I am glad this has stayed a sensible discussion from which we can all learn.
and the checklist - and for that he paid - fortunately not with his life. It still begs the question as to whether the fact that this happened does not expose a deeper and far more alarming design failure by 'whoever', and a failure that needs an urgent fix.
The engines will continue to run with the Master Switch off.
This means that you could experience some major electrical problems (smoke in the cockpit?), turn off the Master and the engines keep humming.
For some reason it has the idiosyncrasy that led to the above discussed accident.
Some weird combination of circumstances led to this.
That door will need to be closed, either by Thielert or by Diamond.
No discussion there really.
But it needs to be made clear that not every little or large electrical problem will lead to a double engine shut down.
Just in this case somebody managed (unfortunately) to get all the ducks lined up.
Instead, you use an abbreviated checklist because the actual POH is too big to have on your lap at all times.
That is why you need to refer to it when something occurs that is not covered by the abbreviated checklist. That is why the POH needs to be in the cockpit area within reach.
Find the GPU receptacle, possibly discovering that the standard plugs do not fit.
Diamond uses the standard three prong plug.
The stress of having somebody walking very close to the fuselage with the engines running.
On the DA-42 the receptacle is right in front of the nose gear well, if you follow the POH you can even disconnect it from the non running side.
you can argue that one of the things a pilot needs to do is manage stress, and that all this should not impact your performance, but you have to admit that this may just be a factor in not starting to read the POH, looking for the appropriate checklist.
Agree with you here. Unfortunately this is when, as a pilot, you need to raise a warning flag; step back and review the situation. That is the hard part, human factors. In a rush, in a hurry, under stress, peer pressure, they can all lead to cutting corners and taking risks that you normally would not.
In my humble opinion it takes a better pilot to cancel a flight then to go on one.
So if I were to find out that after starting the first engine and disconnecting the GPU, the second engine wouldn't start? I would hook up the GPU again and start the second engine.
This is where I feel the POH should be clearer and more precise.
The glow plug ( remember, it's a diesel) takes app. 35 amps for 20 sec or so.
The starter motor takes another 30 amps, the battery needs to be sufficiently charged before you attempt to start the second engine. It is probably worth mentioning in the POH that you may need to run the first engine for 5-10 min to charge the battery.
The aircraft should be designed so that this does not lead to a potentially deadly incident, which EFATO clearly is. So if it is possible to get into a situation where you have both engines running but a depleted main battery (either though an improperly executed GPU procedure or in the situation where the battery just had enough juice to start two engines but then gave up the ghost) then the aircraft should be designed so that at the very least, when you raise the gear, the engines keep on running.
Agree...partially. I honestly do not have enough info on the accident. It is unknown how long they took to complete the checks before T/O. I suspect they did not take enough time on the ground to verify the battery was sufficiently charged and the bus voltage sufficiently high (read normal).
How long does it take to charge a 10Amp/hr battery with two 60 amp alternators? Not very long.
The DA-42 does not have a run-up in the classic sense,it has an ECU test which talkes all but 10 seconds.
I don't know for how long they taxied, but it could not have been long.
Me and my colleagues have had to GPU start a 42 three times now, in every case the master switch was left on during the preflight and the preflight briefing (inside the building). Normal procedures were followed and no problems there. 6-10 min before take-off and gear retraction.
In the case of the above accident the battery drained completely overnight, they very well may simply not have spend enough time charging the battery, causing the voltage drop with gear retraction.
In any case, I am sure Diamond will send follow up communications as to preventing this from happening again as they are working on a fix to prevent it all together.