This video shows all the drama and excitement of losing an engine in a light twin
A quick check of the NTSB fatal accidents for MEP Piper (in some ways one of the more benign MEP range) for the last year shows 23 fatals, of which 7 were during instructional flight.
RobertL18C wrote:
A quick check of the NTSB fatal accidents for MEP Piper (in some ways one of the more benign MEP range) for the last year shows 23 fatals, of which 7 were during instructional flight.
Is that further broken down into stage of flight? Those of us in this thread who have experienced engine failure in the cruise, as shown in the video, report that it’s a complete non event. The same cannot be said of an EFATO (at least the instructional flights are likely to have been EFATOs.)
To handle an EFATO effectively, especially in a low or high powered aircraft, does take currency and practice, without doubt.
Thanks for the extensive duke info. The internet reveals it is called „puke“ as well ;)
The linked planecheck one is sold. I’ve been offered a „project“ duke with diesel engines, apparently it will receive a „unique certificate“ or something like that.
My conclusion: Affordable light twins = affordable to buy, pay the price for that later. And I’m not keen on high power MEPs in EFATO scenarios for private low hour/low routine ops.
The Tecnam is a nice plane but it is A) in the millions and B) will be flown by full time pro pilots at Cape air.
Is that further broken down into stage of flight?
Someone would have to read each summary from the NTSB.
Those of us in this thread who have experienced engine failure in the cruise, as shown in the video, report that it’s a complete non event.
The insidious scenario is a deteriorating engine condition which is not attended to, either through wishful thinking or through complacency. The engine then seizes and the propeller can’t be feathered. Even a robust MEP, eg a BE58, will gently head earthwards and hopefully a OEI landing at an airport, or an off airport crash landing with a seized engine. Sometimes the lack of attention leads to an engine fire. Without engine fire extinguishers the fire on an MEP will typically reach the spar in two or three minutes.
The typical EASA MEP course spends very little time on scenario training for an engine failure in cruise, possibly because it is perceived as a non-event. It is not covered in the test, although it is covered in a lesson. The USA, which takes MEP class rating training more seriously, does at least explore these scenarios in training – i.e. the different ways and symptoms of engine failure in cruise, and appropriate responses.
Those of us who have actually experienced engine failures in the cruise, including insidious ones, seem to be more sanguine about the experience.
Personally, I’d rather have an engine failure in a twin than a single.
But your results clearly vary and you are welcome to prefer to accept the risks of SEPs over MEPs.
RobertL18C wrote:
The engine then seizes and the propeller can’t be feathered. Even a robust MEP, eg a BE58, will gently head earthwards
Surely with a seized engine, and without the drag of a windmilling prop, a Baron will be able to maintain a sensible altitude? AFAIK most of the drag isn’t from the form drag of the blade, but the fact that it’s turning and extracting energy like a wind turbine, and a seized but unfeathered prop (while having more drag than a feathered prop) will have a fraction of the drag of a windmilling prop.
Yes, the real issue is if the RPM is allowed to drop below where the stops kick in and it keeps windmilling without being able to feather.
This isn’t an issue in the cruise. The RPM settles to about 1800RPM, way above the minimum.
So much of the “project fear” around MEPs focuses on a few seconds after rotation. This is exacerbated by the training and testing industry, who only occupy that space. The reality is utterly different.
I had an event with pitch stuck on fine and unable to restart on a DA42 – we had been intentionally shutting down engines for training and chose not to restart but did manage to unfeather……… and then not re-feather. We had about a 150-200ft/min drift down.
My other engine ‘failures’ in twins have all been intentional shut downs due to oil temp/pressure, governor issues etc; all completely benign.
One final anecdotal story. One day I took-off in a Chieftain from a relatively short grass strip, the First Officer was the handling pilot. Just after we became airborne (undercarriage and one stage of flap still down) the AFIS told us our left engine was “smoking like a Red Arrow”. My enthusiastic FO lunged into engine shutdown procedure, having overlooked the gear and flap configuration – Good game, good game. I (not so) casually pointed-out that the MP and RPMs were still good and there were no flames so why throw away something that was actually working for us. We cleaned-up, pulled the MP back to something sensible (let’s say 30 inches), joined the circuit and landed. Fire engines, ambulances, ops wagons and an engineer who took a look inside and figured that the spanner-monkey who had just replenished the engine oil as part of a 50hr had spilt rather a lot within the engine compartment. So, the lesson from that particular event was never to rush into switching-off something if it’s doing you some good. Oh, the FO and I also had a chat about shutting down engines at 100-150ft, climbing-out whilst still having gear down and 15 flap.
In cruise it really is a non-event. And what I learned at SimCom is that on the TC, you really don’t need to do anything except clean the plane up and fly it out if it happens on T/O. They have enough power to continue climb unfeathered until you’re at an altitude where a calm shutdown can happen. But that’s not always an option an underpowered piston twin, of course.
Dave_Phillips wrote:
we had been intentionally shutting down engines for training and chose not to restart but did manage to unfeather
Of course, in real life you would never dream of trying to restart an engine (as you have to in training) for exactly this reason. The aircraft is benign when feathered, but a beast if you can’t restart and you are left with a windmilling prop.
