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Mixture cut in flight!!!!!!!!

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Old 20th March 2001 | 00:10
  #1 (permalink)  
PA38
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Red face Mixture cut in flight!!!!!!!!

A friend of mine put the mixture lever to fully lean, instead of using the carb heat in a Warrior.
Fortunatly he was at a safe altitude and was able to restart the engine, I wonder how many other times this has happend? the thought of it downwind or worst still on finals is chilling.....
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 00:16
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foxmoth
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You will usually find that the engine does not actually cut out as long as the prop is windmilling, you just get no power when you advance the throttle, if you then put the mixture back to rich - hey presto - power!

There are those pilots who have pulled mixture instead of C.H. and there are those pilots who..........
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 00:24
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paulo
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A guy at Winter Haven, FL, went for a swim after doing that in a 150...

http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/brief2.asp?...97LA040&akey=1

 
Old 20th March 2001 | 01:01
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matspart3
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My GFT examiner leaned the mixture on take off to simulate an EFATO in a Tomahawk......I was so taken aback, that I set it fully rich again and closed the throttle instead!......I accept (and now understand the mechanics) behind Foxmoth's point about windmilling etc. but it did seem awfully odd and dangerous at the time....I thought he'd made a mistake...I think he thought I was a smartarse but he passed me anyway!
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 01:02
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stiknruda
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Red face

Yep - I've done it in the Aeronca; it all went TOO quiet until I realised what I'd done.

Dhoh!!


Stik
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 01:56
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SpeedBird22
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fish

Without meaning to sound rude, and I know that in high workload situations accidents can happen....but...although they are fairly close together in a PA28, HOW can someone get carb heat confused with mixture??

Even if the pilot wasn't looking, the difference between the two is fairly significant - one is big, knobbly and red, the other is tiny and has less travel.

SpeedBird22
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 02:48
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Sensible
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Paulo,

That aircraft was an attention seeker!

see also:

http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/brief.asp?ev_id=20001208X05459&key=]

http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/brief.asp?e...11X11317&key=1


[This message has been edited by Sensible (edited 19 March 2001).]
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 02:52
  #8 (permalink)  
Lucifer
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There really should be a proper 'gate' on all aircraft to prevent such an incident. To be fair, if the mixture has been set (as it will be at max in circuits as the incident abouve says) the habd should virtually ALWAYS be on the throttle, not relaxed on the knee, and this will help prevent these sort of incidents.
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 02:53
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Lucifer
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There really should be a proper 'gate' on all aircraft to prevent such an incident. To be fair, if the mixture has been set (as it will be at max in circuits as the incident above says) the hand should virtually ALWAYS be on the throttle, not relaxed on the knee, and this will help prevent these sort of incidents.
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 02:55
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Lucifer
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There really should be a proper 'gate' on all aircraft to prevent such an incident. To be fair, if the mixture has been set (as it will be at max in circuits as the incident above says) the hand should virtually ALWAYS be on the throttle, not relaxed on the knee, and this will help prevent these sort of incidents.
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 02:55
  #11 (permalink)  
Lucifer
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There really should be a proper 'gate' on all aircraft to prevent such an incident. To be fair, if the mixture has been set (as it will be at max in circuits as the incident above says) the hand should virtually ALWAYS be on the throttle, not relaxed on the knee, and this will help prevent these sort of incidents.
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 03:10
  #12 (permalink)  
eyeinthesky
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OK Lucifer, we heard you the first time!!
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 03:40
  #13 (permalink)  
Sensible
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Lucifer, how do you manage multiple posts when "Flood control is activated" ??????
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 13:10
  #14 (permalink)  
Whirlybird
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How can someone.....?

Given the right combination of circumstances, there are those who have and those who will.

Fill in the gap with practically anything you can think of.

------------------
Whirly

To fly is human, to hover, divine.
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 14:08
  #15 (permalink)  
invalid entry
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I decided to try to stop a PA38 engine at high altitude to see how the ROD compared to idle power. As stated above, the engine does not stop, but just windmills. If the speed is reduced to just above the stall, the prop can be made to stop. As soon as mixture is reapplied and a little speed is gained, it springs back into life.
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 15:25
  #16 (permalink)  
eyeinthesky
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I sometimes demonstrate the same to students on a 152. It makes interesting learning, especially when they see that in order to get the prop to windmill the speed needs to be in excess of 110kts. You need a LOT of height to demonstrate it safely. Of course using the starter motor makes it all happen a lot quicker.

Might make interesting reading in the AAIB report.. "I stopped a perfectly good engine to see what it was like, and the starter motor failed and I couldn't get enough speed to get the prop going again..."

------------------
"Take-off is optional, Landing is mandatory"
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 17:26
  #17 (permalink)  
Wee Weasley Welshman
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In the last 2 years I have had students accidently pull the mixture to full lean whilst airborne no less than 7 times. All but one at lowish level too.

I was not a particularly unlucky instructor either. The aircraft involved were either Warriors or Tomahawks.

Adds spice to an otherwise dull flight I suppose

WWW
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 21:00
  #18 (permalink)  
New Bloke
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I was chatting to a Woman at Bourn a couple of years ago and She confessed to me she had done the same thing turning Base on her FIRST SOLO


YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

At Ormond Beach last year, an instructor did it to me at night on the downwind leg just so I could see what a stopped prop looks like. He did it twice!
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 21:49
  #19 (permalink)  
BEagle
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The confusion depends upon the vintage of PA28. An old 180 which I once flew had a vernier type throttle plus similar 'plunger' knobs for mixture and carb heat. No doubt one day the mixture knob had been bright red, but by the day in question it was similar in all appearance to the carb heat, except that it had a slight reddish hue. On final, a student converting to the aircraft suddenly pulled the mixture control fully out on me with the predictable result. Fortunately the engine recovered instantly when the knob was pushed back in!

Who is it that thinks it's a good idea to prat about with anything else other than control column, throttle and trimmer once the final turn is complete and the flaps are fully down? Check the carb heat downwind in a PA28 - then leave the damn thing alone. Always stay within gliding range of a suitable landing surface whenever you can!
 
Old 20th March 2001 | 22:21
  #20 (permalink)  
UKPPL
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Wink

I must confess to having accidently pulled the mixture to fully lean on a PA28, after climbing out of Le Touquet over the sea, and doing FREDA checks.

Why... I couldn't tell you, I had meant to apply carb heat (completely different shape/colour lever) and for some bizzare reason pulled the mixture control back to lean... I soon put it back to rich mind you! It sure made my passenger (an instructor!!) sit up and take notice.

I've never done it before or again since. Suppose it was 'classic' brain fade!
 


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