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Twins - engine failure / EFATO (merged)

Thanks Adam.
You were in the “not-so-soft” category.

Last Edited by PetitCessnaVoyageur at 27 Jun 06:43

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-21/five-passenger-plane-crashes-near-melbournes-essendon-airport/8288964

While still too early to be sure the expectation here is that an engine was lost shortly after takeoff in the King Air B200. I have flown from there and it is not an hospitable place to do a forced landing.

If true, it is a helpful reminder that even in a powerful twin TP, engine failures are very serious and can easily be mishandled.

EGTK Oxford

For sure. Seems to be a spate of King Air crashes at the moment. Not sure why. On paper, this should be a pretty straightforward recovery, but perhaps training is lacking or there’s a misunderstanding about Vmca. Vmc goes up anytime you’re not in straight and level flight, not banked into good engine, not at MTOW etc. Maybe they just didn’t have enough margin?

Good point Jason, when these things happen I can’t help but wonder if the outcome would have been less deadly if it was a single engine aeroplane. This was no doubt an experienced pilot but at low speed and “full” power anyone can get caught off guard. It will be interesting to read the investigation.

Last Edited by Fly310 at 22 Feb 08:33
ESSZ, Sweden

There’s speculation that the auto feather failed as well. Would have been a real handful if that’s true.

Spending too long online
EGTF Fairoaks, EGLL Heathrow, United Kingdom

There is a dashcam video on the internet which shows the KingAir descend in what seems to be a wings level attitude and in a rather straight line. Of course not much can be concluded from those few seconds of images taken from an oblique angle. But it could well be that he either had problems with both engines or had to throttle back the good engine to keep the imbalance under control.



Last Edited by what_next at 22 Feb 10:15
EDDS - Stuttgart

How quickly does a King Air typically accelerate through Vmca and to Vyse?

If anyone is interested, I have a sim set up in Epsom with force feedback controls, yoke and rudder, which is pretty good for practicing drills.

It is set up as a Baron, but the drills are pretty similar up and down the MEP range.

PM me if you want to come and have a go.

EGKB Biggin Hill

ortac wrote:

How quickly does a King Air typically accelerate through Vmca and to Vyse?

There are others here with more direct experience of the KA but it would normally accelerate quickly through it. However those who have been through the type rating say loss of engine low and with an auto feather failure is a very high workload event. If you are losing it you would have to retard the good engine to avoid rolling it over. Compare that to a modern twin engined light jet where normally loss of engine in those circumstances you do nothing but continue to climb and keep the wings level – much less workload.

EGTK Oxford

JasonC wrote:

There are others here with more direct experience of the KA but it would normally accelerate quickly through it. However those who have been through the type rating say loss of engine low and with an auto feather failure is a very high workload event. If you are losing it you would have to retard the good engine to avoid rolling it over. Compare that to a modern twin engined light jet where normally loss of engine in those circumstances you do nothing but continue to climb and keep the wings level – much less workload.

I have done a King Air Type Rating course.

Jason is right. With both engines working and a normal no flaps takeoff you lift of around 95 to 100 and once the wheels are up you accelerate in a few seconds to 120+. (which is where you need to be)

In the King Air failure to auto-feather (particularly on versions with 4 bladed props) is indeed a handful. Once you manually feather it helps a lot, however accelerating and climbing on one engine is a lot harder than on 2.

There is a short period just after lift off where an engine failure would be very serious. If the worst happens then one has to consider pulling back the power on the good engine and landing ahead.

In these OEI situations powerful twin engine propeller aircraft are definitely more difficult than light jets.

Darley Moor, Gamston (UK)
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