X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from qw-out-2122.google.com ([74.125.92.26] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.14) with ESMTP id 3674281 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:42:39 -0400 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=74.125.92.26; envelope-from=wdleonard@gmail.com Received: by qw-out-2122.google.com with SMTP id 8so1322681qwh.25 for ; Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:42:04 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:in-reply-to:references :date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type; bh=5kMgixzQthyBJoT8Ir3YoJKFEo0SV/A7D/vQCCgmmRw=; b=Cce6KltLbLt4EVBkzmTflgD0KI/2BlZvem2iiTaNj9Cqbz0AfE7QW4GDt/uTNbDTx9 fGtH/xbzEgHy2BVqG5YtSwEdJcA5hgyyQbnI++3xBuO5wAC5w4apI3yXadEOj23BqdOn ojfOdWYwtLEkaXpcG89OCSa2FpUcd+jKRkJ2k= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type; b=wj/cyITmSZB7cavzMeRwqQmpm1CjjEEatdzzzb4A/bDo4mqAgfCuMWCO5Nt4zAGPTz hGMgBdh8x/2ofN41/hlCJ34JydZ6SJuVFP8XL4Ifej4IxoF8XPyGrTKC10NIFMUw8y0e jNQzfshks64sjjXPxMjQPMdyKeHC0MIXKGbOc= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.220.97.67 with SMTP id k3mr3169751vcn.7.1244342524548; Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:42:04 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: References: Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 19:42:04 -0700 Message-ID: <1c23473f0906061942w21f5c94bkca1ed44545843c89@mail.gmail.com> Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: Incident No. 5119 From: David Leonard To: Rotary motors in aircraft Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=0016e647548827989e046bb91283 --0016e647548827989e046bb91283 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit LOL! So Finn, here are a couple of checklists for you: *Landing at Unlit Grass Strip at Night Checklist *1. Fly over at safe altitude 2. Return to lighted paved strip Sorry Finn, couldn't resist. Highest regards, Dave Leonard "Crashed into a tree and created a fireball" checklist go? :-) Couldn't resist On Sat, Jun 6, 2009 at 2:26 PM, Ed Anderson wrote: > Hi Finn, > > Oh, I have an emergency checklist - but, must admit it never even crossed > my > mind. Besides, I don't have " Check Essential Bus Switch is ON ALTERNATOR" > on it. But, I am going to work on developing a better one - perhaps it'll > help me forecast such possibilities as the most recent one. > > > I remember my first gliding incident - I couldn't bring myself to pick up > the map and scrutinize it for the Comm freq so I could make a radio call > and > warn traffic. So at least I'm getting better, I did make the radio call > this time - but, must admit already had the freq programmed in {:>) > > For some strange reason, it seems like the symptoms of a sputtering engine > seems to draws all of your attention like a moth to a flame. > > So, Good suggestion in any case. > > 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 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On > Behalf Of Finn Lassen > Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 3:49 PM > To: Rotary motors in aircraft > Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Incident No. 5119 > > Good job Ed. > > However, whatever happened to emergency checklists? > > (Not that I ever thought to use the ones I had developed when it > actually came down to emergencies. I guess that takes a LOT of drilling: > something is not right -- grab the emergency checklists). > > Finn > > Ed Anderson wrote: > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > Incident No. 5119 > > > > 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? > > > > 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.. > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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? > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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! > > > > 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. > > > > 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! > > > > 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. > > > > 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). > > > > 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 {:>). > > > > 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 {:>) > > > > 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. > > > > 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, 2^nd 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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 {:>) > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > 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. > > > > So what are the lessons learned: > > > > 1. Put EVERY critical switch on your before-takeoff Check list > > 2. Perhaps put a guard around such critical switches to force > > conscious activation > > 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. > > 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. > > 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 > > 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. > > 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!) > > 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? > > 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! > > 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. > > 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. > > > > 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). > > > > NEVER, NEVER forget that flying the airplane is the first and only > > priority in this type of situation > > > > 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. > > > > If anybody else wants to pick up this baton - I'm ready to hand it > > over - what? no volunteers? {:>) > > > > So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. > > > > Fly safe, guys!! > > > > 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 > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > Internal Virus Database is out of date. > > Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > > Version: 8.0.169 / Virus Database: 270.10.1/1870 - Release Date: > 12/31/2008 8:44 AM > > > > > > > -- > Homepage: http://www.flyrotary.com/ > Archive and UnSub: > http://mail.lancaironline.net:81/lists/flyrotary/List.html > > __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus > signature > database 3267 (20080714) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. > > http://www.eset.com > > > > -- > Homepage: http://www.flyrotary.com/ > Archive and UnSub: > http://mail.lancaironline.net:81/lists/flyrotary/List.html > -- David Leonard Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY http://N4VY.RotaryRoster.net http://RotaryRoster.net --0016e647548827989e046bb91283 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable LOL! So Finn, here are a couple of checklists for you:

Landing at= Unlit Grass Strip at Night Checklist

1. Fly over at safe altitu= de
2. Return to lighted paved strip

Sorry Finn, couldn't resi= st.

Highest regards,

Dave Leonard


=A0"Crashed into a= tree and created a fireball" checklist go?=A0=A0 :-)=A0 Couldn't = resist

On Sat, Jun 6, 2009 at 2:26 PM, Ed= Anderson <eanderson@carolina.rr.com> wrote:
Hi Finn,

Oh, I have an emergency checklist - but, must admit it never even crossed m= y
mind. =A0Besides, I don't have " Check Essential Bus Switch is ON = ALTERNATOR"
on it. =A0But, I am going to work on developing a better one - perhaps it&#= 39;ll
help me forecast such possibilities as the most recent one.


I remember my first gliding incident - I couldn't bring myself to pick = up
the map and scrutinize it for the Comm freq so I could make a radio call an= d
warn traffic. =A0So at least I'm getting better, I did make the radio c= all
this time - but, must admit already had the freq programmed in {:>)

For some strange reason, it seems like the symptoms of a sputtering engine<= br> seems to draws all of your attention like a moth to a flame.

So, Good suggestion in any case.

Ed

Ed Anderson

Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered

Matthews, NC

eanderson@carolina.rr.com<= br>
http://www.anderson= ee.com

http://= www.dmack.net/mazda/index.html

http://www.flyrotar= y.com/

http://members.cox.net/rogersda/rotary/configs.htm#N494BW<= br>
http://www.rotaryaviation.com/Rotorhead%20Tr= uth.htm


-----Original Message-----
From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On
Behalf Of Finn Lassen
Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 3:49 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Incident No. 5119

Good job Ed.

However, whatever happened to emergency checklists?

(Not that I ever thought to use the ones I had developed when it
actually came down to emergencies. I guess that takes a LOT of drilling: something is not right -- grab the emergency checklists).

Finn

Ed Anderson wrote:
>
> Certainly not trying to "TOP" Al's door incident - by th= e way, good
> airman ship and decisions, Al! Glad the damage was no worst that it wa= s.
>
> But several folks who were not at the Texas Round up have asked about<= br> > the "Ed's Incident". For those of you who were at the ro= undup, you
> will probably want to skip this repeat.
>
> Incident No. 5119
>
> 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?
>
> I took off on Thursday AM planning on stopping in Mississippi to join<= br> > up with Charlie England and Tracy. After spending the night there, we<= br> > 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 -<= br> > but I launched into it anyway as past Atlanta, GA things were forecast=
> to improve..
>
> Other than dodging lines of clouds and a bit of scud running, but not<= br> > 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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<= br> > things got better, then that pair might have a bad injector.
>
> 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 indicate= d it was
> not an injector problem - but what?
>
> 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<= br> > 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<= br> > back to the fuel system.
>
> 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 lo= st
> 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 w= orst when they
> very shortly and suddenly - did.
>
> 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 re= ply,
> I heard a "CLANK" (without the engine running you can hear t= hings 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<= br> > lit - only the battery powered GPS. Can you spell "total electric= al
> failure?" Talk about a lonely feeling - amazing how comforting ha= ving
> 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!
>
> Well not being one inclined to panic (but I seriously considered it > for a moment {:>)), I continued toward Craig field - I mean like th= ere
> were lots of other alternatives. Well Once again I found myself in the=
> "fortunate position" of being too high, too much altitude. S= o 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.
>
> 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<= br> > pattern altitude without an engine!!! Duh!
>
> 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.
>
> 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 l= and
> in the grass than get their concrete runway all messed up". So th= e
> 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).
>
> 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 wh= at
> total concentration does to improve you landing {:>).
>
> 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<= br> > hand said "Hi I'm Angie, looks like we'll be spending tim= e together" -
> so things are starting to look up {:>)
>
> 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<= br> > said the battery was dead. Mechanic put on a battery charger and
> announced "Yep! The battery is dead". So we both concluded t= hat the
> alternator must have failed and not being able to replenish the drain<= br> > on the battery by all the electrical systems such as fuel pumps,
> injectors, ignition coils, etc had drained the battery.
>
> 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, 2^nd 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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<= br> > 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 voltag= e
> 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.
>
> 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<= br> > 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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<= br> > 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<= br> > 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<= br> > 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.
>
> 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 {:>)
>
> Now it became clear why it didn't matter which pair of fuel inject= ors
> I turned off - turning off either pair improved the situation because<= br> > 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.
>
> 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.
>
> I know some of you may think that removing my second battery was a
> mistake - but, consider this, having another battery could have meant<= br> > 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.
>
> 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= .
>
> So what are the lessons learned:
>
> =A0 =A01. Put EVERY critical switch on your before-takeoff Check list<= br> > =A0 =A02. Perhaps put a guard around such critical switches to force > =A0 =A0 =A0 conscious activation
> =A0 =A03. Don't (hard not to) get overly focused on what you think= is the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 problem - consider other possibilities. I thought it was a= fuel
> =A0 =A0 =A0 problem (I even switched fuel tanks this time) - it turned= out
> =A0 =A0 =A0 to be electrical in its root cause.
> =A0 =A04. While the fuel pressure was jumping all over the place and t= he
> =A0 =A0 =A0 EGT was erratic and engine surging strongly indicating a f= uel
> =A0 =A0 =A0 problem - the ultimate cause was electrical. Once the volt= age
> =A0 =A0 =A0 got below a certain point the EC2 was still trying to pull= the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 injectors open, but with the voltage so low it could not d= o it
> =A0 =A0 =A0 properly.
> =A0 =A05. When the battery voltage dropped below a certain point, the<= br> > =A0 =A0 =A0 master relay released and removed the alternator from the<= br> > =A0 =A0 =A0 electrical system and the panel went dark - even though th= e
> =A0 =A0 =A0 alternator was still working
> =A0 =A06. Immediately turn to the nearest airfield when serious proble= ms
> =A0 =A0 =A0 occur - THEN work on fixing them. I only delayed for perha= ps 2-3
> =A0 =A0 =A0 minutes, but that could have made a difference.
> =A0 =A07. Watch out for *Coffin Corner* turn when turning base to fina= l -
> =A0 =A0 =A0 airspeed really bleeds off fast with no engine pulling you= along
> =A0 =A0 =A0 (and especially with flaps deployed!)
> =A0 =A08. IF you change your mind about landing approach type - rememb= er
> =A0 =A0 =A0 to reconfigure your aircraft for the last decision - I had= left
> =A0 =A0 =A0 my flaps deployed when I should have remembered to retract= ed
> =A0 =A0 =A0 them. Did that help prevent a Coffin Corner stall and spin= or
> =A0 =A0 =A0 would it have put me closer to it?
> =A0 =A09. You must increase airspeed over the wing to get the sufficie= nt
> =A0 =A0 =A0 energy to over come a high sink rate. Pulling back on the = stick
> =A0 =A0 =A0 when the ground is staring you in the face is the natural<= br> > =A0 =A0 =A0 reaction - but, pushing forward to lower the nose is the c= orrect
> =A0 =A0 =A0 action - providing of course you have sufficient altitude!=
> =A0 10. Battery life - I had a two year old 680 odyssey battery which = I
> =A0 =A0 =A0 maintain a trickle charge on whenever I'm not flying. = With two
> =A0 =A0 =A0 EFI fuel pumps, boost pump, injectors, coils, EC2 and radi= o and
> =A0 =A0 =A0 just having started the engine before take off - this batt= ery
> =A0 =A0 =A0 lasted 55 minutes. Well, the last 5 minutes was not qualit= y
> =A0 =A0 =A0 battery time. So in my case, 30 minutes appears to be a ve= ry
> =A0 =A0 =A0 realistic battery life. In fact, had I turned off one EFI = pump
> =A0 =A0 =A0 and the boost pump would have gained a few more miles. But= , if I
> =A0 =A0 =A0 had recognized the need to turn them off at that time (I > =A0 =A0 =A0 normally turn them off at cruise altitude), then I would h= ave
> =A0 =A0 =A0 known how to "fix" the problem.
> =A0 11. I've decided to add a Schokkty diode between my essential = bus
> =A0 =A0 =A0 and the alternator - so that as long as the alternator is<= br> > =A0 =A0 =A0 producing sufficient voltage, then the battery will be get= ting
> =A0 =A0 =A0 some charge to replace the drain. I've also decided to= make that
> =A0 =A0 =A0 switch position a check-list item.
>
> 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)= .
>
> NEVER, NEVER forget that flying the airplane is the first and only
> priority in this type of situation
>
> 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<= br> > decision.
>
> If anybody else wants to pick up this baton - I'm ready to hand it=
> over - what? no volunteers? {:>)
>
> So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
>
> Fly safe, guys!!
>
> Ed
>
> Ed Anderson
>
> Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered
>
> Matthews, NC
>
> eanderson@carolina.rr.com=
>
> http://www.and= ersonee.com
>
> ht= tp://www.dmack.net/mazda/index.html
>
> http://www.fly= rotary.com/
>
> http://members.cox.net/rogersda/rotary/configs.htm#N494BW=
> <http://members.cox.net/rogersda/rotary/configs.htm> >
> http://www.rotaryaviation.com/Rotorhead%20Truth.htm
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------= --
>
>
> Internal Virus Database is out of date.
> Checked by AVG - http= ://www.avg.com
> Version: 8.0.169 / Virus Database: 270.10.1/1870 - Release Date:
12/31/2008 8:44 AM
>
>


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Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY
http://N4VY.RotaryRoster.net
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