Alligator Airways engine failure?
 

Anyone got any info on an engine failure that occured yesterday on an alligator airvan. By all reports happened close to the airport and pilot landed safely on the runway. If this is the case, hes damn lucky it happened where it did. Apparently blew a hole in the side of the cowling?

Splint

I wonder if it's one of those new TIO-540'd Airvans that the company thinks should be ran at 80% power for cruise.

I'm telling you this now :}

Good job to the Pilot, lucky it was close in. Perhaps Monty will sort the place out when he heads up for the impeding audit :cool:

I've been told it was WOP ..... Happened as the aircraft was returning from the Bungholes.

I'm glad it happened where it did and not 15 miles earlier.

So what's the problem with that?

You're talking what, 256 hp from a 540 cubic inch engine, hardly pushing the limits.
As long as 80% is operating within the manufacturers limits and not a company wet dream then what's the problem.

"Normal Power" in the Piper Aztec used to be 80% also.

"I've been told it was WOP ....."


Why am i not surprised......... :hmm: "I'm telling you its fine" :ugh:

Nice work on the pilots behalf!

Pretty sure that very aircraft had another partial eng failure back in 2008 (pretty sure the engine in it at the time was at the end of its life). WOY was very lucky a few months back. Oil useage off the charts, one or 2 pilots eventually refused to fly it and were shown the door. As it turns out the engine was not far off failure by the time a now ex company maintainer took it on himself to investigate the cause of the constant oil consumption. Lets hope that the upcoming audit is thorough.

Well if my Jepps are to scale its around 500m.....how hot and how heavy? Still not smart.....could have backtracked behind the E Jet and used half length.

On the recent trip to Tassie taxiing for 30 I was given the option of full length if I required it :}....... I declined. Having said that from delta you could go 12 as well. They need full length taxiways down there!

G'day Aeropelican

Yes, seems like there has been some rego swapping going on there. WOP is a new TC Airvan by the looks of it now. IOP used to be WOP which used to RYT. RYT used to fly around Fraser Island. Serial number 004 ...

There are a few people who would agree with your statement that they are an accident waiting to happen..... on so many levels!!!

Lets hope that accident is prevented by timely intervention by the regulator.

Taking off from alpha on 12......! :ugh: sounds like a tool.... clearly things have changed since the 'no intersection takeoffs' rule of my day!


TG

Not to mention what top end 332/333 were thinking... :rolleyes:

exactly, I'm sure there were a few choice words uttered in the E Jet cockpit!!

wtf why was my post deleted? It was a valid comment




No post has been deleted to this point.

Finger trouble perhaps. Your finger, not mine! :=

Tail Wheel

Pilots are encouraged to use all available lighting for maximum visibility for the sequence of the flight they are conducting. This includes Strobes and Nav lights along with recognition lights if fitted below 10,000 feet and landing lights/taxi lights for airfield operations.

The only time I would avoid the use of a landing light is in a single engine aircraft operating on a gravel strip as the lighting is subject to damage when the light is hot from the prop washing rocks over the nose which usually houses the landing lights.

Yes as Alligator Pilots we all used to enjoy taking the piss of the Slingair guys and vice versa. Instead of taking the piss out of them for maximizing their visible profile in a busy CFAF, tell them the lighting may be a bit more efficient if they are not on a 3nm downwind :}

Congrats to the Pilot for making it in, glad it didn't happen a little further out. Is this Airvan one that was due to cross the fence to Slingair?

EDIT: Just been kindly pointed out that you said runway lights :) I prefer to have them on too for the PAPI although in a bugsmasher a 3 degree profile is not really required......

Err, em. Twy Alpha is more a heading 340 or 350, not 120; and taking off that way is more towards Ivanhoe Plains not Kununurra.

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OK, Just kidding although when I first read that I did think we were referring to the actually taking off from a taxiway i.e. the parallel TWY ("F") and I almost fell out of my chair.

I remember being chastised quite sternly by a visiting bizjet for even lining up and waiting at the threshold of 30 as he backtracked after landing 30. (Rightly so I might add; at the very least I should have consulted him as the first and rightful occupier.)

If it's true then wow! Not the intersection departure so much but the lack of consideration for other pilots rights.

FRQ CB

Haha, I remember having fluctuating oil pressure in one of the WO* airvans in 2008, and also the 207 WOU, you could spin the prop with a finger, absolutely no compression, probably running on 5 cylinders. And also the other 207 DMS, had a crack in the oil cooler, was a day to day event to lose 2 quarts or more on a bungles run, those were the days..


Im telling you, you better take off or I will shoot you with My elephant gun!, i dont miss that guy hahah

Usually PAL is activated during the daytime so the PAPI is also illuminated... I don't really think it's important for day VFR in a SE anyway. You should know whether or not you're above or below profile...

They fly a perfect 3 degree profile, then float down half the runway before they touch down......

I reckon a Metro uses less runway than their 210s and a Metro needs more runway than a 737 :eek:

above mentiond ac is VH-WOP once apon a time was VH-RYT and engine examination indicated it had flown 7 hours with 1.5l of oil... this is the latest i have found out but am a fair way from knx,. \greatings to RK :E\...safe flying to all currently employed aa crew!

Dunno Navitimer (or CB if it's you) but if someone didn't check the oil in my engine and ran it out on a bungles with less than 2 quarts of oil in it regardless of the fact they did a successful forced landing I'd sack them too.

From memory the 540 can function on 2 quarts for a limited time, but a 7 hour day does push the friendship a little too far.

Whilst Alligator is a good starting point for your career, I'd hardly call it an Airline :}

Yeah totally agree, Green Goblin.

But I know from the horses mouth that he checked and there was 9.5 qts on the pre-flight.