Since the engine-failure has precipitated this forced-landing, I for one would like to know:-
1. How many hours were on the engine,
2. What modification-level was the engine,
3. When was the engine last maintained, and by whom,
4. what was the nature of the last major engine maintenance, and the last logged engine mantenance of any nature.
Here's why.
The little 2.2L Jab engine is becoming a tough little tacker, but I've yet to have one give more than about 650 hours without major issues, which prompts my first question. They are getting better with every "incarnation", and they are an engine that likes to rev freely rather than lug. I've had two partial engine-failures, due to through-bolts or studs failing, and in both instances the egine ran long enough to get me safely back to a runway. One engine, with a broken stud, did three full-power takeoffs before falling oil-pressure and increasing roughness brought a prudent halt to proceedings. Others have had instantaneous failures, well-documented.
Because of multiple service bulleteins there are a large number of different modification-levels of Jab engine. As engines cycle through the Jab engine shop, they are upgraded to the latest mod-level, but this is a time-consuming process and takes many years to bring the fleet up to any sort of common-level - by which time further bulletins had added the possibility of even more variations. (This problem is not unique to Jabiru engines.)
Any machine is only as good as the maintenance it gets and the way it is operated. Jab engines are maintenance-intensive, but the tooling and consumables are not expensive, or exotic. Jabiru don't gouge on their engine parts either...they want their fleet in the air, not on the ground being worked on. Hence my third question. Bear in mind that home-built Jabirus can have their engines maintained by the builder himself, whereas factory built Jabs require a LAME or an RA-Aus Level 2 Engineer to work on them. Maintenance standards are therefore likely to vary somewhat, in both directions.
Finally, my fourth question seeks to establish what the overall condition of the engine was, when the last major work was done on it (top-end overhaul, cylinders honed and new rings, valves replaced, that sort of thing) and what was the last maintenance done on the engine (oil and filter change perhaps). In particular, I'm interested to see if this was possibly a "maintenance-induced" failure.
The airframe concerned (the J160) is a phenomenally tough and pretty much vice-free airframe and excellent for training students. The crashed unit is repairable (by Jabiru) but the insurance company may have other ideas.
Two crew survived, uninjured, got out and walked away. The PLB also showed its value. Well done to all concerned, and the the rescuers, heartfelt thanks. A good result all round.