X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from fed1rmmtao101.cox.net ([68.230.241.45] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.14) with ESMTP id 3671147 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:36:47 -0400 Received-SPF: none receiver=logan.com; client-ip=68.230.241.45; envelope-from=rv-4mike@cox.net Received: from fed1rmimpo02.cox.net ([70.169.32.72]) by fed1rmmtao101.cox.net (InterMail vM.7.08.02.01 201-2186-121-102-20070209) with ESMTP id <20090604033611.QBFO17670.fed1rmmtao101.cox.net@fed1rmimpo02.cox.net> for ; Wed, 3 Jun 2009 23:36:11 -0400 Received: from wills ([68.105.85.56]) by fed1rmimpo02.cox.net with bizsmtp id zfc81b0021CvZmk04fcACi; Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:36:11 -0400 X-VR-Score: 0.00 X-Authority-Analysis: v=1.0 c=1 a=ayC55rCoAAAA:8 a=arxwEM4EAAAA:8 a=QdXCYpuVAAAA:8 a=7g1VtSJxAAAA:8 a=kviXuzpPAAAA:8 a=UretUmmEAAAA:8 a=RDrqNPIlgzGMfj2HYIwA:9 a=oNyl9PKI4KnmiUHrALoA:7 a=0H8LTBPEt76BLyOByst4kIY-ROMA:4 a=uP3P5DTL9GshOCxk:21 a=LIcr6CI4vL-qGfcG:21 a=SSmOFEACAAAA:8 a=Ia-xEzejAAAA:8 a=QG9DAfqA_KunHaSyEJEA:9 a=2d2-ALktJz1NbPXiuHEA:7 a=AzoQVte07CeJRRXMhvq1K8f2ZhkA:4 a=EzXvWhQp4_cA:10 a=Uad9dJMSucKngzXd:21 X-CM-Score: 0.00 Message-ID: <3C6D3C72758145B4AA8856C8E9342B44@wills> From: "Mike Wills" To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" References: Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Incident No. 5119 Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 20:36:08 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0072_01C9E48A.ECDF3280" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.5512 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5579 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0072_01C9E48A.ECDF3280 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Ed, That's a great story. I think you secretly or sub-consciously are = trying to set some sort of record for in-flight emergencies. Personally = my goal is to make sure that all of my glider flights actually occur in = my glider. In all seriousness, considering the possibilities of in flight engine = stoppage with our very experimental power plant installations, I would = highly encourage you guys to add a glider rating, or at least take some = glider dual. If the noise up front stops your confidence level will be = much higher and laundry bills much lower if you've had experience = landing without power. The only downside to glider flying is the time it takes away from = airplane flying! Mike Wills RV-4 N144MW (and homebuilt glider RS-15 N15LQ) ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Ed Anderson=20 To: Rotary motors in aircraft=20 Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [FlyRotary] Incident No. 5119=20 Certainly not trying to "TOP" Al's door incident - by the way, good = airman ship and decisions, Al! Glad the damage was no worst that it = was. =20 But several folks who were not at the Texas Round up have asked about = the "Ed's Incident". For those of you who were at the roundup, you will = probably want to skip this repeat. =20 Incident No. 5119 =20 One the way to Texas I had an incident that ended up in with me and = aircraft making a 7 mile engine-out glide into Craig Field (Selma, = Alabama). Again - NO! It was not fault of the engine or even the = subsystems. But, the complete answer is not provided until after my = litany of the conditions and symptoms - can you figure it out? =20 I took off on Thursday AM planning on stopping in Mississippi to join = up with Charlie England and 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 - but I = launched into it anyway as past Atlanta, GA things were forecast to = improve.. =20 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 fuel. I then climbed back in and fire it up and took off. =20 =20 I noticed that during climb-out the engine would occasionally miss and = thought the fuel might have had a bit of water in it, but was not really = concerned. So I fly on for approx another 45 minutes and had just = passed Selma, Alabama and old Craig Air Force base, and turned west = toward Mississippi, when more symptoms began to occur. =20 It started to act like a case of SAG (fouled spark plugs) where the = rpm will drop a bit - not dangerous - just nerve racking. But, shortly = 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). Since = our injectors are in pairs, I tried turning off one figuring if things = got better, then that pair might have a bad injector. =20 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. To = be certain I turned this "bad" pair back on and turn off the "good" pair = expecting the symptoms to really get bad as I would now be running on = only the "bad" pair - much to my surprise when I turned off the "good" = pair - the symptoms also abated. So that indicated it was not an = injector problem - but what? =20 =20 About this time, I decided to turn the aircraft back around toward = Craig Field and dodging clouds 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 the voltmeter thinking perhaps the = alternator had died - but it showed 14 volts. So back to the fuel = system. =20 Finally, the engine just stops with the prop standing still - like a = hood ornament, I'm at around 4500-5000 MSL at this point having lost = some altitude dodging a cloud (good old GPS just kept pointing to Craig = Field). At that 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've been there before, but I don't think you ever get "use" to it. I = recalled thinking things just can't get worst when they very shortly and = suddenly - did. =20 I keyed the radio and made a call to Craig Field at 4 miles on the GPS = (I'm starting to get good at this) but before I could get their reply, I = heard a "CLANK" (without the engine running you can hear things like = that) 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 - only the battery powered GPS. Can you spell "total electrical = failure?" Talk about a lonely feeling - amazing how comforting having = lights on and radio - you could almost convince yourself this was just a = practice engine-out landing, but not when the panel goes dark. No engine = gauges, no radio, nada! =20 Well not being one inclined to panic (but I seriously considered it = for a moment {:>)), I continued toward Craig field - I mean like there = were lots of other alternatives. Well Once again I found myself in the = "fortunate position" 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 "excessive" altitude, I would try to glide - a more or less - = regular traffic pattern. =20 However, I neglected to remember to retract the flaps. So I found = myself 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! =20 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 been paralleling the runway on the = downwind leg a bit too close - must have been the comforting feeling of = being close to safety. This position 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 this turn further (this is called = COFFIN CORNER), but fortunately 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. =20 But the REAL danger in this situation, as you all know, is your = airspeed gets low, you are in a steep bank which greatly raises the = stall speed - meaning at 80 mph you are close to a stall in a steep = turn while your are not in straight and level. So I immediately = straighten out of the turn - the little voice saying "better to land in = the grass than get their concrete runway all messed up". So the = immediate 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've manage a = few hard landings even with a normal sink rate). =20 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. But, = I manage to do that and picked enough air speed and energy to flair to a = nice touch down - not even a bump. I've always been amazed at what = total concentration does to improve you landing {:>). =20 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 the aircraft toward the far -off - hangar which had = an airplane parked in front of it. A nice looking young woman comes = riding a bicycle out to meet me. Hopped off and holding out her hand = said "Hi I'm Angie, looks like we'll be spending time together" - so = things are starting to look up {:>) =20 So pulled the aircraft in to the hangar where the mechanic came over = and ask what the problem was. Well, I looked at the volt meter and it = said the battery was dead. Mechanic put on a battery charger and = announced "Yep! The battery is dead". 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 drained the battery. =20 =20 However, there were a few problems with the analysis of a failed = alternator. First, the low voltage warning light never came on to warn = of an alternator problem, 2nd I never notice the voltmeter showing = anything other than what it should for alternator voltage - like around = 14 volts. While checking the voltage after the Mechanic had charged the = battery, I noticed down below that the "essential bus" 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 = getting to some stuff in the baggage compartment of my RV-6A. =20 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. 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. =20 So next morning I show up at the hangar early and meet Ben, the = mechanic, the 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. 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 half dozen switches and punched the = starter button. The engine started on the first prop blade rotation - = so the battery was clearly OK. The engine is humming like a top. So I = looked over at the voltmeter expecting it to show only around 12.8 volts = instead of the 14 volts a functioning alternator would produce. Much to = my and Ben's surprise the alternator voltage read 14 volts. We loaded = the alternator by turning on the both l00 watt landing lights, all fuel = pumps, the pitot heat, etc. The alternator voltage only drops perhaps = 0.4 volts clearly indicating the alternator could carry the load and was = OK. =20 So here I am - battery is OK, alternator is OK - 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 - 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. =20 =20 The essential bus switch had (for my entire 10 + years of flying) been = in the alternator position. The purpose of this switch is to isolate = the battery from the alternator should the alternator fail - to prevent = an alternator problem from draining the battery. So in event of an = alternator problem, you move the switch from alternator to battery. Its = call the essential bus because you only have the essential things = drawing from the battery so you wont' drain it as quickly. The idea is = to give you time (generally around 30 minutes) to find a safe place to = land in case of alternator failure. =20 =20 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 move the switch from alternator to battery = without noticing it by kicking it, etc. However, it was sort of = protected in its position from accidental activation. It must have = happened during refueling - as I got approx 45 minutes down the road on = the battery after take off before quality battery time started to = deteriorate. As the battery voltage fell due to the load (and no = alternator link to replenish it), electrical things (mainly 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.=20 =20 Oh, another little factor that may have contributed, the voltmeter = has a tiny toggle switch 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 inches and off to the right is the = essential bus normal size toggle switch - also marked ALT BAT1 BAT1. I = normally never touch it and don't even think about it. But I could have = reached for the voltmeter 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 instead 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 {:>) =20 =20 Now it became clear why it didn't matter which pair of fuel injectors = I turned off - turning off either pair improved the situation because it = slightly reduced the electrical load by a few amps - and the engine ran = slightly better for a few moments. The same thing had happened when = turning off one of the EFI fuel pumps - but what threw me was the = alternator voltage continued to be normal during this. =20 =20 After I knew the cause (switch in wrong position), I decided the = problem was fixed so no reason to return to NC, and I just continued on = to Texas. =20 I know some of you may think that removing my second battery was a = mistake - but, consider this, having another battery could have meant I = would have been much further from a suitable airfield before they both = went south. 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 bulb come on. Who really knows. But, I have in mind a simply = addition to my electrical circuit that should help in the future.=20 =20 =20 I do want to state that this time when the problems started I DID = switch fuel tanks - but naturally it had no effect because this time it = turned out, it was not a fuel problem - not the root cause at least. =20 So what are the lessons learned: =20 1.. Put EVERY critical switch on your before-takeoff Check list=20 2.. Perhaps put a guard around such critical switches to force = conscious activation=20 3.. Don't (hard not to) get overly focused on what you think is the = problem - consider other possibilities. I thought it was a fuel problem = (I even switched fuel tanks this time) - it turned out to be electrical = in its root cause.=20 4.. While the fuel pressure was jumping all over the place and the = EGT was erratic and engine surging strongly indicating a fuel problem - = the ultimate cause was 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 could not do it properly.=20 5.. When the battery voltage dropped below a certain point, the = master relay released and removed the alternator from the electrical = system and the panel went dark - even though the alternator was still = working=20 6.. Immediately turn to the nearest airfield when serious problems = occur - THEN work on fixing them. I only delayed for perhaps 2-3 = minutes, but that could have made a difference.=20 7.. Watch out for Coffin Corner turn when turning base to final - = airspeed really bleeds off fast with no engine pulling you along (and = especially with flaps deployed!)=20 8.. IF you change your mind about landing approach type - remember = to reconfigure your aircraft for the last decision - I had left my flaps = deployed when I should have remembered to retracted them. Did that help = prevent a Coffin Corner stall and spin or would it have put me closer to = it?=20 9.. You must increase airspeed over the wing to get the sufficient = energy to over come a high sink rate. Pulling back on the stick when = the ground is staring you in the face is the natural reaction - but, = pushing forward to lower the nose is the correct action - providing of = course you have sufficient altitude!=20 10.. Battery life - I had a two year old 680 odyssey battery which I = maintain a trickle charge on whenever I'm not flying. With two EFI fuel = pumps, boost pump, injectors, coils, EC2 and radio and just having = started the engine before take off - this battery lasted 55 minutes. = 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 gained a few more = miles. 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 "fix" the problem.=20 11.. I've decided to add a Schokkty diode between my essential bus = and the alternator - so that as long as the alternator is producing = sufficient voltage, then the battery will be getting some charge to = replace the drain. I've also decided to make that switch position a = check-list item.=20 =20 So what it boils down to - 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 - harder to do).=20 =20 NEVER, NEVER forget that flying the airplane is the first and only = priority in this type of situation =20 NEVER, NEVER forget that saving your butt is the ultimately end-all = priority. When I decided that landing on the grass was preferable to = putting a hole in their concrete - I just may have made a life-saving = decision. =20 If anybody else wants to pick up this baton - I'm ready to hand it = over - what? no volunteers? {:>) =20 So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. =20 =20 Fly safe, guys!! =20 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 =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0072_01C9E48A.ECDF3280 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Ed,
 
 That's a great story. I think you = secretly or=20 sub-consciously are trying to set some sort of record for in-flight = emergencies.=20 Personally my goal is to make sure that all of my glider flights = actually occur=20 in my glider.
 
 In all seriousness, considering = the=20 possibilities of in flight engine stoppage with our very experimental = power=20 plant installations, I would highly encourage you guys to add a glider = rating,=20 or at least take some glider dual. If the noise up front stops your = confidence=20 level will be much higher and laundry bills much lower if you've had = experience=20 landing without power.
 
The only downside to glider flying is = the time it=20 takes away from airplane flying!
 
Mike Wills
RV-4 N144MW (and homebuilt glider RS-15 = N15LQ)
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Ed=20 Anderson
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 = 8:16=20 AM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Incident = No. 5119=20

Certainly = not trying=20 to =93TOP=94 Al=92s door incident =96 by the way, good airman ship and = decisions,=20 Al!  Glad the damage was no worst that it=20 was.

 

But several = folks who=20 were not at the Texas Round up have asked about the =93Ed=92s = Incident=94.  For=20 those of you who were at the roundup, you will probably want to skip = this=20 repeat.

 

Incident = No.=20 5119

 

One the way = to=20 Texas I had an incident that ended = up in with=20 me and aircraft making a 7 mile engine-out glide into Craig Field = (Selma, Alabama).  Again =96 NO! It = was not fault=20 of the engine or even the subsystems.  But, the complete answer = is not=20 provided until after my litany of the conditions and symptoms =96 can = you figure=20 it out?

 

I took off = on=20 Thursday AM planning on stopping in Mississippi to join up with = Charlie England=20 and Tracy.  After spending the night there, we all three would = head for=20 Texas. =20 But, the weather (as you are aware) has been laying over the southeast = for=20 days with rain and more rain =96 but I launched into it anyway as past = Atlanta, = GA things were forecast to=20 improve..

 

Other than = dodging=20 lines of clouds and a bit of scud running, but not much, I landed at=20 Alexandria City to the southwest of Atlanta, GA to take on fuel.  I then = climbed=20 back in and fire it up and took off.  =

 

I noticed = that during=20 climb-out the engine would occasionally miss and thought the fuel = might have=20 had a bit of water in it, but was not really concerned.  So I fly = on for=20 approx another 45 minutes and had just passed Selma, Alabama and old=20 Craig Air Force base, and turned west toward Mississippi, when more symptoms = began to=20 occur.

 

It started = to act=20 like a case of SAG (fouled spark plugs) where the rpm will drop a bit = =96 not=20 dangerous - just nerve racking.  But, shortly things began to go = beyond=20 the SAG symptoms, so I though I might have an injector problem (like = one=20 sticking open or not opening at all).  Since our injectors are in = pairs,=20 I tried turning off one figuring if things got better, then that pair = might=20 have a bad injector.

 

So I turned = off one=20 pair and sure enough the symptoms abated a bit (more on this later) so = I=20 figured I had a bad injector in that pair.  To be certain I = turned this=20 =93bad=94 pair back on and turn off the =93good=94 pair expecting the = symptoms to=20 really get bad as I would now be running on only the =93bad=94 pair = =96 much to my=20 surprise when I turned off the =93good=94 pair =96 the symptoms also = abated. =20 So that indicated it was not an injector problem =96 but what? =20

 

About this = time, I=20 decided to turn the aircraft back around toward Craig Field and = dodging clouds=20 headed back with the engine progressively getting worst. It = appeared to=20 be a fuel problem (and while that is ultimately the subsystem affected = - it=20 was not the root cause).  The fuel pressure was ranging from zero = to 80=20 psi, other electrical things were also misbehaving.  I check the=20 voltmeter thinking perhaps the alternator had died =96 but it showed = 14=20 volts.  So back to the fuel system.

 

  = Finally, the=20 engine just stops with the prop standing still - like a hood ornament, = I=92m at=20 around 4500-5000 MSL at this point having lost some altitude dodging a = cloud=20 (good old GPS just kept pointing to Craig Field).  At that time I = am 7=20 miles out from Craig Field at 4500 msl with at stopped prop, a = crippled seat=20 cushion and a dry mouth.  Yes, I know I=92ve been there before, = but I don=92t=20 think you ever get =93use=94 to it.  I recalled thinking things = just can=92t=20 get worst when they very shortly and suddenly -=20 did.

 

I keyed the = radio and=20 made a call to Craig Field at 4 miles on the GPS (I=92m starting to = get good at=20 this) but before I could get their reply, I heard a =93CLANK=94 = (without the=20 engine running you can hear things like that)  like a relay = springing=20 open (it was) and the entire panel goes dead!!!!   No radio, = no=20 engine instruments, not even a stinking LED was lit =96 only the = battery powered=20 GPS.  Can you spell =93total electrical failure?=94  Talk = about a lonely=20 feeling =96 amazing how comforting having lights on and radio =96 you = could almost=20 convince yourself this was just a practice engine-out landing, but not = when=20 the panel goes dark. No engine gauges, no radio,=20 nada!

 

Well not = being one=20 inclined to panic (but I seriously considered it for a moment = {:>)), I=20 continued toward Craig field =96 I mean like there were lots of other=20 alternatives.  Well Once again I found myself in the =93fortunate = position=94=20 of being too high, too much altitude. So I put in 40 degs of flaps to = steepen=20 my rate of descent. But, then I decided this time that rather than do = the 360=20 I had done on a previous Incident to lose =93excessive=94 altitude, I = would try to=20 glide - a more or less - regular traffic = pattern.

 

However, I = neglected=20 to remember to retract the flaps.  So I found myself on the = downwind=20 around mid-field at pattern altitude (which felt normal) until I = suddenly=20 realized that you CAN NOT maintain that pattern altitude without an = engine!!!=20 Duh!

 

I knew I = could never=20 make it to the far end of the runway before turning base (toward the = runway),=20 so I started my turn immediately, to make matters a bit worst - I had = been=20 paralleling the runway on the downwind leg a bit too close =96 must = have been=20 the comforting feeling of being close to safety.  This position = naturally=20 required a tighter turn and as I turned I saw I was likely to miss the = runway=20 and land in the grass. So I though I need to steepen this turn further = (this=20 is called COFFIN CORNER), but fortunately glanced at my airspeed = indicator to=20 see it only registering 80 MPH and my rate of descent (normally = 400-500 feet=20 per minute) up to over 1000 feet per minute. The seat cushion suddenly = vanished from this universe.

 

  But = the REAL=20 danger in this situation, as you all know, is your airspeed gets low, = you are=20 in a steep bank which greatly raises the stall speed  - meaning = at 80 mph=20 you are close to a stall in a steep turn while your are not in = straight and=20 level.  So I immediately straighten out of the turn =96 the = little voice=20 saying =93better to land in the grass than get their concrete runway = all messed=20 up=94.  So the immediate danger of a stall was adverted, but I = was still=20 pointed toward the ground with a sink rate twice as high as normal = (and I=92ve=20 manage a few hard landings even with a normal sink=20 rate).

 

The hardest = thing to=20 do when you are sinking at a 1000 fpm a couple hundred feet above the = ground=20 (with your nose already pointed at the ground) is to push the stick = forward=20 steeping the dive even more.  But, I manage to do that and picked = enough=20 air speed and energy to flair to a nice touch down =96 not even a = bump. =20 I=92ve always been amazed at what total concentration does to improve = you=20 landing {:>).

 

Rolled to = the end of=20 the runway and had energy to roll off onto the taxiway.   = Got out,=20 check under the aircraft for any evidence of leaks and started pulling = the=20 aircraft toward the far =96off =96 hangar which had an airplane parked = in front of=20 it.  A nice looking young woman comes riding a bicycle out to = meet=20 me.  Hopped off and holding out her hand said =93Hi I=92m Angie, = looks like=20 we=92ll be spending time together=94 =96 so things are starting to = look up=20 {:>)

 

So pulled = the=20 aircraft in to the hangar where the mechanic came over and ask what = the=20 problem was.  Well, I looked at the volt meter and it said the = battery=20 was dead. Mechanic put on a battery charger and announced =93Yep! The = battery is=20 dead=94.  So we both concluded that the alternator must have = failed and not=20 being able to replenish the drain on the battery by all the electrical = systems=20 such as fuel pumps, injectors, ignition coils, etc had drained the=20 battery. 

 

However, = there were a=20 few problems with the analysis of a failed alternator.  First, = the low=20 voltage warning light never came on to warn of an alternator problem,=20 2nd I never notice the voltmeter showing anything other = than what=20 it should for alternator voltage =96 like around 14 volts.  While = checking=20 the voltage after the Mechanic had charged the battery, I noticed down = below=20 that the =93essential bus=94 switch was in the battery rather than the = alternator=20 position, so flicked it back to the alternator position figuring I = must have=20 accidentally kicked it while getting to some stuff in the baggage = compartment=20 of my RV-6A.

 

It was = getting late=20 and being a bit tired not to mention stressed, I needed to get a = rental car=20 and a motel for the night.  Did that, eat dinner and went to bed = after=20 sitting down and drawing out a problem tree with the entire major = elements of=20 the electrical system.

 

So next = morning I=20 show up at the hangar early and meet Ben, the mechanic, the battery = had=20 received a charge of only 45 minutes the evening before, So I = suggested we=20 charged it for another hour and try to start the aircraft.  Ben = suggested=20 a real stress test of the battery and NOT charge it anymore.  = Made sense,=20 so we rolled the aircraft out of the hangar.  I hopped in, threw = a half=20 dozen switches and punched the starter button.  The engine = started on the=20 first prop blade rotation =96 so the battery was clearly OK. The = engine is=20 humming like a top.    So I looked over at the voltmeter = expecting=20 it to show only around 12.8 volts instead of the 14 volts a = functioning=20 alternator would produce.  Much to my and Ben=92s surprise the = alternator=20 voltage read 14 volts.  We loaded the alternator by turning on = the both=20 l00 watt landing lights, all fuel pumps, the pitot heat, etc.  = The=20 alternator voltage only drops perhaps 0.4 volts clearly indicating the = alternator could carry the load and was OK.

 

So here I = am =96=20 battery is OK, alternator = is=20 OK =96 engine is purring = normally, so=20 clearly this was all a figment of my deteriorating brain cells.  = I loaded=20 up the aircraft and launched to do a few circuits of the airport =96 I = did so=20 and all was operating normally and so I radio them I was head onward = to=20 Texas. =20 While flying, my mind could not let go of the problem and finally the = light=20 came on. 

 

The = essential bus=20 switch had (for my entire 10 + years of flying) been in the alternator = position.  The purpose of this switch is to isolate the battery = from the=20 alternator should the alternator fail - to prevent an alternator = problem from=20 draining the battery.  So in event of an alternator problem, you = move the=20 switch from alternator to battery.  Its call the essential bus = because=20 you only have the essential things drawing from the battery so you = wont=92 drain=20 it as quickly.  The idea is to give you time (generally around 30 = minutes) to find a safe place to land in case of alternator=20 failure.

 

 

Well, at = some point I=20 had either (not paying attention) turned the switch to battery = thinking I was=20 turning the voltmeter switch to battery  - or accidentally had = move the=20 switch from alternator to battery without noticing it by kicking it,=20 etc.  However, it was sort of protected in its position from = accidental=20 activation. It must have happened during refueling =96 as I got approx = 45=20 minutes down the road on the battery after take off before quality = battery=20 time started to deteriorate.  As the battery voltage fell due to = the load=20 (and no alternator link to replenish it), electrical things (mainly = computers=20 first) started acting up until they could not longer run the engine. = The=20 injectors would not open fully, etc.  Then as the voltage level = further=20 decreased, the master relay which the battery held closed and which = connected=20 the (fully functional) alternator to the rest of the electrical system = -=20 opened up and removed ALL power from the electrical system.  So = no radio,=20 no gauges, etc.

 

 Oh, = another=20 little factor that may have contributed, the voltmeter has a tiny = toggle=20 switch by it marked ALT BAT1 BAT2 for checking alternator battery 1 = and=20 battery 2 (which I no longer fly with) voltages.  Down below It a = couple=20 of inches and off to the right is the essential bus normal size toggle = switch=20 =96 also marked ALT BAT1 BAT1.  I normally never touch it and = don=92t even=20 think about it.  But I could have reached for the voltmeter = toggle=20 thinking to check my battery voltage (which I do as a regular thing) = and=20 perhaps distracted by something reach a bit further down and instead = moved the=20 essential bus switch from Alternator to Battery cause this entire = event. =20 I know that I did not consciously do it.  So it is either = accidental or=20 absence minded activation - either way ends with the same results=20 {:>)

 

 

Now it = became clear=20 why it didn=92t matter which pair of fuel injectors I turned off =96 = turning off=20 either pair improved the situation because it slightly reduced the = electrical=20 load by a few amps =96 and the engine ran slightly better for a few=20 moments.  The same thing had happened when turning off one of the = EFI=20 fuel pumps =96 but what threw me was the alternator voltage continued = to be=20 normal during this.

 

 

After I = knew the=20 cause (switch in wrong position), I decided the problem was fixed so = no reason=20 to return to NC, and I just continued on to Texas.

 

I know some = of you=20 may think that removing my second battery was a mistake =96 but, = consider this,=20 having another battery could have meant I would have been much further = from a=20 suitable airfield before they both went south.  On the other = hand, it=20 might have caused me to at least think to throw the essential bus = switch to=20 the second battery and have the Light bulb come on.  Who really=20 knows.  But, I have in mind a simply addition to my electrical = circuit=20 that should help in the future.

 

 

I do want = to state=20 that this time when the problems started I DID switch fuel tanks =96 = but=20 naturally it had no effect because this time it turned out, it was not = a fuel=20 problem =96 not the root cause at least.

 

So what are = the=20 lessons learned:

 

  1. Put EVERY critical = switch on=20 your before-takeoff Check list=20
  2. Perhaps put a guard = around such=20 critical switches to force conscious = activation=20
  3. Don=92t (hard not to) = get overly=20 focused on what you think is the problem =96 consider other=20 possibilities.  I thought it was a fuel problem (I even = switched fuel=20 tanks this time) =96 it turned out to be electrical in its root=20 cause.=20
  4. While the fuel = pressure was=20 jumping all over the place and the EGT was erratic and engine = surging=20 strongly indicating a fuel problem =96 the ultimate cause was=20 electrical.  Once the voltage got below a certain point the EC2 = was=20 still trying to pull the injectors open, but with the voltage so low = it=20 could not do it properly.=20
  5. When the battery = voltage dropped=20 below a certain point, the master relay released and removed the = alternator=20 from the electrical system and the panel went dark =96 even though = the=20 alternator was still working=20
  6. Immediately turn to = the nearest=20 airfield when serious problems occur - THEN work on fixing = them.  I=20 only delayed for perhaps 2-3 minutes, but that could have made a=20 difference.=20
  7. Watch out for Coffin Corner turn when = turning base to=20 final =96 airspeed really bleeds off fast with no engine pulling you = along=20 (and especially with flaps deployed!)=20
  8. IF you change your = mind about=20 landing approach type - remember to reconfigure your aircraft for = the last=20 decision =96 I had left my flaps deployed when I should have = remembered to=20 retracted them.  Did that help prevent a Coffin Corner stall = and spin=20 or would it have put me closer to it?=20
  9. You must increase = airspeed over=20 the wing to get the sufficient energy to over come a high sink = rate. =20 Pulling back on the stick when the ground is staring you in the face = is the=20 natural reaction =96 but, pushing forward to lower the nose is the = correct=20 action =96 providing of course you have sufficient=20 altitude!=20
  10. Battery life =96=20 I had a two year old 680 odyssey battery which I maintain a trickle = charge=20 on whenever I=92m not flying.  With two EFI fuel pumps, boost = pump,=20 injectors, coils, EC2 and radio and just having started the engine = before=20 take off =96 this battery lasted 55 minutes.  Well, the last 5 = minutes=20 was not quality battery time.  So in my case, 30 minutes = appears to be=20 a very realistic battery life.  In fact, had I turned off one = EFI pump=20 and the boost pump would have gained a few more miles.  But, if = I had=20 recognized the need to turn them off at that time (I normally turn = them off=20 at cruise altitude), then I would have known how to =93fix=94 the=20 problem.=20
  11. I=92ve decided to add = a Schokkty=20 diode between my essential bus and the alternator =96 so that as = long as the=20 alternator is producing sufficient voltage, then the battery will be = getting=20 some charge to replace the drain.  I=92ve also decided to make = that=20 switch position a check-list item. =

 

 So = what it=20 boils down to =96 if I had recognized early on that it was an = electrical problem=20 and not focused so much on the fuel system, I may have noticed the = essential=20 bus switch in the wrong position.  Force yourself to examine = other=20 possible causes (easy to say =96 harder to do). =

 

NEVER, = NEVER forget=20 that flying the airplane is the first and only priority in this type = of=20 situation

 

NEVER, = NEVER forget=20 that saving your butt is the ultimately end-all priority.  When I = decided=20 that landing on the grass was preferable to putting a hole in their = concrete =96=20 I just may have made a life-saving = decision.

 

If anybody = else wants=20 to pick up this baton =96 I=92m ready to hand it over =96 what? no = volunteers?=20 {:>)

 

So that=92s = my story=20 and I=92m sticking to it. 

 

Fly safe,=20 guys!!

 

Ed

Ed=20 Anderson

Rv-6A N494BW Rotary=20 Powered

Matthews,=20 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.r= otaryaviation.com/Rotorhead%20Truth.htm

 

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