"What were you thinking?"
A question like that from a reporter and I'd have to pull out the Top Gun script.....
"When you're up there, you don't have time to think. If you think, you're dead!"
"What were you thinking?"
A question like that from a reporter and I'd have to pull out the Top Gun script.....
"When you're up there, you don't have time to think. If you think, you're dead!"
Glad to hear you are ok. Sorry about the engine though.
Yep, that's about the way it was. My decision process went like this.Originally Posted by martymayes
1. The engine is crumping. Can I limp this thing back to Lynchburg. Turn around and head towards there.
2. Key the mike and tell ROA I've got an issue.
3. Engine gets worse. Look for a field. There are a few right here the rest is trees. Start circling down.
4. Tell ATC I'm putting it down in a field.
5. ATC asks me to IDENT (I had not been getting services from them). This is the only real question they asked...none of this souls on board stuff...
6. Getting low. Set my self up for a base to final turn to the field. Drop the gear (I don't know if I turned on the hydraulics or just adreniline allowed me to move the handle but it came down. Don't recall the green lights or anything not that I could do anything at this point if they weren't down and locked).
7. Touch down. Stand on the brakes. Coming up on the fence, aim between the posts. That didn't hurt at all. Slow down. Stop. Open Canopy. Breathe.
8. Call ATC and tell them I'm down safe. They ask if I have a cell and can call 911 myself (as it would give the location better than they can). Told them I could.
9. Shut everything down (master, ignition, fuel, mixture). Climb out. There are people running up from nearby houses. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. Where am I?"
10. Call wife. Tell her I'm down but uninjured and she should start driving towards Lynchburg...precise location to follow.
I suspect the whole sequence didn't take two minutes. I just flew the plane.
The next time you pick your airplane up from annual, will you jump in her and go, or stay close to the airfield for maybe an hr? Glad to hear everything turned out ok and you did not get hurt.
I guess what I am asking..What did you learn from this?
Tony
Last edited by 1600vw; 09-29-2016 at 07:22 AM.
So glad you're ok. I've always enjoyed your contributions to the forums. Very interested in the failure analysis.
When I had the cylinder put on, I climbed to 5500 over the field and watched the engine monitor (especially oil temperature and pressure) like a hawk for the first hour. It will be interesting to pull hte data form the JPI and see if there was some indication that I missed prior to it blowing. It's possible that I might have noticed a rise in oil temperature a few minutes prior to the failure (that's purely conjecture). If I had, I'd certainly have made a precautionary landing at KLYH.
I'm not sure if I'd have stayed in the vicinity of the departure airport it would have changed much. The failure didn't occur until 45 minutes after departure or so. It just would have put the failure up closer to the departure point, and frankly that terrain isn't likely to have been as good as where I did end up.
Glad to hear you're okay!
Sounds like you did everything right, including refusing assistance from the cow that followed you from field to field (they mean well, but....).
Repairs stink.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Glad you're OK, Ron. Sounds like you handled it truly professionally. Also sounds a whole lot like my experience of some 13 1/2 years ago, other than I was already quite low as I tried to baby my failing engine. Not fun, and the aftermath will be very frustrating.
Cary
"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth...,
put out my hand and touched the face of God." J.G. Magee
I was just wondering if you took anything away from this in the forum of learning. I have had 8 engine outs with one being a complete loss of reduction unit and prop at 1000'. I learned from each one and was wondering what lesson you learned. Mike Bush speaks of maintenance induced failures. But I see you do not believe this was induced by maintenance. This was why I asked. I was wondering if this was maintenance induced. Again glad you are OK. To bad you did not have a go-pro running. Others could learn from this when something like this is handled correctly.
Tony
I didn't say I didn't believe it was maintenance induced. I said I don't know (it could have been some work in the annual, it could have been something related to the replacement of the cylinder 3 hours ago, it could have been whatever caused the cylinder to break that we missed). What I said was that I don't think even being a little wary coming out of the annual, I'd have found it. I could have very well made a short (30 min) test flight and the thing may not have shown any symptoms.
I'm going to have to wait until the FAA and my mechanic looks a bit closer at the engine as to what the cause of failure was. One other armchair quarterback thinks improperly tightened through bolts might be responsible, but if that's the case, that was nearly 4 hours before the accident and again, it's hard to say what I would have been able to do between then and the accident flight to change things.
What I intend to do is set better limits on my JPI for the oil temp/pressure. I do recall checking the temp/pressure gauges earlier in the flight but they weren't in my continuous scan.
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