter. The starter had been replaced the previous day and metal shards [that] we assumed were from the previous maintenance; were still in the engine cowling. I considered the evidence of the previous maintenance to be very sloppy.  The following morning we reported in to reposition the plane to ZZZ1. The mechanics had fixed nothing [the previous night] but done two run-ups and determined the oil leak to be minor. During the flight [from ZZZ to ZZZ1] the Engine oil quantity dropped 5% every six minutes and would have run out before ZZZ1. I made the decision to divert to ZZZ2. I was astonished that Maintenance then expected me to resume the flight to ZZZ1 after adding oil [again]. I was also astonished that the Chief Pilot I spoke to; expected the FO to fly the aircraft after my emphatic refusal to do so based on serious safety concerns Poor and sloppy decision making and Maintenance diagnosis. Aircraft sent on flight with severe oil leak after several hours of maintenance. Continued insistence that this plane was airworthy after precautionary divert.[Recommend] Don't keep pouring fluids into leaking systems and failing to properly diagnose or fix the problem. When a Captain refuses to fly an un-airworthy aircraft; take that very seriously.  Airline Transport Pilot. Reposition flight.

Callback: Reporter stated that he and a contract Maintenance Mechanic ran the GE34-8C5 Engine up to 85% power after adding 9-quarts of oil that had been lost during the previous short flight. After the engine run; the Contract Mechanic found an excessive amount of oil had covered the inside of the engine cowling. The Contract Mechanic would not sign-off the oil loss discrepancy and gave the info over to the Air Carrier Maintenance personnel who arrived later. Company mechanics ran the Right Engine two more times and determined the oil leak was not serious. He does not know if they ran the engine up to the same 85% power that he and the Contract Mechanic had. Reporter stated he refused to accept the same CRJ-900 aircraft after he had diverted due to continuing oil loss and a Corrective Action sigh-off of just adding more oil. As a result; Maintenance decided to keep the aircraft grounded. The CRJ-900 was still out of service the following morning when he left on another aircraft. He does not know what the corrective action was for the oil leak.



Synopsis: A CRJ-900 Captain reports about a continuing Right Engine oil leak that led him to refuse the aircraft as a non-airworthy aircraft. After a previous short flight; nine quarts of oil had been added to the GE34-8C5 Right Engine with no other corrective action. That flight was followed by the Right Engine Oil quantity dropping 5% every 6 minutes; causing total oil loss prior to destination. Aircraft diverted to the nearest suitable airport.