Holy Yikes!

[aviatoreb]

Holly Beggezuzzz!  I'm still shaking....

I will fill in later...but I just had a full loss of power at 16500...and made an immediate emergency landing - luckily on a nice smooth runway...N68.  New paint job is still in tact.  Also - I'm not dead.  Both good things.  I'm just shaking - and I'm now at a nearby hotel - Im going out for sushi...and saki!

[jlunseth]

Your fortunate it happened at 16500 and not 1650.  Great job! 

[Dream to fly]

Glad you made it down safe......  Hope it was wind milling an not a prop stop event.

[Bartman]

Main thing is your training kicked in and you are unscathed, and secondly that 4EB is except for that brown spot and hole in the seat. I can only hope to do as well as you did, but waiting for more details when you can.....

[Seth]

2 minutes ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Hopefully you didn’t have to rely on your Rocket’s fully feathering prop to make it back to the airport. Maybe all of those power-off 180s you practiced paid off.  Great job, Erik.  I’m looking forward to hearing the whole story. 

Jim

With the four blade prop Erik gave up the feather feature in order to save weight and better balance the airplane.

Erik - did the prop windmill or did you get it stopped?

Well done in getting back safely and even better yet dead sticking it at an airport.

When you know more please let us know the cause.

Again, thrilled you are safe.

-Seth

 

 

[StevenL757]

34 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

Holly Beggezuzzz!  I'm still shaking....

I will fill in later...but I just had a full loss of power at 16500...and made an immediate emergency landing - luckily on a nice smooth runway...N68.  New paint job is still in tact.  Also - I'm not dead.  Both good things.  I'm just shaking - and I'm now at a nearby hotel - Im going out for sushi...and saki!

Say 10 Hail Marys and 10 "Altitude Is My Friend".

God forgives your engine, and certainly loves YOU.  

[Jim Peace]

56 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

luckily on a nice smooth runway...N68.  

Wow, great job getting her down.  

In the heat of the battle was it a challenge to even find that small airport?  How was ATC?

Did you aim for the middle of the runway and just slip it in when you saw you had it made?  

You are in the boonies with only a handful of airplanes based there....How is local mx if any?

Answer after you take a long hot shower.......

[aviatoreb]

Hi all!  I’m fine - calming down - full story when I get back to the hotel room - right now I’m consuming sushi and saki in a place I never expected to be - but I’ll say yay!!!!  A nice landing on a runway.   More in an hour or so...

 

[Jim Peace]

I love the ground speed you had just prior to turning into a glider.....

[Seth]

33 minutes ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Good point. Thanks, Seth.

Jim

Jim-

Also by deleting the full feather feature Erik removed an design risk of the Missile and Rocket.  Since our power plants/prop combos were adopted from twins, when our prop governor fails, our engines feather.  In other singles, when the prop governor fails, the blades go full power.

I just spoke with Erik and he did a great job.  Looking forward to the write up.

-Seth

[Seth]

1 minute ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Hi, Seth. Yes, I understand that and am a big fan of all MT prop conversions. A good trade off, in my opinion. 

Me too.  If my prop needs replacing at any point it’s a considerarion.  I just overhauled mine about two years ago, so I should be good for a while

[prflyer]

Glad you are safe and were able to put it down.  Nice job handling the emergency!

[Hank]

Great job, Erik! I just practiced one of those today, doing it for real has got to be more difficult.

Sounds like you earned a nice dinner and some extra sake! Sleep well, deal with it tomorrow. 

[carusoam]

Consummate MSer...

Opens a new thread before taking a celebratory dinner break.  

 

A field would have been good.   A runway, that’s spectacular!

Congrats! On a job well done, Erik!

Best regards,

-a-

 

[DanM20C]

Great job Erik. I’m thankful you made it down safe, extra bonus for not messing up your gorgeous paint!

I had things get quiet once (actually twice, but I was asleep for the second one so I don’t think that counts ) I Stayed calm and cool to a runway about 6 miles away. Even rolled it onto a taxiway like I was Bob Hover. After the airplane stopped I got the shakes. It was a day or two until I emotionally recovered. These things can shake you up a bit.  

I’m looking forward to the debrief.  Knowing how/what failed will help us all stay safer. 

Well done!

Cheers,

Dan

[aviatoreb]

Hello friends!  Hello from Chambersburg, PA - LaQuinta Inn!  Near N68.  So here's my story ...

KPTD-LETUS-ART-SYR-KIGX - initially low to stay VFR out of icing clouds that eventually opened up to unlimited severe clear and I climbed to 16500 to enjoy a nice tail wind - 240-240GS for what was looking like a 2:30 trip.

Somewhere in Southern PA (turns out right about HERE) talking to Washington Approach.... After a hand off they remind to maintain 16500 VFR which I confirmed - clearly because I am not in approach traffic for those jets going to Dulles and Reagan.

Shortly thereafter my EDM blinked at me a oil pressure in the yellow warning. 28.  Huh - that's not what I want -  so I turned around to get my POH to see what is the normal range and in that much time by the time I turned back the oil pressure was 23.  Uh Oh I have a problem and I looked up the nearest airport.  Then in that much time suddenly I lost power.  First power went to like half thrust and then to no thrust - but never did the prop stop it was windmilling. And still smooth so I doubt a piston blew.

So I immediately turned toward what I found was nearest - N68 - which was something like 12 mi away - and I was at 16500.   Actually that is one of the reasons I like to fly high - just in case this ever happened.  SO then I told ATC I had an emergency my engine is out and I am heading to N68.  They initially told me to maintain at or above 14000.  I told them unable (or maybe I wasn't so cool and I said I can't my engine is out).  Then I heard them moving other airplanes around.  So then they told me airport 7 mi to my 12 o-clock can I see it?  I said no I'm high and I can see on the gps it must be under my nose.  My plan was to get right over the airport and spiral down.

So I got right over the numbers at maybe 12k?  And started making turns over the airport looking down at the numbers - 24.  I asked ATC for the wind direction.  At first I heard it was a severe cross wind but then I asked to confirm and it was as I thought - from having already prepanned my runway at KIGX (ok far away) that it must favor 24 (from the synoptic).  Sure enough it did. Phew.  Something like 20kts from 26?

At 8k the engine turned back on briefly but then I smelled something burning so I killed it.  Then I was afraid there would be a fire.  SO I tried to get down a little faster.  I was not doing best glide because I was high over the airport.  I was doing commercial spiral descent.  This is a good maneuver.  It was really the thing for the day.  get right over the numbers and look down at the numbers as you spiral down - even if you are at 12k.  I also have a smoke hood that I keep behind the pilot seat and I put it at my ready just in case. The smell of burning was faint but there.  Oil pressure was negligible.  The EDM is flashing at me.  ATC wanted to give me a hand off to Harrisburg approach but I told him I am overloaded right now and flying a glider so could I stay with him please and he said yes.  And then I called to CTAF at N68 since I didn't know if it would be busy and the last thing I wanted to do is to dead stick into a ,mid air collision.  I told an engine out emergency and coming to 24 - I can't remember the exact words for anything.  I was very vert flush with adrenaline at this point but I was still doing all the things as I should.  I was watching airspeed, watching my landing point, and talking when needed and managing a possible fire and coming down as fast as reasonable.  I opened all the airflow ports into the cabin but not yet the side window since the smell was only mild.  

AT 3k I decided to not make any more than this one last turn.  Last thing I wanted to do was to come up short.  Or worse to let myself get slow trying to stretch a glide further than it will stretch.  Then I popped out all of my drag - gear, speed brakes and flaps.  So at the end of the last turn I was maybe 2k? I pointed right at the threshold and flew over the trees at maybe 100?  Thanks to a strong head wind - despite crossing the numbers at maybe 90 and a good long float I still had a reasonably smooth landing and rolled by half the runway and had a proper amount of speed to roll off the runway.

Yay!   I think I just used up one of my nine lives.

Then I got out quick in case it was on fire.  But it wasn't.  Also as I was rolling I told on air traffic control channel I was safely on the ground and some other pilot relayed that he sent the message to atc.

Then soon the airport manager drove up in his truck. He had left for the day to go home but got a call from ATC that someone was coming in dead stick. - me - He was very happy to see me. I was even happier to see him!  And I was even happier than that to see me!  Then the local fire station brigade showed up.  I shook some fire man hands and thanked them for coming.  And they said they were happy to see me!  Then the air traffic controller from Washington Approach called me on the phone to check up on me.  And I said thank you thank you to him!  

I know my voice was shaky...and no doubt besides being scared I had a big shot of adrenaline..but I was assertive and said and did all the things I was supposed to do.  Thank goodness.  I had such a big shot of adrenaline that by the time I got out of the airplane I realized my hands were just completely shaking and my voice was shaky.  But I did all the things and I stayed on my numbers and decisions and flew that airplane all the way to the stop.

What happened?  I dunno....I suspect a turbo, or I spoke with Bennett and he suggests it could be a frozen oil cooler valve of some kind.  But there is no spilled oil mess.  So I don't know.  Would that cause an oil burning smell? Either could cause a loss of oil pressure right?  I doubt it blew a cylinder since it was never shuddering - just smooth.

So on the lucky side - despite being a tiny airport, it is sort of a jumping airport and the manager has his airplane getting its 100 hour tomorrow am and the mechanic will be there and he said he would have him take a look at my airplane first thing.  I am doubting that it would be small enough to be fixable on the spot - some kind of parts will be needed I bet.  Hopefully not a complete new engine.  Oh well - at least I am sitting here safely on a hotel bed typing about how a new engine would be annoying. Even the paint job is still in shape!

Edited May 2, 2018 by aviatoreb

[aviatoreb]

10 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Consummate MSer...

Opens a new thread before taking a celebratory dinner break.  

I know!

[aviatoreb]

5 minutes ago, DanM20C said:

Great job Erik. I’m thankful you made it down safe, extra bonus for not messing up your gorgeous paint!

I know right!!

5 minutes ago, DanM20C said:

runway about 6 miles away. Even rolled it onto a taxiway like I was Bob Hover. After the airplane stopped I got the shakes. It was a day or two until I emotionally recovered. These things can shake you up a bit.  

 

Yeah - it was just like that - I heard some shake in my own voice while talking to ATC but I kept on top of it and watched my airspeed and managed my situational awareness and just concentrated to just not let myself be overcome and so I didn't by just force of will.  But then as soon as I got out it was a severe feeling of shakes that came on for a bit.  And even right now hours later I'm still pretty much on over drive. Not nervous or scared just physically worked up from all the adreneline at least!

 

 

[aviatoreb]

2 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

3,300’ x 75’ and uncontrolled with few if any services, folks. This is going to be an interesting story. So glad you had a successful outcome, Erik. Those of us who have never experienced it only hope we will do as well if/when our time ever comes.

Jim

Its like an exam.  I'm a professor - I give exams all the time.  But I tell my students when they will be. This piloting thing is funny - you study for an exam that you have no idea when it will occur, if it will occur, and as it turns out today, it happened pretty quickly - I went from happy as a clam at 16500 going 240 to a glider in about 60 seconds. That's when the exam began.  Today I passed.  With some luck too.  Keep studying since I don't know what will be the next exam.

Edited May 1, 2018 by aviatoreb

[aviatoreb]

2 hours ago, Jim Peace said:

I love the ground speed you had just prior to turning into a glider.....

Where did you see that?  I looked on flight aware and this flight is not appearing.  Which surprised me because I was talking and also ADSB equipped.

[aviatoreb]

3 hours ago, pmccand said:

Been there, done that...TWICE!  Welcome to the club.  Hope it doesn't happen again.

(First one was on my first unsupervised solo...blew a cylinder at 500 feet AGL after takeoff  in a Cessna 152.  I was shaking as well.)

TWICE?!!!  Yikes twice!  Once is enough for me.

[aviatoreb]

2 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Hopefully you didn’t have to rely on your Rocket’s fully feathering prop to make it back to the airport. Maybe all of those power-off 180s you practiced paid off.  Great job, Erik.  I’m looking forward to hearing the whole story. 

Jim

Well - it wasn't 180 that saved the day - but the commercial maneuver - the spiral steep descent is a commercial maneuver and it saved the day.  Arriving high over an airport look down at the numbers and make turns while just looking down at the runway numbers.  I am very glad I trained that.

Edited May 1, 2018 by aviatoreb

[carusoam]

Erik,

See if you can open this...  200+Kts to 90kts a 16,500’...  I have your tail number memorized! 

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N314EB/history/20180430/2110Z/tracklog

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N314EB

First is the speed and altitude data, second is the chart with weather overlay...

 

Best regards,

-a-

[aviatoreb]

1 minute ago, carusoam said:

Erik,

See if you can open this...  200+Kts to 90kts a 16,500’...  I have you tail number memorized!

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N314EB/history/20180430/2110Z/tracklog

Best regards,

-a-

Strange - I can't view it on my machine here - that link comes up blocked to me and when I go to flight aware and put in my tail number - you got it right N314Eb - it only shows me my April 27 flight.  I wonder why you can see it but I cannot.

Right - 90 knots.....

[DanM20C]

9 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

Where did you see that?  I looked on flight aware and this flight is not appearing.  Which surprised me because I was talking and also ADSB equipped.

It’s, there. It even shows you circle 3 times, maybe 4, it’s hard to tell.  It’s definitely one you’re going to want to save! 

Again, well done sir! Glad you passed today’s test!

cheers,

Dan