Engine Failure Experiances
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: New Zealand
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Total electrical failure in a Chieftain, IFR, IMC at night!! That got my attention....now where was that torch?
Bit of dead reckoning & let down over the sea.
Engine fire at night in a Metro, shutdown & diversion to the nearest suitable piece of tarmac!!
Bit of dead reckoning & let down over the sea.
Engine fire at night in a Metro, shutdown & diversion to the nearest suitable piece of tarmac!!
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Australia
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Ive had two experiences of engines not performing as expected.
First was on my 3rd Nav for my PPL. After landing for a food stop at a grass strip outside Grafton we had trouble getting the engine going again on the C172. After rocking wings and waiting, doing more fuel drains, draining from carby again and again and getting no contaminents we finaly got it going. My instructor did an exhaustinve runup session with no probs so we departed for home. About 10 minutes into the flight the RPM dropped to about 1800, engine running like a chaff cutter, I flew while my instructor worked the throttle and mixture trying to getter a bit better performance. Eventualy the RPM stabilsed at about 2200, we elected to continue following the highway north to Casino then over Lismore eventually crossing the coast near Byron Bay, then coastal back to Cooly. I didnt touch the throttle till short final and as I did it started running rough again. After we parked we went and told the local engineering firm of our troubles. After the debrief the engineers came over and told us they'd drained a considerable amount of water from the carby drains and both wings. Had both of us stumped as we'd drained so much fuel without any water present. YES it was fuel we were draining, not fuel smelling water.
My second was at 7000', directly overhead the airfield, as the last skydiver left the plane. As I went through my checks, and got to mixture full rich, I realised as the last jumper left, his pack had caught the mixture and pulled it out. He'd been facing aft leaning against the bars placed in front of the co-pilots foot well. I was dissapointed as I thought Id had my first REAL one, but not to be.
So I guess Im still in the category of those pilots that "will have an engine failure."
Lanceair
First was on my 3rd Nav for my PPL. After landing for a food stop at a grass strip outside Grafton we had trouble getting the engine going again on the C172. After rocking wings and waiting, doing more fuel drains, draining from carby again and again and getting no contaminents we finaly got it going. My instructor did an exhaustinve runup session with no probs so we departed for home. About 10 minutes into the flight the RPM dropped to about 1800, engine running like a chaff cutter, I flew while my instructor worked the throttle and mixture trying to getter a bit better performance. Eventualy the RPM stabilsed at about 2200, we elected to continue following the highway north to Casino then over Lismore eventually crossing the coast near Byron Bay, then coastal back to Cooly. I didnt touch the throttle till short final and as I did it started running rough again. After we parked we went and told the local engineering firm of our troubles. After the debrief the engineers came over and told us they'd drained a considerable amount of water from the carby drains and both wings. Had both of us stumped as we'd drained so much fuel without any water present. YES it was fuel we were draining, not fuel smelling water.
My second was at 7000', directly overhead the airfield, as the last skydiver left the plane. As I went through my checks, and got to mixture full rich, I realised as the last jumper left, his pack had caught the mixture and pulled it out. He'd been facing aft leaning against the bars placed in front of the co-pilots foot well. I was dissapointed as I thought Id had my first REAL one, but not to be.
So I guess Im still in the category of those pilots that "will have an engine failure."
Lanceair
Last edited by Lanceair; 2nd May 2002 at 08:39.
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Chuck... wot beach? This is the area where I had to ditch. 
In any event, with all the engine's oil on the windscreen, it was just a wee bit difficult to see anyfarkinthing... 
Judging by what I could see out the side window at the time, there was a fair bit of low cloud over the land. So, even if I'd had any forward visibility, I didn't have a lot of choices. Obviously, this particular photo was taken some few days/weeks/months (?) afterwards, at a time when the weather was good enuf for me to be frightened about what other decision I might have made.
In any event, with all the engine's oil on the windscreen, it was just a wee bit difficult to see anyfarkinthing... Judging by what I could see out the side window at the time, there was a fair bit of low cloud over the land. So, even if I'd had any forward visibility, I didn't have a lot of choices. Obviously, this particular photo was taken some few days/weeks/months (?) afterwards, at a time when the weather was good enuf for me to be frightened about what other decision I might have made.
Join Date: Sep 2000
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I have had 2.
The first one was at TOC in a light twin. The studen was about to set cruise power. Got the same sound/vibration as on my car when it went on 3 cyliders, so I figured out that one engine had one cylinder out. But which engine? The only difference on the instruments was a 5" splitt in manifold pressure.
So todays quiz:
Does high or low MP indicate an engine problem?
How could I have identified the faulty engine?
The second was in a single engine. Normaly I used a big field for training student in engine failures, but this time, the farmer was cutting the grass, so I got the bright idea of simulating the engine failure 3000 feet overhead the airfield. At that time I had the bad habbit of sometimes using mixture to simulate engine problem. Then suddenly I sat there with the hole mixture handle and the wire in my hand.
The lading was eventfull, but one thing I observed was a much faster descend that on idle.
The first one was at TOC in a light twin. The studen was about to set cruise power. Got the same sound/vibration as on my car when it went on 3 cyliders, so I figured out that one engine had one cylinder out. But which engine? The only difference on the instruments was a 5" splitt in manifold pressure.
So todays quiz:
Does high or low MP indicate an engine problem?
How could I have identified the faulty engine?
The second was in a single engine. Normaly I used a big field for training student in engine failures, but this time, the farmer was cutting the grass, so I got the bright idea of simulating the engine failure 3000 feet overhead the airfield. At that time I had the bad habbit of sometimes using mixture to simulate engine problem. Then suddenly I sat there with the hole mixture handle and the wire in my hand.
The lading was eventfull, but one thing I observed was a much faster descend that on idle.
Full power in a 206, airborne, then at 100 feet reduce to climb power.
The prop was a 3 blader and unfortunately one of the pitch stop bolts let go.
The reult was 2 blades in forward pitch and 1 blade in reverse.
Shook the sh!t outa the plane so no option but to reduce power.
This is where it happenned
And here I am, a grey haired older!
The prop was a 3 blader and unfortunately one of the pitch stop bolts let go.
The reult was 2 blades in forward pitch and 1 blade in reverse.
Shook the sh!t outa the plane so no option but to reduce power.
This is where it happenned
And here I am, a grey haired older!
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Then there was the time we were doing "Rhubarbs" in the old P-47 Jugs.
Got hit by flak from a troop train I was brassing up and had my engine shot completety out from under me.My windscreen was starred with bullets but I managed to roll on my back, ditch my canopy and parachute to safety.
I was a POW in Colditz for only a short time and teamed up with Russian named Sikorsky. We secretly built a helicopter out of used dunny rolls, army boots and Red Cross parcels.
In the winter of 1945 I managed to fly over over the wire and escape to France.
Interestingly that same helicopter design is around today in the form of the Robinson-22
Got hit by flak from a troop train I was brassing up and had my engine shot completety out from under me.My windscreen was starred with bullets but I managed to roll on my back, ditch my canopy and parachute to safety.
I was a POW in Colditz for only a short time and teamed up with Russian named Sikorsky. We secretly built a helicopter out of used dunny rolls, army boots and Red Cross parcels.
In the winter of 1945 I managed to fly over over the wire and escape to France.
Interestingly that same helicopter design is around today in the form of the Robinson-22
Last edited by Capt Vegemite; 2nd May 2002 at 12:46.
Join Date: Oct 2001
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On a fire-spotting flight over SW Tassie a number of years ago in a Partenavia at 4000`, the left engine gave a bit of a shake and stopped with the prop fully-feathered. Once I`d managed to wipe the sweat off my brow etc, I turned to "confidently" reassure the 5 pax from the fire dept who`d come on a jolly that all was well, and found them laughing away & passing polaroid pictures of the prop to each other. At least someone found it amusing! Turned out to be caused by a snapped crankshaft.
A bit more recently, I used to fly Vickers Vanguard/Merchantman freighters in the UK. Lovely "built like a brick ****house" aircraft with 4 x 5000 hp Rolls Royce Tynes pulling us along at 350 kts, but not averse to the odd fire or two. In 6 years, I experienced 5 engine fires and 2 hydraulic failures, one of which was on a 3-engine ferry. I had to leave since every flight was getting to be like a sim session and underpants are expensive in England!
A bit more recently, I used to fly Vickers Vanguard/Merchantman freighters in the UK. Lovely "built like a brick ****house" aircraft with 4 x 5000 hp Rolls Royce Tynes pulling us along at 350 kts, but not averse to the odd fire or two. In 6 years, I experienced 5 engine fires and 2 hydraulic failures, one of which was on a 3-engine ferry. I had to leave since every flight was getting to be like a sim session and underpants are expensive in England!
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Capt vegemite, During your time at the castle did you come accross a guy from NZ called Ron King. He was part of the great escape and got sent to the castle a week before it all went down.
Join Date: Apr 2002
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Engine Failure
Now pay attention all who haven't had an engine out.
Part 23 acft: Don't even think of using any flap for landing.
Part 25 acft: Approach flap is all you need for 2 & 3 engine acft.
Ignore this advice at your peril.
Part 23 acft: Don't even think of using any flap for landing.
Part 25 acft: Approach flap is all you need for 2 & 3 engine acft.
Ignore this advice at your peril.
