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Accident in Spain, M20K D-ETFT

Peter wrote:

to end up upside down (as the report states)

Only that it doesn’t. The Spanish version, which in this case is the original, doesn’t say anything about ‘upside down’.

It may or may not be applicable to this case, but about 12 years ago a friend of mine was flying his Mooney 231 at FL110, on top of a cloud layer in the clear but in freezing temparatures. Gradually the engine stopped producing power, he had to make a deadstick landing into an international airport not far from where he was flying. After checking the engine, nothing was found, the engine ran normally and he took off towards his destination.

It was found that the air induction filter may have been clogged due to the ice-crystals he encountered just on top of a cloud layer, this seems to have happened to other 231s.

EBKT

dirkdj wrote:

It was found that the air induction filter may have been clogged due to the ice-crystals he encountered just on top of a cloud layer, this seems to have happened to other 231s.

No alternate air!?

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

the mooney has a propstrike about 18months ago while taxing when engine was away for propstrike overhaul some other issue where found on engine

i will try to find out more!!

fly2000

No alternate air!?

The Mooney has alternate air, but of course you have to recognize the source.
The 231s were prone of intake icing. The factory provided a kit to add an automatic function
to the alternate air door.
They redesigned the intake system on the successor 252 to deal with this problem.

The accident aircraft was a Mooney 252.

EDxx, Germany

Peter wrote:

It’s probably not that simple. If it really was an engine stoppage, to end up upside down (as the report states) you would also need

Upside down or not, as the case may be here. IMO in terrain like that it is rather arbitrary how the plain actually ends up. In similar situations, even when there are good places to land, people often end up stalling the aircraft.

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

Peter wrote:

It is interesting to note that if you get a total engine stoppage (e.g. a broken crankshaft) then you will lose the vacuum, and any vacuum instrument(s).
252’s were equipped with standby electric vacuum pumps, so the gyro instruments would have remained operable.
But even so, some sort of engine failure over mountainous terrain in IMC will send the pilot workload through the roof.

ESMK, Sweden

I thought to be IFR certified the aircraft had to have an electric backup?

I thought to be IFR certified the aircraft had to have an electric backup?

Only the TC is usually elctric. So if the pump fails you will have to fly “partial panel” unless you have an additional electric AI. Many Mooneys have an additional vacuum pump, driven by an electric motor. It’s mounted in the tail cone and has to be switched on manually. One advantage is that the AP keeps working.

Last Edited by terbang at 05 Jun 16:49
EDFM (Mannheim), Germany
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