A new failure mode

[steingar]

First flight in cold Wx for a couple years. Mrs Steingar and I are wearing big down coats. I blast off to fly  north, and I can’t lock the bar. Moreover, with the big down coat I can’t see what’s going on.  I call for an abort and land safely. 

I’m pretty certain that because Mrs Steingar was wearing a big coat the seat belt clasp was sticking out. I know I caught it with the bar. I’ll bet it got tangled with the gear mechanism, and I just couldn’t see it. My first ever clothing induced malfunction. 

[Piloto]

It gets more complicated when you need to relief yourself. Make sure you have a CO detector before using the heat.

José

[steingar]

Thankfully my bladder is of sufficient size that I can make most flights without undue discomfort. That, and I normally don’t eat or drink anything before a flight. That said, most of the places I fly have lots of airstrips equipped with either bathrooms or bushes.

[Boilermonkey]

I've had a passenger's skirt get caught in the Johnson bar and it wouldn't lock down.   

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Boilermonkey said:

I've had a passenger's skirt get caught in the Johnson bar and it wouldn't lock down.   

Was this while flying?

Clarence

[Boilermonkey]

Afirmative... just after lift off.

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[carusoam]

You may need a sign for your instrument panel....   

Nothing scary like getting sucked into a machine by your clothes...

 

This becomes a checklist item for T/O and landings... when you have other people flying with you... anything that  goes on the floor without your knowledge has a chance to wind up under the Jbar...

Best regards,

-a-

[Ragsf15e]

Electric gear looking even better now!  All you Johnson bar folks always giving us a hard time!

[steingar]

THe only thing that ever got caught in the J-bar before was my CFIs sunglasses.  I take it back, on my first solo flight in the Mooney ,u chart fell in between the seats.

Admittedly the J-bar has its failure modes, but I think they’re far more benign than those of other retractables.  

[Yetti]

One time while reaching for the white knob, I pulled it out and the gear went up and locked.   Seat belts stayed locked.  End of story.

[cctsurf]

I nearly grew up in a johnson bar mooney...  It was a checklist item that nothing was between the seats on takeoff and landing.  Every once in a while something would fall down there on takeoff roll and there would be great angst.  Every once in a while the gear went back down and whatever was causing the problem was removed and then the gear was retracted.  I don't recall ever having a problem on landing...

[rbridges]

One time my dad kicked off his shoes after I checked the area, and somehow it worked it's way between our seats. Not a good time to have a distraction. 

[M20F-1968]

Remember to fly the airplane first.  Get some altitude and fuss with the J bar later if it is giving you problems.  Don't be distracted close to the ground.  My F model climbs quite nicely with the gear extended.  In fact, it will climb with full flaps and gear extended such as in a go around.  It will still climb, but less well with gear, flaps and speed brakes extended.

John Breda

[Shiny moose]

19 hours ago, steingar said:

First flight in cold Wx for a couple years. Mrs Steingar and I are wearing big down coats. I blast off to fly  north, and I can’t lock the bar. Moreover, with the big down coat I can’t see what’s going on.  I call for an abort and land safely. 

I’m pretty certain that because Mrs Steingar was wearing a big coat the seat belt clasp was sticking out. I know I caught it with the bar. I’ll bet it got tangled with the gear mechanism, and I just couldn’t see it. My first ever clothing induced malfunction. 

See if you can adjust those belts so that the clasp is away from the side of the seat and out of the way of the Jbar, not to far so the shoulder harness is still crossing over. I have not unhooked my seat belt on gear down since adjustment. 

[steingar]

No can do, I've got shoulder belts (do you?) and the clasp is off to the side where the belt wraps around.  Can't be moved.

Ahh, but the hits keep coming.  Took off yesterday (bar works great!) but the aircraft went into an uncommanded left roll on takeoff.  Sat the bar, looked and I was looking at the ground.  Fought the aircraft for a couple minutes, and then stabbed at the remove autopilot shutoff.  That did the trick.  Righted the aircraft and went on my merry.

I assume I'd hit the autopilot switch on getting into the aircraft.  But why it went rogue like that I'll never know.  I've used the autopilot as a wing leveler on takeoff before (indeed, when the chart fell on the floor I used the autopilot to keep the wings level while I moved the chart out of the way).  But it didn't level the wings, it tried to kill me, came far closer to succeeding than I like.  A pal was watching and thought I was going to die.

New takeoff checklist item.  Make certain the autopilot is shut off.

[Hank]

Which autopilot do you have, @steingar?  This has never happened with my AccuTrak. But then again, it's difficult to accidentally hit that toggle switch down by the right yoke.

[MARZ]

On 12/8/2018 at 2:05 PM, Boilermonkey said:

I've had a passenger's skirt get caught in the Johnson bar and it wouldn't lock down.   

Hmmm I've had it happen the other way around - but it wasn't while flying......

[steingar]

1 hour ago, Hank said:

Which autopilot do you have, @steingar?  This has never happened with my AccuTrak. But then again, it's difficult to accidentally hit that toggle switch down by the right yoke.

Stec 40, I think.  Roll control only.  It will follow a heading on the GPS, VOR, and heading bug.  What I don't understand is why it put the aircraft in to such a steep roll.  Even when following a course it usually does shallow banks.  

[gsxrpilot]

If it was in GPS mode and then turned on, it will often make a hard bank initially and then settle back to a shallower intercept.

[steingar]

1 minute ago, gsxrpilot said:

If it was in GPS mode and then turned on, it will often make a hard bank initially and then settle back to a shallower intercept.

That is possible.  Don't know how it got turned on and then turned onto Nav mode.  Takes two punches of a button I didn't intentionally punch once.  Still, like I said, new checklist item.  Don't ever want that to happen with a passenger!

[Boilermonkey]

Autopilot off is near the end of my runup checklist and top of line up checklist.

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[Yetti]

7 hours ago, steingar said:

 

Ahh, but the hits keep coming.  Took off yesterday (bar works great!) but the aircraft went into an uncommanded left roll on takeoff.  Sat the bar, looked and I was looking at the ground.  Fought the aircraft for a couple minutes, and then stabbed at the remove autopilot shutoff.  That did the trick.  Righted the aircraft and went on my merry.

New takeoff checklist item.  Make certain the autopilot is shut off.

hey think of it this way..   You performed better than the professional pilots that crashed the new 737 Max.

[steingar]

1 hour ago, Boilermonkey said:

Autopilot off is near the end of my runup checklist and top of line up checklist.

It wasn't on mine at all.  It is now.

[Mooney-Mark]

On December 8, 2018 at 3:15 PM, M20Doc said:

Was this while flying?

Clarence

That's why I always ask that skirts be removed before flight....

[Shiny moose]

On 12/10/2018 at 7:16 AM, steingar said:

No can do, I've got shoulder belts (do you?) and the clasp is off to the side where the belt wraps around.  Can't be moved.

Ahh, but the hits keep coming.  Took off yesterday (bar works great!) but the aircraft went into an uncommanded left roll on takeoff.  Sat the bar, looked and I was looking at the ground.  Fought the aircraft for a couple minutes, and then stabbed at the remove autopilot shutoff.  That did the trick.  Righted the aircraft and went on my merry.

I assume I'd hit the autopilot switch on getting into the aircraft.  But why it went rogue like that I'll never know.  I've used the autopilot as a wing leveler on takeoff before (indeed, when the chart fell on the floor I used the autopilot to keep the wings level while I moved the chart out of the way).  But it didn't level the wings, it tried to kill me, came far closer to succeeding than I like.  A pal was watching and thought I was going to die.

New takeoff checklist item.  Make certain the autopilot is shut off.

I would recheck your seatbelts( not trying to offend) most are adjustable(how would you change the clasp if it was bad??) , if yours are interfering with your gear operation then they are not  meeting standards

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC21-34.pdf