How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight schools?

Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

Not recommended procedure, but in an old Cessna, going max flaps, rolling to 90 degrees and turning 180 degrees will result in a loss of about 40 feet. Again, I certainly wouldn't ever do it, but I have sat in a plane and seen it done.
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

One of my students from India did in fact leave the oil dipstick lying on the side step in a 152. Good thing I always check the oil and fuel levels right before we tow the aircraft out and start up.
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

I've got 1500 hours with about 900 Multi and I've had.... (thinking)

- 5 engine failures in a twin requiring a single engine landing (Duchess and C-402)
- one cockpit fire in a twin (Beech TravelAir)
- one cockpit fire in a single (C-172)

That's about all for bad stuff in a plane. I'm not counting the misc instrument and radio failures but those usually aren't too bad. As long as you're not in night IFR or something like that.
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

jspeed87 said:
Well As Long as you have altitude you can land anywhere. But an engine failure right after take-off is bad news. I recommend you watch The Impossible turn(look for it on youtube.) A return to the airport from 1000Ft is impossible you will fall well short of the runway. However I have been playing around with the simulator, and I have been successful at 800ft making it back to the runway. Just maintain that glide speed and keep your banks less the 45. If your past 1000Ft your only option is to land straight ahead.
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If you are flying a small training aircraft (i.e. Cessna 150,152,172, Piper warrior and etc.) you should be able to make it back to the runway in as little as 500'. This should be a procedure that should be taught in your presolo training. I never allow a student to solo until they understand that with their abilities and talents how much altitude it takes for them to get back to the runway. Most PVT students can do it in 700'.

This is why the AIM (4-3-3) states that if you are staying in the traffic pattern remain in the upwind until you are "within 300 feet of pattern altitude." This allows for you to be able turn back to the runway if you have an engine failure.

91.119 Minimum Safe Altitudes
Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate and aircraft below the following:
- An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.

I have had an engine failure on landing, and one in flight. The first was a blown cylinder and the other was a blown head gasket. Each one was different but neither was an instantaneous failure. You usually have a little time to realize that you are loosing RPM, oil pressure, change in temp or etc... Very rarely is there a total catastrophic instantaneous failure. It does happen but it usually can be felt/heard before it happens.

As always keep the greasy side down
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

johnt1969 said:
I've got 1500 hours with about 900 Multi and I've had.... (thinking)

- 5 engine failures in a twin requiring a single engine landing (Duchess and C-402)
- one cockpit fire in a twin (Beech TravelAir)
- one cockpit fire in a single (C-172)

That's about all for bad stuff in a plane. I'm not counting the misc instrument and radio failures but those usually aren't too bad. As long as you're not in night IFR or something like that.
Click to expand...


^ I think he's gotten several pilots' worth of bad luck. To counter that...

I've been flying for 8 years and have about 3500 hrs, 3200 multi and as far as engine failures/problems I've had...

- none

Now having said that I'll have an engine failure on takeoff tomorrow...
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

"I started flying in 1976. I just counted off the top of my head first person acquaintances who have been killed flying"

Me too....and I'll say only three. Wild Bill is still on that glacier on the side of Mt Rainer as far as I know. He was missing a leg and found his calling flying a P210 over the Cascades in the winter. Number two would be Brian W, he was a pax, not even in a pilot seat. Other Brian was flying a floatplane from JNU to SEA and the weather went bad.

That's it in 30 years. Maybe I'm charmed.
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

Rocketman99 said:
^ I think he's gotten several pilots' worth of bad luck. To counter that...

I've been flying for 8 years and have about 3500 hrs, 3200 multi and as far as engine failures/problems I've had...

- none

Now having said that I'll have an engine failure on takeoff tomorrow...
Click to expand...

I guess I never really considered it to be that bad. When you think about all the stresses that aircraft engines go through I'm surprised they're not falling apart more often.

Hopefully I got all my emergencies out of the way. I only declared an emergency on one of the cockpit fires(we had a hand held so we could call ATC). They were both due to voltage regulator failures so we lost all the radios. Neither fire was bad though. Once switching off the power the sparks and little bit of fire went out. Then you open the doors and windows to get the smoke out. The smoke is the crazy thing. It was so thick in the 172 that it was like instant IFR. The plane that it happened in had to have every electrical thing in it replaced except the ADF. Including all the lights, flap motors, etc etc. That was the second most scared I have ever been in a plane.

The first most scared was having a engine freak out on climb out at about 500ft. It didn't fail but it started eating itself. It felt like the Jolly Green Giant reached out, grabbed the prop and stopped it cold. I thought the thing was going to come off the mounts. We used the e-word, did a teardrop and landed downwind.

Here's to no more broken stuff (slurping a brew).
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

Man do I LOVE my IT job that I'm gonna stay in !!!! :D

:yup:

Jes kidding :p

Thanks everyone for all your comments, they were all very enlightening. Although several of you have lost friends which is very sad and I'm very sorry to hear, what struck me the most was those of you who have experience multiple failures, but kept on going... now I feel like such a wuss :rolleyes:

Again... thanks for all your feedback.

Cheers.
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

<--I've lost power 354 times in 17 years. On many occasions I managed to log multiple hours after pulling the yellow handle on the dash. Worried about what to do after engine failure? Go to www.ssa.org and start with the basics.
As for turning back to the runway I've done it in just under 200ft, typicaly I will have to make the low 180 twice per year. The steeper the bank the better (you're less likely to stall.)

One friend has flown west so far. Flying single pilot at night he lost an engine in a Beech-18 loaded with newspapers in bad weather. When configured for landing the overloaded Beech began a slow roll...
 
Re: How Common Are Inflight engine failures at Flight school

If it happens again you just let the training take over like it did on the first one, and you live to fly another day like you did with the first one. Stay one step ahead. Have an out. Have a plan. Have fun!!
 
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