Engine Failure Experiances
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Engine Failure Experiances
Am interested to know of other pilots expeiances with engine failures. I have had 3 in my time and would like to hear from others about there misfourtunes.
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Well I havent had any yet......... touch wood 
but im always ready.
But on the lines of Engine Failures Ive had a friend who lost 1/3 of his prop out in a hold 15 miles out ,but the vibrations werent too bad & he managed to bring it in with no problems.
but im always ready.
But on the lines of Engine Failures Ive had a friend who lost 1/3 of his prop out in a hold 15 miles out ,but the vibrations werent too bad & he managed to bring it in with no problems.
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Sure no problems here goes.
First one was in a home built where the owner asked me to test fly it for him. Downwind on the first circuit the engine ceased to go. I landed on a big runway with to problems. Turns out he forgot to connect parts of the engine which gave enough fuel to get airborne fly for two minutes then stop. Turned out I was the second victim. After leaving it on the runway the owner sold it and it became someone elses problem.
Second one was in a tomahawk where the engine seized and had to put down in a paddock. Something to do with a piston not getting enough oil and when it become stuck on the cyclinder it went quiet.
Third time was in a Cessna 172 engine started surging and then stopped. Contaminates were found in the carby float. Then funny enough 3 days later we were all grounded with the Mobil thing.
Go figure.
Any way all these cases were a good excuse to get the rest of the day off.
First one was in a home built where the owner asked me to test fly it for him. Downwind on the first circuit the engine ceased to go. I landed on a big runway with to problems. Turns out he forgot to connect parts of the engine which gave enough fuel to get airborne fly for two minutes then stop. Turned out I was the second victim. After leaving it on the runway the owner sold it and it became someone elses problem.
Second one was in a tomahawk where the engine seized and had to put down in a paddock. Something to do with a piston not getting enough oil and when it become stuck on the cyclinder it went quiet.
Third time was in a Cessna 172 engine started surging and then stopped. Contaminates were found in the carby float. Then funny enough 3 days later we were all grounded with the Mobil thing.
Go figure.
Any way all these cases were a good excuse to get the rest of the day off.
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I was sitting at 30000' in my P51D escorting an 8th US Army group of B-17s on a daylight raid over Schweinfurt 1943, when suddenly.....
(Taps empty beer glass on bar looks around hopefully)
(Taps empty beer glass on bar looks around hopefully)
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Thank God mine to date have only been practice ones and I'm always prepared for the real thing, only hope it never happens for real.
Have had some situations with a bit of rough running but always seem to have worked out for the best though.
Surprising when you think how many aircraft fly everyday and consider the mechanical probablity of something going wrong.
Keep it safe...one and all.
Have had some situations with a bit of rough running but always seem to have worked out for the best though.
Surprising when you think how many aircraft fly everyday and consider the mechanical probablity of something going wrong.
Keep it safe...one and all.
Chieftain taking off at Bathurst Island, NT last year, 3.1 t and 600'. Crank snapped in two. Did a U turn and struggled back to the runway. Heavy Chieftains DO NOT perform on one donk. Plane only left Bathurst Island a week ago after the said experience 10 months ago.
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My effort was some years ago. Engine seized. I can tell you that no matter how "ready" ya reckon you are, you're never as ready as ya'd like to be. Anyway, nowhere on land was suitable for the obligatory return to earth and, with oil beginning to cover the whole windscreen, I wasn't having an easy time working out me options.
There was finally no viable choice other than to use "the longest, widest runway in the world". The sea. In this case, the Gulf of Papua, about 10 miles south-east of Kerema.
Next...
There was finally no viable choice other than to use "the longest, widest runway in the world". The sea. In this case, the Gulf of Papua, about 10 miles south-east of Kerema.
Next...
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
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I was struggling along looking for cattle and there was a noticable noise eminating from the direction of the engine.......after slowing to about 60 I decided I should try and save the engine, but as I tryed to shut it down it made a horrible noise and stopped............there was oil everywhere and it made a right old mess of everything, smelled bad and looked bloody awful and expensive........so I rolled my trusty ol bike to the side of the road and walked home. 
I don't want to be the best pilot in the world - Just the oldest
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February last year ferrying a PA23 from YSBK to YPJT.
Had an electrical failure over the Spencer Gulf with everything dead - (good argument to always carry a handheld).
To make matters worse, had a fuel starvation to RH engine during tank changeover. But height and vis was well and truly on my side and had a descent all the way into Port Augusta with no one other than good ol Apache shadowing me all the way in his Bandit and relaying my com to Mel Centre.
Landed and taxied off rwy without incident. Didn't phase me too much well just a little but scared sh!te out of the engineer travelling with me.
Main Lesson learned from that; If you've got time, slow down a bit before diving for the blue lever and feathering the failed donk. A well executed trouble check would possibly have had the R engine firing again. and
If you are going on the p1ss with Apache, be prepared for a heavy session
Had an electrical failure over the Spencer Gulf with everything dead - (good argument to always carry a handheld).
To make matters worse, had a fuel starvation to RH engine during tank changeover. But height and vis was well and truly on my side and had a descent all the way into Port Augusta with no one other than good ol Apache shadowing me all the way in his Bandit and relaying my com to Mel Centre.
Landed and taxied off rwy without incident. Didn't phase me too much well just a little but scared sh!te out of the engineer travelling with me.
Main Lesson learned from that; If you've got time, slow down a bit before diving for the blue lever and feathering the failed donk. A well executed trouble check would possibly have had the R engine firing again. and
If you are going on the p1ss with Apache, be prepared for a heavy session
Grandpa Aerotart
OZ.........too far out to make the beach?
ftrplt........so in an F18 at M1.4...........how much altitude do you get when you convert speed to hieght (Yes I know it's a twin so not really relevant)
I've had 5.........all barring one were mechanical fault........the other one has been explained on this forum before:o
Chuckles.
ftrplt........so in an F18 at M1.4...........how much altitude do you get when you convert speed to hieght
(Yes I know it's a twin so not really relevant)I've had 5.........all barring one were mechanical fault........the other one has been explained on this forum before:o
Chuckles.
I've never had a total engine failure.
In an A36 Bonanza I've had partial failure at night when a cylinder completely broke off while over the mountains between Brisbane & Tamworth. Didn't really know it at time since all I could perceive was an increased vibration - particularly below 2300 RPM - & a very slight odour of avgas & exhaust.
It was enough for me to realise that all was not quite right, make sure I had comms. with FS, and to maintain maximum altitude until overhead my destination.
It was subsequently revealed that the cylinder head had completely separated from the rest of itself at approx. TDC, and at the same time broken the inlet & exhaust manifolds and the fuel injection line.
The only thing keeping it in the engine bay were the spark plug leads.
Also another 3 heads were cracked.
This a/c had been repaired from a write-offable accident some years before, with these cylinders being the only ones kept after that prang.
I believe the only thing that stopped me going up in flames was that the fuel injector line broke, so that the spark plug's sparks were on the other side of of the metal...
The company's chief engineer said the a/c sounded quite sick (!)when I flew over prior to landing. I'm always glad he was there awaiting my arrival.
In an A36 Bonanza I've had partial failure at night when a cylinder completely broke off while over the mountains between Brisbane & Tamworth. Didn't really know it at time since all I could perceive was an increased vibration - particularly below 2300 RPM - & a very slight odour of avgas & exhaust.
It was enough for me to realise that all was not quite right, make sure I had comms. with FS, and to maintain maximum altitude until overhead my destination.
It was subsequently revealed that the cylinder head had completely separated from the rest of itself at approx. TDC, and at the same time broken the inlet & exhaust manifolds and the fuel injection line.
The only thing keeping it in the engine bay were the spark plug leads.
Also another 3 heads were cracked.
This a/c had been repaired from a write-offable accident some years before, with these cylinders being the only ones kept after that prang.
I believe the only thing that stopped me going up in flames was that the fuel injector line broke, so that the spark plug's sparks were on the other side of of the metal...
The company's chief engineer said the a/c sounded quite sick (!)when I flew over prior to landing. I'm always glad he was there awaiting my arrival.
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Night circuits at YPJT; I'm in the right seat teaching. Just completed two fairly uneventful circuits with a new student learning to fly at night.
Hooning (as much as you can in a 172!) down 24 and had just rotated when the noise when very quiet; not completely quiet but still not enough noise to be safe. Upon waking up, I closed the throttle and we 'thumped' back to earth highly unattractively. (When the noise reduced initially we were on our way back down, I just helped it along by cutting the power.)
The scariest thing about it all.....
The student had no idea why I did what I did!! He didn't 'hear' the failure and would have kept going!!
All I say is thank fark it happened where it happened and not further upwind. And despite being a contractor I decided against grabbing another plane and continuing the session....
Hooning (as much as you can in a 172!) down 24 and had just rotated when the noise when very quiet; not completely quiet but still not enough noise to be safe. Upon waking up, I closed the throttle and we 'thumped' back to earth highly unattractively. (When the noise reduced initially we were on our way back down, I just helped it along by cutting the power.)
The scariest thing about it all.....
The student had no idea why I did what I did!! He didn't 'hear' the failure and would have kept going!!
All I say is thank fark it happened where it happened and not further upwind. And despite being a contractor I decided against grabbing another plane and continuing the session....
Last edited by BelowTenThousand; 2nd May 2002 at 01:50.
Seasonally Adjusted
ftrplt... with your engine flameout in the F/A-18 did you go straight into the drill? you know...mixture up, pitch up, power up, gear up, flap up, dead foot dead engine and so on???