X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from web83906.mail.sp1.yahoo.com ([69.147.92.107] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.14) with SMTP id 3671077 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:23:17 -0400 Received-SPF: none receiver=logan.com; client-ip=69.147.92.107; envelope-from=delta11xd@att.net Received: (qmail 9494 invoked by uid 60001); 4 Jun 2009 02:22:43 -0000 Message-ID: <465729.6063.qm@web83906.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> X-YMail-OSG: PKMkgbgVM1nLxeOd5zfyI8fI.gY3ZHK2Tpc4uJUi4phIogXHWWUT6YcuREHThkfSEorjnq3ys97yBJpSr8av_hdp8BCWxUq.u9nDXRSLcvJwK9QOpr3V9P.nfiu4UVf5athShjk.6as9TKNWvWdkwmtCfKmNGIPsZH4OS4utbzcAJtu4LW8Vi5w0nUx0VAxH.6i_waJlWaMaobV1FW.IotTckbW7QCE.J11Z3vUiRY3HfCCGPhrArTTBuEKv2OOWJhDNF2GNKGW67A3mR35J6dC1ag0VCgGzj6Pa40lTXQeYSGIZR.wMl22Xr8b6sBAS37_FrWT_AQ-- Received: from [76.199.90.26] by web83906.mail.sp1.yahoo.com via HTTP; Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:22:42 PDT X-Mailer: YahooMailClassic/5.3.9 YahooMailWebService/0.7.289.10 Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 19:22:42 -0700 (PDT) From: James Maher Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: Incident No. 5119 To: Rotary motors in aircraft MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0-1169312326-1244082162=:6063" --0-1169312326-1244082162=:6063 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Ed, If its on AutoCad or Intellicad I can read it. Also can read DXF format. Thanks, Jim --- On Wed, 6/3/09, Ed Anderson wrote: From: Ed Anderson Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Incident No. 5119 To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 1:39 PM Yes, I have one Jim and certainly willing to share =E2=80=93 who knows ther= e may be other =E2=80=9Cgot cha=E2=80=99s=E2=80=9D that you or other may fi= nd. =C2=A0 One change I=E2=80=99ve already mentioned is to put a Schokkty diode betwee= n the essential bus and the alternator.=C2=A0 Back 10 years ago when I fabr= icated the electrical system, I just though the voltage drop caused by this= diode was more than I wanted to accept.=C2=A0 Clearly there is a higher pr= ice to pay for not having it. =C2=A0 One problem, my schematic is on an old CAD (no longer in existent).=C2=A0 I= can export them in DXF format if you want to try to upload them.=C2=A0=20 =C2=A0 Ed =C2=A0 Ed Anderson Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered Matthews, NC eanderson@carolina.rr.com http://www.andersonee.com http://www.dmack.net/mazda/index.html http://www.flyrotary.com/ http://members.cox.net/rogersda/rotary/configs.htm#N494BW http://www.rotaryaviation.com/Rotorhead%20Truth.htm From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On Beh= alf Of James Maher Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 1:24 PM To: Rotary motors in aircraft Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Incident No. 5119 =C2=A0 Ed, Great report. Thanks for sharing. Do you have a schematic of your electrical system that you would be willing= to share with us? I too have an essential bus and want to compare yours with mine. =C2=A0 Thanks, Jim --- On Wed, 6/3/09, Ed Anderson wrote: From: Ed Anderson Subject: [FlyRotary] Incident No. 5119 To: " Rotary motors in aircraft " Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 11:16 AM Certainly not trying to =E2=80=9CTOP=E2=80=9D Al=E2=80=99s door incident = =E2=80=93 by the way, good airman ship and decisions, Al!=C2=A0 Glad the da= mage was no worst that it was. =C2=A0 But several folks who were not at the Texas Round up have asked about the = =E2=80=9CEd=E2=80=99s Incident=E2=80=9D.=C2=A0 For those of you who were at= the roundup, you will probably want to skip this repeat. =C2=A0 Incident No. 5119 =C2=A0 One the way to Texas I had an incident that ended up in with me and aircraf= t making a 7 mile engine-out glide into Craig Field ( Selma , Alabama ).=C2= =A0 Again =E2=80=93 NO! It was not fault of the engine or even the subsyste= ms.=C2=A0 But, the complete answer is not provided until after my litany of= the conditions and symptoms =E2=80=93 can you figure it out? =C2=A0 I took off on Thursday AM planning on stopping in Mississippi to join up wi= th Charlie England and Tracy. =C2=A0After spending the night there, we all = three would head for Texas .=C2=A0 But, the weather (as you are aware) has = been laying over the southeast for days with rain and more rain =E2=80=93 b= ut I launched into it anyway as past Atlanta , GA things were forecast to i= mprove.. =C2=A0 Other than dodging lines of clouds and a bit of scud running, but not much,= I landed at Alexandria City to the southwest of Atlanta , GA to take on fu= el.=C2=A0 I then climbed back in and fire it up and took off.=C2=A0=20 =C2=A0 I noticed that during climb-out the engine would occasionally miss and thou= ght the fuel might have had a bit of water in it, but was not really concer= ned.=C2=A0 So I fly on for approx another 45 minutes and had just passed Se= lma , Alabama and old Craig Air Force base, and turned west toward Mississi= ppi , when more symptoms began to occur. =C2=A0 It started to act like a case of SAG (fouled spark plugs) where the rpm wil= l drop a bit =E2=80=93 not dangerous - just nerve racking.=C2=A0 But, short= ly things began to go beyond the SAG symptoms, so I though I might have an = injector problem (like one sticking open or not opening at all).=C2=A0 Sinc= e our injectors are in pairs, I tried turning off one figuring if things go= t better, then that pair might have a bad injector. =C2=A0 So I turned off one pair and sure enough the symptoms abated a bit (more on= this later) so I figured I had a bad injector in that pair.=C2=A0 To be ce= rtain I turned this =E2=80=9Cbad=E2=80=9D pair back on and turn off the =E2= =80=9Cgood=E2=80=9D pair expecting the symptoms to really get bad as I woul= d now be running on only the =E2=80=9Cbad=E2=80=9D pair =E2=80=93 much to m= y surprise when I turned off the =E2=80=9Cgood=E2=80=9D pair =E2=80=93 the = symptoms also abated.=C2=A0 So that indicated it was not an injector proble= m =E2=80=93 but what?=C2=A0=20 =C2=A0 About this time, I decided to turn the aircraft back around toward Craig Fi= eld and dodging clouds headed back with the engine progressively getting wo= rst.=C2=A0It appeared to be a fuel problem (and while that is ultimately th= e subsystem affected - it was not the root cause).=C2=A0 The fuel pressure = was ranging from zero to 80 psi, other electrical things were also misbehav= ing.=C2=A0 I check the voltmeter thinking perhaps the alternator had died = =E2=80=93 but it showed 14 volts.=C2=A0 So back to the fuel system. =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Finally, the engine just stops with the prop standing still - like a= hood ornament, I=E2=80=99m at around 4500-5000 MSL at this point having lo= st some altitude dodging a cloud (good old GPS just kept pointing to Craig = Field).=C2=A0 At that time I am 7 miles out from Craig Field at 4500 msl wi= th at stopped prop, a crippled seat cushion and a dry mouth.=C2=A0 Yes, I k= now I=E2=80=99ve been there before, but I don=E2=80=99t think you ever get = =E2=80=9Cuse=E2=80=9D to it.=C2=A0 I recalled thinking things just can=E2= =80=99t get worst when they very shortly and suddenly - did. =C2=A0 I keyed the radio and made a call to Craig Field at 4 miles on the GPS (I= =E2=80=99m starting to get good at this) but before I could get their reply= , I heard a =E2=80=9CCLAN K =E2=80=9D (without the engine running you can h= ear things like that) =C2=A0like a relay springing open (it was) and the en= tire panel goes dead!!!!=C2=A0=C2=A0 No radio, no engine instruments, not e= ven a stinking LED was lit =E2=80=93 only the battery powered GPS.=C2=A0 Ca= n you spell =E2=80=9Ctotal electrical failure?=E2=80=9D=C2=A0 Talk about a = lonely feeling =E2=80=93 amazing how comforting having lights on and radio = =E2=80=93 you could almost convince yourself this was just a practice engin= e-out landing, but not when the panel goes dark. No engine gauges, no radio= , nada! =C2=A0 Well not being one inclined to panic (but I seriously considered it for a m= oment {:>)), I continued toward Craig field =E2=80=93 I mean like there wer= e lots of other alternatives.=C2=A0 Well Once again I found myself in the = =E2=80=9Cfortunate position=E2=80=9D of being too high, too much altitude. = So I put in 40 degs of flaps to steepen my rate of descent. But, then I dec= ided this time that rather than do the 360 I had done on a previous Inciden= t to lose =E2=80=9Cexcessive=E2=80=9D altitude, I would try to glide - a mo= re or less - regular traffic pattern. =C2=A0 However, I neglected to remember to retract the flaps.=C2=A0 So I found mys= elf on the downwind around mid-field at pattern altitude (which felt normal= ) until I suddenly realized that you CAN NOT maintain that pattern altitude= without an engine!!! Duh! =C2=A0 I knew I could never make it to the far end of the runway before turning ba= se (toward the runway), so I started my turn immediately, to make matters a= bit worst - I had been paralleling the runway on the downwind leg a bit to= o close =E2=80=93 must have been the comforting feeling of being close to s= afety.=C2=A0 This position naturally required a tighter turn and as I turne= d I saw I was likely to miss the runway and land in the grass. So I though = I need to steepen this turn further (this is called COFFIN CORNER), but for= tunately glanced at my airspeed indicator to see it only registering 80 MPH= and my rate of descent (normally 400-500 feet per minute) up to over 1000 = feet per minute. The seat cushion suddenly vanished from this universe. =C2=A0 =C2=A0 But the REAL danger in this situation, as you all know, is your airs= peed gets low, you are in a steep bank which greatly raises the stall speed= =C2=A0 - meaning at 80 mph you are close to a stall in a steep turn while y= our are not in straight and level.=C2=A0 So I immediately straighten out of= the turn =E2=80=93 the little voice saying =E2=80=9Cbetter to land in the = grass than get their concrete runway all messed up=E2=80=9D.=C2=A0 So the i= mmediate danger of a stall was adverted, but I was still pointed toward the= ground with a sink rate twice as high as normal (and I=E2=80=99ve manage a= few hard landings even with a normal sink rate). =C2=A0 The hardest thing to do when you are sinking at a 1000 fpm a couple hundred= feet above the ground (with your nose already pointed at the ground) is to= push the stick forward steeping the dive even more.=C2=A0 But, I manage to= do that and picked enough air speed and energy to flair to a nice touch do= wn =E2=80=93 not even a bump.=C2=A0 I=E2=80=99ve always been amazed at what= total concentration does to improve you landing {:>). =C2=A0 Rolled to the end of the runway and had energy to roll off onto the taxiway= .=C2=A0=C2=A0 Got out, check under the aircraft for any evidence of leaks a= nd started pulling the aircraft toward the far =E2=80=93off =E2=80=93 hanga= r which had an airplane parked in front of it.=C2=A0 A nice looking young w= oman comes riding a bicycle out to meet me.=C2=A0 Hopped off and holding ou= t her hand said =E2=80=9CHi I=E2=80=99m Angie, looks like we=E2=80=99ll be = spending time together=E2=80=9D =E2=80=93 so things are starting to look up= {:>) =C2=A0 So pulled the aircraft in to the hangar where the mechanic came over and as= k what the problem was.=C2=A0 Well, I looked at the volt meter and it said = the battery was dead. Mechanic put on a battery charger and announced =E2= =80=9CYep! The battery is dead=E2=80=9D.=C2=A0 So we both concluded that th= e alternator must have failed and not being able to replenish the drain on = the battery by all the electrical systems such as fuel pumps, injectors, ig= nition coils, etc had drained the battery.=C2=A0=20 =C2=A0 However, there were a few problems with the analysis of a failed alternator= .=C2=A0 First, the low voltage warning light never came on to warn of an al= ternator problem, 2nd I never notice the voltmeter showing anything other t= han what it should for alternator voltage =E2=80=93 like around 14 volts.= =C2=A0 While checking the voltage after the Mechanic had charged the batter= y, I noticed down below that the =E2=80=9Cessential bus=E2=80=9D switch was= in the battery rather than the alternator position, so flicked it back to = the alternator position figuring I must have accidentally kicked it while g= etting to some stuff in the baggage compartment of my RV-6A. =C2=A0 It was getting late and being a bit tired not to mention stressed, I needed= to get a rental car and a motel for the night.=C2=A0 Did that, eat dinner = and went to bed after sitting down and drawing out a problem tree with the = entire major elements of the electrical system. =C2=A0 So next morning I show up at the hangar early and meet Ben, the mechanic, t= he battery had received a charge of only 45 minutes the evening before, So = I suggested we charged it for another hour and try to start the aircraft.= =C2=A0 Ben suggested a real stress test of the battery and NOT charge it an= ymore.=C2=A0 Made sense, so we rolled the aircraft out of the hangar.=C2=A0= I hopped in, threw a half dozen switches and punched the starter button.= =C2=A0 The engine started on the first prop blade rotation =E2=80=93 so the= battery was clearly O K . The engine is humming like a top.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 S= o I looked over at the voltmeter expecting it to show only around 12.8 volt= s instead of the 14 volts a functioning alternator would produce.=C2=A0 Muc= h to my and Ben=E2=80=99s surprise the alternator voltage read 14 volts.=C2= =A0 We loaded the alternator by turning on the both l00 watt landing lights= , all fuel pumps, the pitot heat, etc.=C2=A0 The alternator voltage only dr= ops perhaps 0.4 volts clearly indicating the alternator could carry the load and was O K . =C2=A0 So here I am =E2=80=93 battery is O K , alternator is O K =E2=80=93 engine = is purring normally, so clearly this was all a figment of my deteriorating = brain cells.=C2=A0 I loaded up the aircraft and launched to do a few circui= ts of the airport =E2=80=93 I did so and all was operating normally and so = I radio them I was head onward to Texas .=C2=A0 While flying, my mind could= not let go of the problem and finally the light came on.=C2=A0=20 =C2=A0 The essential bus switch had (for my entire 10 + years of flying) been in t= he alternator position.=C2=A0 The purpose of this switch is to isolate the = battery from the alternator should the alternator fail - to prevent an alte= rnator problem from draining the battery.=C2=A0 So in event of an alternato= r problem, you move the switch from alternator to battery.=C2=A0 Its call t= he essential bus because you only have the essential things drawing from th= e battery so you wont=E2=80=99 drain it as quickly.=C2=A0 The idea is to gi= ve you time (generally around 30 minutes) to find a safe place to land in c= ase of alternator failure. =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Well, at some point I had either (not paying attention) turned the switch t= o battery thinking I was turning the voltmeter switch to battery=C2=A0 - or= accidentally had move the switch from alternator to battery without notici= ng it by kicking it, etc.=C2=A0 However, it was sort of protected in its po= sition from accidental activation. It must have happened during refueling = =E2=80=93 as I got approx 45 minutes down the road on the battery after tak= e off before quality battery time started to deteriorate.=C2=A0 As the batt= ery voltage fell due to the load (and no alternator link to replenish it), = electrical things (mainly computers first) started acting up until they cou= ld not longer run the engine. The injectors would not open fully, etc.=C2= =A0 Then as the voltage level further decreased, the master relay which the= battery held closed and which connected the (fully functional) alternator = to the rest of the electrical system - opened up and removed ALL power from= the electrical system.=C2=A0 So no radio, no gauges, etc.=20 =C2=A0 =C2=A0Oh, another little factor that may have contributed, the voltmeter ha= s a tiny toggle switch by it marked ALT BAT1 BAT2 for checking alternator b= attery 1 and battery 2 (which I no longer fly with) voltages.=C2=A0 Down be= low It a couple of inches and off to the right is the essential bus normal = size toggle switch =E2=80=93 also marked ALT BAT1 BAT1.=C2=A0 I normally ne= ver touch it and don=E2=80=99t even think about it.=C2=A0 But I could have = reached for the voltmeter toggle thinking to check my battery voltage (whic= h I do as a regular thing) and perhaps distracted by something reach a bit = further down and instead moved the essential bus switch from Alternator to = Battery cause this entire event.=C2=A0 I know that I did not consciously do= it.=C2=A0 So it is either accidental or absence minded activation - either= way ends with the same results {:>) =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Now it became clear why it didn=E2=80=99t matter which pair of fuel injecto= rs I turned off =E2=80=93 turning off either pair improved the situation be= cause it slightly reduced the electrical load by a few amps =E2=80=93 and t= he engine ran slightly better for a few moments.=C2=A0 The same thing had h= appened when turning off one of the EFI fuel pumps =E2=80=93 but what threw= me was the alternator voltage continued to be normal during this. =C2=A0 =C2=A0 After I knew the cause (switch in wrong position), I decided the problem wa= s fixed so no reason to return to NC, and I just continued on to Texas . =C2=A0 I know some of you may think that removing my second battery was a mistake = =E2=80=93 but, consider this, having another battery could have meant I wou= ld have been much further from a suitable airfield before they both went so= uth.=C2=A0 On the other hand, it might have caused me to at least think to = throw the essential bus switch to the second battery and have the Light bul= b come on.=C2=A0 Who really knows.=C2=A0 But, I have in mind a simply addit= ion to my electrical circuit that should help in the future.=20 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 I do want to state that this time when the problems started I DID switch fu= el tanks =E2=80=93 but naturally it had no effect because this time it turn= ed out, it was not a fuel problem =E2=80=93 not the root cause at least. =C2=A0 So what are the lessons learned: =C2=A0 Put EVERY critical switch on your before-takeoff Check list Perhaps put a guard around such critical switches to force conscious activa= tion Don=E2=80=99t (hard not to) get overly focused on what you think is the pro= blem =E2=80=93 consider other possibilities.=C2=A0 I thought it was a fuel = problem (I even switched fuel tanks this time) =E2=80=93 it turned out to b= e electrical in its root cause. While the fuel pressure was jumping all over the place and the EGT was erra= tic and engine surging strongly indicating a fuel problem =E2=80=93 the ult= imate cause was electrical.=C2=A0 Once the voltage got below a certain poin= t the EC2 was still trying to pull the injectors open, but with the voltage= so low it could not do it properly. When the battery voltage dropped below a certain point, the master relay re= leased and removed the alternator from the electrical system and the panel = went dark =E2=80=93 even though the alternator was still working Immediately turn to the nearest airfield when serious problems occur - THEN= work on fixing them.=C2=A0 I only delayed for perhaps 2-3 minutes, but tha= t could have made a difference. Watch out for Coffin Corner turn when turning base to final =E2=80=93 airsp= eed really bleeds off fast with no engine pulling you along (and especially= with flaps deployed!) IF you change your mind about landing approach type - remember to reconfigu= re your aircraft for the last decision =E2=80=93 I had left my flaps deploy= ed when I should have remembered to retracted them.=C2=A0 Did that help pre= vent a Coffin Corner stall and spin or would it have put me closer to it? You must increase airspeed over the wing to get the sufficient energy to ov= er come a high sink rate.=C2=A0 Pulling back on the stick when the ground i= s staring you in the face is the natural reaction =E2=80=93 but, pushing fo= rward to lower the nose is the correct action =E2=80=93 providing of course= you have sufficient altitude! Battery life =E2=80=93 I had a two year old 680 odyssey battery which I mai= ntain a trickle charge on whenever I=E2=80=99m not flying.=C2=A0 With two E= FI fuel pumps, boost pump, injectors, coils, EC2 and radio and just having = started the engine before take off =E2=80=93 this battery lasted 55 minutes= .=C2=A0 Well, the last 5 minutes was not quality battery time.=C2=A0 So in = my case, 30 minutes appears to be a very realistic battery life.=C2=A0 In f= act, had I turned off one EFI pump and the boost pump would have gained a f= ew more miles.=C2=A0 But, if I had recognized the need to turn them off at = that time (I normally turn them off at cruise altitude), then I would have = known how to =E2=80=9Cfix=E2=80=9D the problem. I=E2=80=99ve decided to add a Schokkty diode between my essential bus and t= he alternator =E2=80=93 so that as long as the alternator is producing suff= icient voltage, then the battery will be getting some charge to replace the= drain.=C2=A0 I=E2=80=99ve also decided to make that switch position a chec= k-list item. =C2=A0 =C2=A0So what it boils down to =E2=80=93 if I had recognized early on that = it was an electrical problem and not focused so much on the fuel system, I = may have noticed the essential bus switch in the wrong position.=C2=A0 Forc= e yourself to examine other possible causes (easy to say =E2=80=93 harder t= o do).=20 =C2=A0 NEVER, NEVER forget that flying the airplane is the first and only priority= in this type of situation =C2=A0 NEVER, NEVER forget that saving your butt is the ultimately end-all priorit= y.=C2=A0 When I decided that landing on the grass was preferable to putting= a hole in their concrete =E2=80=93 I just may have made a life-saving deci= sion. =C2=A0 If anybody else wants to pick up this baton =E2=80=93 I=E2=80=99m ready to = hand it over =E2=80=93 what? no volunteers? {:>) =C2=A0 So that=E2=80=99s my story and I=E2=80=99m sticking to it.=C2=A0=20 =C2=A0 Fly safe, guys!! =C2=A0 Ed Ed Anderson Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered Matthews, NC eanderson@carolina.rr.com http://www.andersonee.com http://www.dmack.net/mazda/index.html http://www.flyrotary.com/ http://members.cox.net/rogersda/rotary/configs.htm#N494BW http://www.rotaryaviation.com/Rotorhead%20Truth.htm =C2=A0 =C2=A0 --0-1169312326-1244082162=:6063 Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <= /tr>
Ed,
If its on AutoCad or Intellicad I can read it.
Also can read DXF format.
Thanks,
Jim

--- On Wed, 6/3/09, Ed Anderson <eanderson@carolin= a.rr.com> wrote:

From: Ed Anderson <eanderson@carolina.rr.com&g= t;
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Incident No. 5119
To: "Rotary motors in a= ircraft" <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 20= 09, 1:39 PM

Yes, I have one Jim a= nd certainly willing to share =E2=80=93 who knows there may be other =E2=80= =9Cgot cha=E2=80=99s=E2=80=9D that you or other may find.

 <= /DIV>

One change I=E2=80=99= ve already mentioned is to put a Schokkty diode between the essential bus a= nd the alternator.  Back 10 years ago when I fabricated the electrical= system, I just though the voltage drop caused by this diode was more than = I wanted to accept.  Clearly there is a higher price to pay for not ha= ving it.

 <= /DIV>

One problem, my schem= atic is on an old CAD (no longer in existent).  I can export them in D= XF format if you want to try to upload them. 

 <= /DIV>

Ed

 <= /DIV>

Ed Anderson
Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered
Matthews, NC
eanderson@carolina.rr.com

From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of James Maher
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 1= :24 PM
To: Rotary motors= in aircraft
Subject: [F= lyRotary] Re: Incident No. 5119

 

Ed,

Great report. Thanks for sharing.

Do you have a schematic of your electrical system that yo= u would be willing to share with us?

I too have an essential bus and want to compare yours wit= h mine.

 

Thanks,

Jim

--- On We= d, 6/3/09, Ed Anderson <eanderson@= carolina.rr.com> wrote:


From: Ed Anderson <e= anderson@carolina.rr.com>
Subject: [FlyRotary] Incident No. 5119
T= o: " Rotary motors in aircraft " <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Dat= e: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 11:16 AM

Certainly not trying = to =E2=80=9CTOP=E2=80=9D Al=E2=80=99s door incident =E2=80=93 by the way, g= ood airman ship and decisions, Al!  Glad the damage was no worst that = it was.

 <= /DIV>

But several folks who= were not at the Texas Round up have asked about the =E2=80=9CEd=E2=80=99s = Incident=E2=80=9D.  For those of you who were at the roundup, you will= probably want to skip this repeat.

 <= /DIV>

Incident No. 5119

 <= /DIV>

One the way to Texas = I had an incident that ended up in with me and aircraft making a 7 mile eng= ine-out glide into Craig Field ( Selma , Alabama ).  Again =E2=80=93 N= O! It was not fault of the engine or even the subsystems.  But, the co= mplete answer is not provided until after my litany of the conditions and s= ymptoms =E2=80=93 can you figure it out?

 <= /DIV>

I took off on Thursda= y AM planning on stopping in Mississippi to join up with Charlie England an= d Tracy.  After spending the night there, we all three would head for = Texas .  But, the weather (as you are aware) has been laying over the = southeast for days with rain and more rain =E2=80=93 but I launched into it= anyway as past Atlanta , GA things were forecast to improve..

 <= /DIV>

Other than dodging li= nes of clouds and a bit of scud running, but not much, I landed at Alexandr= ia City to the southwest of Atlanta , GA to take on fuel.  I then clim= bed back in and fire it up and took off. 

 <= /DIV>

I noticed that during= climb-out the engine would occasionally miss and thought the fuel might ha= ve had a bit of water in it, but was not really concerned.  So I fly o= n for approx another 45 minutes and had just passed Selma , Alabama and old= Craig Air Force base, and turned west toward Mississippi , when more sympt= oms began to occur.

 <= /DIV>

It started to act lik= e a case of SAG (fouled spark plugs) where the rpm will drop a bit =E2=80= =93 not dangerous - just nerve racking.  But, shortly things began to = go beyond the SAG symptoms, so I though I might have an injector problem (l= ike one sticking open or not opening at all).  Since our injectors are= in pairs, I tried turning off one figuring if things got better, then that= pair might have a bad injector.

 <= /DIV>

So I turned off one p= air and sure enough the symptoms abated a bit (more on this later) so I fig= ured I had a bad injector in that pair.  To be certain I turned this = =E2=80=9Cbad=E2=80=9D pair back on and turn off the =E2=80=9Cgood=E2=80=9D = pair expecting the symptoms to really get bad as I would now be running on = only the =E2=80=9Cbad=E2=80=9D pair =E2=80=93 much to my surprise when I tu= rned off the =E2=80=9Cgood=E2=80=9D pair =E2=80=93 the symptoms also abated= .  So that indicated it was not an injector problem =E2=80=93 but what= ? 

 <= /DIV>

About this time, I de= cided to turn the aircraft back around toward Craig Field and dodging cloud= s headed back with the engine progressively getting worst. It appeared= to be a fuel problem (and while that is ultimately the subsystem affected = - it was not the root cause).  The fuel pressure was ranging from zero= to 80 psi, other electrical things were also misbehaving.  I check th= e voltmeter thinking perhaps the alternator had died =E2=80=93 but it showe= d 14 volts.  So back to the fuel system.

 <= /DIV>

  Finally, the e= ngine just stops with the prop standing still - like a hood ornament, I=E2= =80=99m at around 4500-5000 MSL at this point having lost some altitude dod= ging a cloud (good old GPS just kept pointing to Craig Field).  At tha= t time I am 7 miles out from Craig Field at 4500 msl with at stopped prop, = a crippled seat cushion and a dry mouth.  Yes, I know I=E2=80=99ve bee= n there before, but I don=E2=80=99t think you ever get =E2=80=9Cuse=E2=80= =9D to it.  I recalled thinking things just can=E2=80=99t get worst wh= en they very shortly and suddenly - did.

 <= /DIV>

I keyed the radio and= made a call to Craig Field at 4 miles on the GPS (I=E2=80=99m starting to = get good at this) but before I could get their reply, I heard a =E2=80=9CCL= AN K =E2=80=9D (without the engine running you can hear things like that) &= nbsp;like a relay springing open (it was) and the entire panel goes dead!!!= !   No radio, no engine instruments, not even a stinking LED was = lit =E2=80=93 only the battery powered GPS.  Can you spell =E2=80=9Cto= tal electrical failure?=E2=80=9D  Talk about a lonely feeling =E2=80= =93 amazing how comforting having lights on and radio =E2=80=93 you could a= lmost convince yourself this was just a practice engine-out landing, but no= t when the panel goes dark. No engine gauges, no radio, nada!=

 <= /DIV>

Well not being one in= clined to panic (but I seriously considered it for a moment {:>)), I con= tinued toward Craig field =E2=80=93 I mean like there were lots of other al= ternatives.  Well Once again I found myself in the =E2=80=9Cfortunate = position=E2=80=9D of being too high, too much altitude. So I put in 40 degs= of flaps to steepen my rate of descent. But, then I decided this time that= rather than do the 360 I had done on a previous Incident to lose =E2=80=9C= excessive=E2=80=9D altitude, I would try to glide - a more or less - regula= r traffic pattern.

 <= /DIV>

However, I neglected = to remember to retract the flaps.  So I found myself on the downwind a= round mid-field at pattern altitude (which felt normal) until I suddenly re= alized that you CAN NOT maintain that pattern altitude without an engine!!!= Duh!

 <= /DIV>

I knew I could never = make it to the far end of the runway before turning base (toward the runway= ), so I started my turn immediately, to make matters a bit worst - I had be= en paralleling the runway on the downwind leg a bit too close =E2=80=93 mus= t have been the comforting feeling of being close to safety.  This pos= ition naturally required a tighter turn and as I turned I saw I was likely = to miss the runway and land in the grass. So I though I need to steepen thi= s turn further (this is called COFFIN CORNER), but fortunately glanced at m= y airspeed indicator to see it only registering 80 MPH and my rate of desce= nt (normally 400-500 feet per minute) up to over 1000 feet per minute. The = seat cushion suddenly vanished from this universe.

 <= /DIV>

  But the REAL d= anger in this situation, as you all know, is your airspeed gets low, you ar= e in a steep bank which greatly raises the stall speed  - meaning at 8= 0 mph you are close to a stall in a steep turn while your are not in straig= ht and level.  So I immediately straighten out of the turn =E2=80=93 t= he little voice saying =E2=80=9Cbetter to land in the grass than get their = concrete runway all messed up=E2=80=9D.  So the immediate danger of a = stall was adverted, but I was still pointed toward the ground with a sink r= ate twice as high as normal (and I=E2=80=99ve manage a few hard landings ev= en with a normal sink rate).

 <= /DIV>

The hardest thing to = do when you are sinking at a 1000 fpm a couple hundred feet above the groun= d (with your nose already pointed at the ground) is to push the stick forwa= rd steeping the dive even more.  But, I manage to do that and picked e= nough air speed and energy to flair to a nice touch down =E2=80=93 not even= a bump.  I=E2=80=99ve always been amazed at what total concentration = does to improve you landing {:>).

 <= /DIV>

Rolled to the end of = the runway and had energy to roll off onto the taxiway.   Got out= , check under the aircraft for any evidence of leaks and started pulling th= e aircraft toward the far =E2=80=93off =E2=80=93 hangar which had an airpla= ne parked in front of it.  A nice looking young woman comes riding a b= icycle out to meet me.  Hopped off and holding out her hand said =E2= =80=9CHi I=E2=80=99m Angie, looks like we=E2=80=99ll be spending time toget= her=E2=80=9D =E2=80=93 so things are starting to look up {:>)

 <= /DIV>

So pulled the aircraf= t in to the hangar where the mechanic came over and ask what the problem wa= s.  Well, I looked at the volt meter and it said the battery was dead.= Mechanic put on a battery charger and announced =E2=80=9CYep! The battery = is dead=E2=80=9D.  So we both concluded that the alternator must have = failed and not being able to replenish the drain on the battery by all the = electrical systems such as fuel pumps, injectors, ignition coils, etc had d= rained the battery. 

 <= /DIV>

However, there were a= few problems with the analysis of a failed alternator.  First, the lo= w voltage warning light never came on to warn of an alternator problem, 2nd I never notice the voltmeter showing anything other than what i= t should for alternator voltage =E2=80=93 like around 14 volts.  While= checking the voltage after the Mechanic had charged the battery, I noticed= down below that the =E2=80=9Cessential bus=E2=80=9D switch was in the batt= ery rather than the alternator position, so flicked it back to the alternat= or position figuring I must have accidentally kicked it while getting to so= me stuff in the baggage compartment of my RV-6A.

 <= /DIV>

It was getting late a= nd being a bit tired not to mention stressed, I needed to get a rental car = and a motel for the night.  Did that, eat dinner and went to bed after= sitting down and drawing out a problem tree with the entire major elements= of the electrical system.

 <= /DIV>

So next morning I sho= w up at the hangar early and meet Ben, the mechanic, the battery had receiv= ed a charge of only 45 minutes the evening before, So I suggested we charge= d it for another hour and try to start the aircraft.  Ben suggested a = real stress test of the battery and NOT charge it anymore.  Made sense= , so we rolled the aircraft out of the hangar.  I hopped in, threw a h= alf dozen switches and punched the starter button.  The engine started= on the first prop blade rotation =E2=80=93 so the battery was clearly O K = . The engine is humming like a top.    So I looked over at the vo= ltmeter expecting it to show only around 12.8 volts instead of the 14 volts= a functioning alternator would produce.  Much to my and Ben=E2=80=99s= surprise the alternator voltage read 14 volts.  We loaded the alterna= tor by turning on the both l00 watt landing lights, all fuel pumps, the pitot heat, etc.&nbs= p; The alternator voltage only drops perhaps 0.4 volts clearly indicating t= he alternator could carry the load and was O K .

 <= /DIV>

So here I am =E2=80= =93 battery is O K , alternator is O K =E2=80=93 engine is purring normally= , so clearly this was all a figment of my deteriorating brain cells.  = I loaded up the aircraft and launched to do a few circuits of the airport = =E2=80=93 I did so and all was operating normally and so I radio them I was= head onward to Texas .  While flying, my mind could not let go of the= problem and finally the light came on. 

 <= /DIV>

The essential bus swi= tch had (for my entire 10 + years of flying) been in the alternator positio= n.  The purpose of this switch is to isolate the battery from the alte= rnator should the alternator fail - to prevent an alternator problem from d= raining the battery.  So in event of an alternator problem, you move t= he switch from alternator to battery.  Its call the essential bus beca= use you only have the essential things drawing from the battery so you wont= =E2=80=99 drain it as quickly.  The idea is to give you time (generall= y around 30 minutes) to find a safe place to land in case of alternator fai= lure.

 <= /DIV>

 <= /DIV>

Well, at some point I= had either (not paying attention) turned the switch to battery thinking I = was turning the voltmeter switch to battery  - or accidentally had mov= e the switch from alternator to battery without noticing it by kicking it, = etc.  However, it was sort of protected in its position from accidenta= l activation. It must have happened during refueling =E2=80=93 as I got app= rox 45 minutes down the road on the battery after take off before quality b= attery time started to deteriorate.  As the battery voltage fell due t= o the load (and no alternator link to replenish it), electrical things (mai= nly computers first) started acting up until they could not longer run the = engine. The injectors would not open fully, etc.  Then as the voltage = level further decreased, the master relay which the battery held closed and= which connected the (fully functional) alternator to the rest of the electrical = system - opened up and removed ALL power from the electrical system.  = So no radio, no gauges, etc.

 <= /DIV>

 Oh, another lit= tle factor that may have contributed, the voltmeter has a tiny toggle switc= h by it marked ALT BAT1 BAT2 for checking alternator battery 1 and battery = 2 (which I no longer fly with) voltages.  Down below It a couple of in= ches and off to the right is the essential bus normal size toggle switch = =E2=80=93 also marked ALT BAT1 BAT1.  I normally never touch it and do= n=E2=80=99t even think about it.  But I could have reached for the vol= tmeter toggle thinking to check my battery voltage (which I do as a regular= thing) and perhaps distracted by something reach a bit further down and in= stead moved the essential bus switch from Alternator to Battery cause this = entire event.  I know that I did not consciously do it.  So it is= either accidental or absence minded activation - either way ends with the = same results {:>)

 <= /DIV>

 <= /DIV>

Now it became clear w= hy it didn=E2=80=99t matter which pair of fuel injectors I turned off =E2= =80=93 turning off either pair improved the situation because it slightly r= educed the electrical load by a few amps =E2=80=93 and the engine ran sligh= tly better for a few moments.  The same thing had happened when turnin= g off one of the EFI fuel pumps =E2=80=93 but what threw me was the alterna= tor voltage continued to be normal during this.

 <= /DIV>

 <= /DIV>

After I knew the caus= e (switch in wrong position), I decided the problem was fixed so no reason = to return to NC, and I just continued on to Texas .

 <= /DIV>

I know some of you ma= y think that removing my second battery was a mistake =E2=80=93 but, consid= er this, having another battery could have meant I would have been much fur= ther from a suitable airfield before they both went south.  On the oth= er hand, it might have caused me to at least think to throw the essential b= us switch to the second battery and have the Light bulb come on.  Who = really knows.  But, I have in mind a simply addition to my electrical = circuit that should help in the future.

 <= /DIV>

 <= /DIV>

I do want to state th= at this time when the problems started I DID switch fuel tanks =E2=80=93 bu= t naturally it had no effect because this time it turned out, it was not a = fuel problem =E2=80=93 not the root cause at least.

 <= /DIV>

So what are the lesso= ns learned:

 <= /DIV>

  1. Put EVERY cri= tical switch on your before-takeoff Check list
  2. Perhaps put a= guard around such critical switches to force conscious activation
  3. Don=E2=80=99t= (hard not to) get overly focused on what you think is the problem =E2=80= =93 consider other possibilities.  I thought it was a fuel problem (I = even switched fuel tanks this time) =E2=80=93 it turned out to be electrica= l in its root cause.
  4. While the fue= l pressure was jumping all over the place and the EGT was erratic and engin= e surging strongly indicating a fuel problem =E2=80=93 the ultimate cause w= as electrical.  Once the voltage got below a certain point the EC2 was= still trying to pull the injectors open, but with the voltage so low it co= uld not do it properly.
  5. When the batt= ery voltage dropped below a certain point, the master relay released and re= moved the alternator from the electrical system and the panel went dark =E2= =80=93 even though the alternator was still working
  6. Immediately t= urn to the nearest airfield when serious problems occur - THEN work on fixi= ng them.  I only delayed for perhaps 2-3 minutes, but that could have = made a difference.
  7. Watch out for= Coffin Corner turn when tu= rning base to final =E2=80=93 airspeed really bleeds off fast with no engin= e pulling you along (and especially with flaps deployed!)
  8. IF you change= your mind about landing approach type - remember to reconfigure your aircr= aft for the last decision =E2=80=93 I had left my flaps deployed when I sho= uld have remembered to retracted them.  Did that help prevent a Coffin= Corner stall and spin or would it have put me closer to it?<= /LI>
  9. You must incr= ease airspeed over the wing to get the sufficient energy to over come a hig= h sink rate.  Pulling back on the stick when the ground is staring you= in the face is the natural reaction =E2=80=93 but, pushing forward to lowe= r the nose is the correct action =E2=80=93 providing of course you have suf= ficient altitude!
  10. Battery life =E2=80=93 I had a two year old 680 odyssey battery which= I maintain a trickle charge on whenever I=E2=80=99m not flying.  With= two EFI fuel pumps, boost pump, injectors, coils, EC2 and radio and just h= aving started the engine before take off =E2=80=93 this battery lasted 55 m= inutes.  Well, the last 5 minutes was not quality battery time.  = So in my case, 30 minutes appears to be a very realistic battery life. = ; In fact, had I turned off one EFI pump and the boost pump would have gain= ed a few more miles.  But, if I had recognized the need to turn them o= ff at that time (I normally turn them off at cruise altitude), then I would= have known how to =E2=80=9Cfix=E2=80=9D the problem.
  11. I=E2=80=99ve = decided to add a Schokkty diode between my essential bus and the alternator= =E2=80=93 so that as long as the alternator is producing sufficient voltag= e, then the battery will be getting some charge to replace the drain. = I=E2=80=99ve also decided to make that switch position a check-list item.<= /SPAN>

 <= /DIV>

 So what it boil= s down to =E2=80=93 if I had recognized early on that it was an electrical = problem and not focused so much on the fuel system, I may have noticed the = essential bus switch in the wrong position.  Force yourself to examine= other possible causes (easy to say =E2=80=93 harder to do). =

 <= /DIV>

NEVER, NEVER forget t= hat flying the airplane is the first and only priority in this type of situ= ation

 <= /DIV>

NEVER, NEVER forget t= hat saving your butt is the ultimately end-all priority.  When I decid= ed that landing on the grass was preferable to putting a hole in their conc= rete =E2=80=93 I just may have made a life-saving decision.

 <= /DIV>

If anybody else wants= to pick up this baton =E2=80=93 I=E2=80=99m ready to hand it over =E2=80= =93 what? no volunteers? {:>)

 <= /DIV>

So that=E2=80=99s my = story and I=E2=80=99m sticking to it. 

 

Fly safe, guys!!

 

Ed

Ed Anderson

Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered

Matthews, NC

eanderson@carolina.rr.com=

 

 

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