What Mechanical Faliures have you experienced in Mooney?

[N201MKTurbo]

My strangest one was the alternator cooling fan came apart and a piece hit the oil cooler and made a hole in it. I was over very rough terrain but luckily I found an airport seven minuets away. Landed with two quarts of oil.

[Jeff_S]

I have to add one from just last night. Was out shooting approaches and for some reason my glideslope capture on the A/P never worked. It's always something with an airplane!

[Jsavage3]

Mooney only issues...

 

In-flight:

Vernatherm (oil temp climbing rapidly)

Landing light

Door popped open in flight (not closed properly)

 

On ground:

Camshaft (failed slowly over 30-40 hrs b/c of tappet face pitting due to corrosion) -- hence engine OH at 1500 hrs TT and 35 hrs after I bought the Mooney (yes, I use CamGuard now!)

Sticky valve

Attitude indicator failure

 

Other airplanes = more than I care to remember...

[OR75]

in the air .... vacuum pump in VFR conditions

on the ground ... the starter and i was away from home ( 2 mooney hours). a failure away from home gets expensive.

i always wonder what spare parts a Mooney owner should carry

[MooneyMark]

In the air: autopilot u/s, transponder mode S became mode A only, more landinglights then I can count. On the ground: dead battery, magnetos dying, voltage regulator dead, oil squirting out from exhaust, starter dead/taking the (very expensive) starter housing along, cracked intake manifold pipe, fuel gauges dead and just recently discovered a groundwire with melted insulation running past the (leaking...) fuellevel sender unit while installing a fire extinguisher(!). That last one was nice, with the O2 plumbing running along the same route. Oh yes, a wastegate controller failure reducing my M20K to a normally aspirated model just after take-off...

Edited March 13, 2018 by MooneyMark
added the wastegate controller failure...

[bradp]

You putting dead battery under electrical failure?

Does trim failure go under control surface - probably should add an autopilot and or autocontrol category...

Flap limit switch failure. 

Fuel boost pump failure. Vacuum pump failure (VMC)

I'd also add spark plug failure.  I've had one of those in flight too.  Mag failure. P lead failure (easy fix).  Manifold pressure gauge.  

Strobe light failure, landing light failure, rotating beacon failure, OAT gauge failure, fuel cap failure (was parked outside and got water contamination).  Clogged fuel injector.

Door popped in flight (my bad - @Bob_Belville happened to me too...preflight oversight).  

I'm sure there are others. 

Wow airplane parts seem to generally be crap.... well given some of these parts are 40 years old they've worked well for a long time.   Slick mags and champion plugs and one of the fuel pump brands.  And anything from Kelly except their harnesses.  At least we can mostly agree on what constitutes crap airplane parts.  

-Brad

[Marauder]

in the air .... vacuum pump in VFR conditions

on the ground ... the starter and i was away from home ( 2 mooney hours). a failure away from home gets expensive.

i always wonder what spare parts a Mooney owner should carry

I carry a spare injector & spark plug. I carry tools and extras like safety wire & tool, socket wrench for the plugs, tie wraps, electrical tools, etc.


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[Oldguy]

So far there has been an alternator failure in VMC flight and 1/2 of the dual head mag failure during run-up. Neither qualified as an emergency, and the plane has been very kind to me about not breaking during flight. 

[marooneypilot]

Worst I've had (so far, knock on wood) is alternator failure in VMC within 20 miles of my home airport.

[Hector]

Vacuum pump, auto pilot, spark plug, transponder, MP gauge, magneto p lead, rotating beacon, landing light.


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[DonMuncy]

Auto-pilot failure 

Trim freeze-up

Two vacuum pumps

Comm radio failure

Magneto

Panel lights failure

Clogged fuel injector

Landing gear horn failure

Loss of oil pressure (actually gauge problem)

Cylinder failure ( broken valve rocker boss)

[M016576]

Declaring an emergency to ATC gets you two things- priority handling and priority assistance.  If you have some sort of a malfunction, major or not, and you choose not to declare, know that you’re essentially accepting that ATC will handle your aircraft just like any other, fully functioning aircraft- they would be under no obligation to provide any priority to you.  Once you say the word “emergency,” all that changes.

It costs a pilot nothing to declare an emergency and the priority handling you receive may save your life, or the lives of other people/pilots.  Some people assume that they will be investigated automatically if they declare, that’s not the case.

Subjectively, it’s appearing to me that pilots that haven’t spent time in a professional training environment tend not to understand what declaring an emergency does for you, or are hesitant to do so in situations where it would clearly be in their best interest.  It seems like it’s not a very well understood process (which is a good thing, I guess- as it means we aren’t having too many emergencies), or maybe guys are afraid of the perceived ramifications?

I’ve never declared an emergency in the Mooney as I’ve yet to have a major system failure (power plant, fuel, flight controls, gear) that would warrant it.  I have on multiple occasions in the jet (maybe 10 times) declared emergencies.  From a paperwork perspective- other than internal safety reports our pilots write for my organization, I’ve only been asked to provide further information to the FAA once, and it was just a phone call to center to fill in some details.  Of course, mileage may vary when dealing with the FAA- but in my 20 or so years flying (knock on wood) I have yet to see any of these “investigation horror stories” first hand.  Maybe I’m just lucky.

Just a few thoughts on safety and declaring emergencies to ATC based on my experiences.

[Marauder]

I’ve had the usual potpourri of failures. My favorite went on for a year until a wise mechanic figured it out.

 

On about every 5th takeoff run, my #4 cylinder’s (I think it was 4) exhaust connector (the piece between the exhaust down tube and the muffler) would depart through the cowl flap. Led to some interesting exchanges at controlled fields. “Ah, Mooney N-FUBAR aborted my takeoff”. “N-FUBAR, You have a problem?” “Yeah, I lost a part off of my plane, please make sure no runs it over”.

 

I did get smart and safety wired it so it stayed in the engine compartment.

 

It was finally fixed when the mechanic realized the slip joint was a tad shorter than required.

 

 

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[jlunseth]

There should be an item for generator/alternator failure.  

[pinerunner]

My boost pump started leaking and I had to have it replaced. I've had an ongoing eletrical problem where it doesn't charge unless you turn the master off and on once it's started. Cleaning up a bit of corrosion where the ground attaches seemed to cure that, but it seemed to return. 

[jaylw314]

5 hours ago, M016576 said:

Declaring an emergency to ATC gets you two things- priority handling and priority assistance.  If you have some sort of a malfunction, major or not, and you choose not to declare, know that you’re essentially accepting that ATC will handle your aircraft just like any other, fully functioning aircraft- they would be under no obligation to provide any priority to you.  Once you say the word “emergency,” all that changes.

It costs a pilot nothing to declare an emergency and the priority handling you receive may save your life, or the lives of other people/pilots.  Some people assume that they will be investigated automatically if they declare, that’s not the case.

I read somewhere (I remember where and can't fact check it now) that if ATC does not give you priority over another flight, there cannot be any certificate action.  So a good first question after you're on the ground and settled is to ask if ATC had to give you priority over another flight.  If the answer was yes, then file an ASRS.  If not, then it would be optional.  Is that correct?

[jaylw314]

3 hours ago, Marauder said:

I’ve had the usual potpourri of failures. My favorite went on for a year until a wise mechanic figured it out.

 

On about every 5th takeoff run, my #4 cylinder’s (I think it was 4) exhaust connector (the piece between the exhaust down tube and the muffler) would depart through the cowl flap. Led to some interesting exchanges at controlled fields. “Ah, Mooney N-FUBAR aborted my takeoff”. “N-FUBAR, You have a problem?” “Yeah, I lost a part off of my plane, please make sure no runs it over”.

 

I did get smart and safety wired it so it stayed in the engine compartment.

 

It was finally fixed when the mechanic realized the slip joint was a tad shorter than required.

 If that happened to me some poo would definitely come out too!

[Piloto]

Seat articulation mechanism failure during heavy turbulence. The actuating shaft crank underneath the seat cracked and broke. This caused the seat to slide back and down. I pulled my wife seat cushions seat on it and landed safely. The whole seat actuating mechanism is made of aluminum which is a poor choice for the stresses involved in high turbulence conditions with heavy passenger (previous owner was 300 pounds and cracked it). I replaced the previous aluminum crank shaft with one I made of 4130 steel tubing. Feel better now in turbulence. BTW the crack happens when the seat is adjusted at midway height. At bottom or top height the crank will not crack. 

José

Edited February 2, 2018 by Piloto

[M016576]

19 hours ago, jaylw314 said:

I read somewhere (I remember where and can't fact check it now) that if ATC does not give you priority over another flight, there cannot be any certificate action.  So a good first question after you're on the ground and settled is to ask if ATC had to give you priority over another flight.  If the answer was yes, then file an ASRS.  If not, then it would be optional.  Is that correct?

I’m not sure about that first part (about priority and certificate action) and here’s why- if you’re off your altitude by more than 300’ on an IFR flightplan, ATC could, theoretically, violate you- regardless of whether there is a traffic conflict or not.  Perhaps the quote you remember means that if they have to give you priority, and they didn’t expect to... like if you turn the wrong direction, causing a traffic alert, which in turn requires an immediate turn out of both your aircraft and the other.  That’s more speculation on my part, but I’d imagine that would drive a letter from the FAA/certificate action.  I have received priority vectors from ATC several times (again, in the jet, not in my Mooney) and have yet to have any FAA action.

I have filed 3 NASA reports (ASRS forms) over the years- you can do them online now.  Not a get out of jail free card, but an honest accounting of the situation you found yourself in and your actions can help improve the whole aviation safety complex.  You can fill them out for ground operations, too.  So if you see something that is unsafe, or just doesn’t make sense- it’s a great, anonymous way to provide inputs to “the system.”  Some people think of them as only for use in case you have “done something wrong.”  But they are important, if you see a better way to “do something right” too.

[ArtVandelay]

Seat articulation mechanism failure during heavy turbulence. I replaced the previous aluminum crank shaft with one I made of 4130 steel tubing. Feel better now in turbulence. 
José

I’m curious how you got into heavy turbulence, flying into a building cumulus? Mountains with strong winds? I personally feel better avoiding the turbulence all together.

[Bob_Belville]

6 minutes ago, teejayevans said:

I’m curious how you got into heavy turbulence, flying into a building cumulus? Mountains with strong winds? I personally feel better avoiding the turbulence all together.

I doubt that very many folks seek out turbulence intentionally. Sometimes it finds you and you do not have to be plowing through towering cumulus; CAT, winds in hilly/mountainous terrain, summertime air... not often "severe" but heavy works.  The worst I every experienced, except in airliners, was going through a storm cell at night over the KY/TN mountains 35 plus years ago when neither I nor ATC had a good picture of where the rough stuff was. I ordered a Ryan Stormscope about 10 minutes after landing and accounting for my teeth. Glad I was in a Mooney that night and that Nancy was not with me. 

[carusoam]

Oops, got drawn into the mechanical failures thread....

ignore the rest of this post If thread creep is not appreciated.  

Further up the east coast....

Our thunderstorms are hidden in giant white blankets of clouds.

unfortunately, not the nice anvil shaped clouds that are seen from 20 miles away.

While in IMC, it is hard to see where the anvil shaped clouds are going to be without a storm scope, strike finder, or equivalent...

A good cold front can form hundreds of miles of storm cells.  Crossing this thousand mile line requires knowing where the gaps are going to be...

I bought an ADSB receiver to supplement my strike finder, right after one of those experiences....

Getting weather info for your flight when the weather is wide spread on a weekend is hard to do without the automation.

Best regards,

-a-

Worst mechanical failure I’ve experienced... stuck exhaust valve limiting hp to about 50%, with no engine monitor to help diagnose, fly the plane... plan to land straight ahead... maintaining altitude and airspeed? Return and land... do not wander from good places to land.  Salisbury, MD has a lot of open area... 

[jaylw314]

3 hours ago, M016576 said:

I’m not sure about that first part (about priority and certificate action) and here’s why- if you’re off your altitude by more than 300’ on an IFR flightplan, ATC could, theoretically, violate you- regardless of whether there is a traffic conflict or not.  Perhaps the quote you remember means that if they have to give you priority, and they didn’t expect to... like if you turn the wrong direction, causing a traffic alert, which in turn requires an immediate turn out of both your aircraft and the other.  That’s more speculation on my part, but I’d imagine that would drive a letter from the FAA/certificate action.  I have received priority vectors from ATC several times (again, in the jet, not in my Mooney) and have yet to have any FAA action.

I have filed 3 NASA reports (ASRS forms) over the years- you can do them online now.  Not a get out of jail free card, but an honest accounting of the situation you found yourself in and your actions can help improve the whole aviation safety complex.  You can fill them out for ground operations, too.  So if you see something that is unsafe, or just doesn’t make sense- it’s a great, anonymous way to provide inputs to “the system.”  Some people think of them as only for use in case you have “done something wrong.”  But they are important, if you see a better way to “do something right” too.

Oh, sorry, I was specifically talking about cases where you declare an emergency, not just in general

[Piloto]

2 hours ago, teejayevans said:

I’m curious how you got into heavy turbulence, flying into a building cumulus? Mountains with strong winds? I personally feel better avoiding the turbulence all together.

On my way to FXE over Andros Island on descend from 14,000ft during summer. No Stormscope indication and no big thunderhead but head bumping jolts. 

[Guest]

None, because I rebuilt it and then maintained it as well as possible.

Clarence