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1. 02:51 PM - Re: Rotax 914 Airbox / Fuel Pressure Differential (pestar)
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| Subject: | Re: Rotax 914 Airbox / Fuel Pressure Differential |
Real world experience. I have the UMA differential fuel pressure sender which
feeds into my MGL EFIS. Recently after just taking off 500AGL I watched my fuel
pressure disappear to zero, then the motor started missing and ultimately stopped.
I made a forced landing into a field which had many rabbit holes, one
of which damaged my front leg.
What benefit did I get from having it - I had 16 seconds of time available to me
after noticing the sagging fuel pressure, I swopped fuel tanks (didn't work),
was able to get a MAYDAY call out and then flew the aircraft to the ground.
By having the gauge I knew straight away it was fuel problem and tried to plan
in the time I had available to me which was not a lot.
Why did this incident happen - it was MY fault. My 914 on a hot day is difficult
to restart, I was on a AOPA fly around and flying into a number of sheep station
strips that day. To restart my 914 I turn both the primary and secondary
fuel pumps off and turn the engine over, when it catches I turn the secondary
pump switch on to maintain fuel flow. My primary pump is always on and is turned
on/off by an electronic ECB (button pushes on the EFIS) so it is a procedure
to turn it on, I had done this in the many take-offs earlier in the day but
this time rushing to line the aircraft with lots of others I did not. SO when
turning my secondary pump off after take-off (my SOP's state turn off secondary
at 500'AGL -wrong) the fuel pressure indicator did what it did all very
correctly.
To prevent this from happening again I have altered my checklist to include the
primary pump, have a bright green (on) primary fuel pump indicator on the MGL
EFIS and red when it is off and never ever turn my seconday off until 1000'AGL
So from a real world experience I am glad to have a fuel pressure gauge on my 914.
I now also know how my wife reacts because she was with me. Did not say or growl
a word and jumped straight back into a Cessna 180 which took us back to our
accommodation for the night after all this drama, I was impressed.
Cheers Peter
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Peter Armstrong
Auckland, New Zealand
DynAero MCR-4S (Do not shoot me :) ).
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=457022#457022
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