---------------------------------------------------------- TeamGrumman-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Mon 05/23/05: 3 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 03:40 AM - Sat. night fever - the rest of the story (David Feinstein) 2. 06:24 AM - Re: Sat. night fever - the rest of the story (linn walters) 3. 11:47 AM - Re: Sat. night fever - the rest of the story (TeamGrumman@aol.com) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 03:40:00 AM PST US From: "David Feinstein" "Chris Borjes" Subject: TeamGrumman-List: Sat. night fever - the rest of the story --> TeamGrumman-List message posted by: "David Feinstein" Barbara, her two grandchildren (ages 4 & 7), and I had a great time enjoying the Millville (N.J.) air show on Saturday. Our return flight to Connecticut was proceeding nicely when, just after we had passed northeast of the Pine Barrens (home of the Jersey Devil), the engine started making a tick-tick noise similar to an exhaust leak. Airspeed dropped by anbout 15 KIAS. Oil temperature showed a little above normal, and oil pressure was OK. A few minutes later, the mystery wasn't solved but the course of action was clear. With a definitive POW! the engine stopped making power and flames appeared over the nose. This was my lucky day. We were a couple of miles southeast of RJ Miller Airpark, with its 5900+ foot runway; so I just practiced what I preach and made a normal engine-out landing, securing the engine in the process. The fire did not go out until shortly after we were stopped and had evacuated the airplane. Very quick evacuation, may I add. That's when my traveller's knowledge of that airport was reinforced. There's not much around, it's excruciatingly difficult to find a hotel room on Saturday night, and it's just about impossible to rent a car on Sunday morning. The Ocean County Sheriff and the Berkeley Township police did a commendable job of getting us settled in for the night, and we got lucky with Avis for the rental car. However, if your power plane suddenly becomes a glider, these inconveniences pale by comparison with the luxury of a long runway Right There. It appears that the #2 piston simply froze up, causing its connecting rod to self-destruct. This blew a large hole in the top of the crankcase and shot something out below the right side of the engine. I hope the jetsam landed in the woods without damaging anything. McGuire Approach responded appropriately to the mayday call, although I found it curious being asked how much fuel I had on board after I had just told them I had an engine fire and was landing within a minute or so. My main reason for calling them at all was to stimulate an emergency response in case the landing didn't turn out to be a quiet one. There has been a 24/7 sheriff patrol at this airport since September 2001, so we had company within seconds after the forced landing. Not many pilots shut down on the runway (most taxi in by the terminal before they let their passengers out), so I guess our behavior might have seemed a little suspicious. However, Sheriff Polhemus did not let us out of his care until he knew we would all have a comfortable place to spend the night, and - as he said, at great risk to his reputation - raided his troop's larder to make sandwiches for us. Kinda' took the edge off my cynicism about cops. We spent a lot of time last night with sheriffs and township police, and they all would make you feel warm and fuzzy about anybody with a uniform and a badge. The airplane will not be available for its scheduled activity on Monday - the annual inspection. I hope we find out what caused the engine to blow up, because if I did something bad I never want to do it again. This plane has engine monitors galore, but they don't agree with each other so we generally ignore them. Maybe it would have been worth the trouble to find out which gauge was telling the truth, but avionics bills these days are prohibitive for things that "aren't really broken." So we tend to just listen to the engine, and all was well until just a few minutes before the "explosion." The kids were great. Per my intention, they didn't know how serious the situation could have been until we were stopped on the ground and I told them this was a Real Emergency and they had to get far away from the airplane NOW. After the airplane didn't turn into a ball of flame, it just became a Great Adventure for them and they got a kick out of spending a night in a hotel and driving home in a brand-new car. When they learned that nobody was hurt or even traumatized, both the FAA and the NTSB declined to show any official interest in the event. If or when there's more information about the nature of the engine failure I'll post it, because I'm sure there are lessons to be learned. I took some photos that I'll post, too. If one of you thinks the Grumman Gang would be interested (the plane was a Tiger), feel free to forward this info to them - it might be "on topic." That is why I was not at the Block Island fly-in this weekend, and why I stood up my students for lessons today. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Isn't that better than "the dog ate my homework?" ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 06:24:07 AM PST US From: linn walters Subject: Re: TeamGrumman-List: Sat. night fever - the rest of the story --> TeamGrumman-List message posted by: linn walters David, welcome to the Grumman Glider Club. I'm from the FAA and here to help you. Why don't you have a glider endorsement on your ticket??? Oh my, you scofflaw!!! Congrats on your handling of the short glider trip. Do you look back on your incident as a 'non-event? Having flown two gliders (without that endorsement) and having no further damage to occupants, plane, nor property ....... I'm not looking forward to the third time!!! At least you won't have to remove the wings and trailer it somewhere!!!! Kudos guy, you're part of a small, elite, group! Linn David Feinstein wrote: >--> TeamGrumman-List message posted by: "David Feinstein" > >Barbara, her two grandchildren (ages 4 & 7), and I had a great time enjoying >the Millville (N.J.) air show on Saturday. Our return flight to Connecticut >was proceeding nicely when, just after we had passed northeast of the Pine >Barrens (home of the Jersey Devil), the engine started making a tick-tick >noise similar to an exhaust leak. Airspeed dropped by anbout 15 KIAS. Oil >temperature showed a little above normal, and oil pressure was OK. > >A few minutes later, the mystery wasn't solved but the course of action was >clear. With a definitive POW! the engine stopped making power and flames >appeared over the nose. This was my lucky day. We were a couple of miles >southeast of RJ Miller Airpark, with its 5900+ foot runway; so I just >practiced what I preach and made a normal engine-out landing, securing the >engine in the process. The fire did not go out until shortly after we were >stopped and had evacuated the airplane. Very quick evacuation, may I add. > >That's when my traveller's knowledge of that airport was reinforced. There's >not much around, it's excruciatingly difficult to find a hotel room on >Saturday night, and it's just about impossible to rent a car on Sunday >morning. The Ocean County Sheriff and the Berkeley Township police did a >commendable job of getting us settled in for the night, and we got lucky with >Avis for the rental car. > >However, if your power plane suddenly becomes a glider, these inconveniences >pale by comparison with the luxury of a long runway Right There. > >It appears that the #2 piston simply froze up, causing its connecting rod to >self-destruct. This blew a large hole in the top of the crankcase and shot >something out below the right side of the engine. I hope the jetsam landed >in the woods without damaging anything. > >McGuire Approach responded appropriately to the mayday call, although I found >it curious being asked how much fuel I had on board after I had just told them >I had an engine fire and was landing within a minute or so. My main reason >for calling them at all was to stimulate an emergency response in case the >landing didn't turn out to be a quiet one. > >There has been a 24/7 sheriff patrol at this airport since September 2001, so >we had company within seconds after the forced landing. Not many pilots shut >down on the runway (most taxi in by the terminal before they let their >passengers out), so I guess our behavior might have seemed a little >suspicious. However, Sheriff Polhemus did not let us out of his care until he >knew we would all have a comfortable place to spend the night, and - as he >said, at great risk to his reputation - raided his troop's larder to make >sandwiches for us. Kinda' took the edge off my cynicism about cops. We spent >a lot of time last night with sheriffs and township police, and they all would >make you feel warm and fuzzy about anybody with a uniform and a badge. > >The airplane will not be available for its scheduled activity on Monday - the >annual inspection. I hope we find out what caused the engine to blow up, >because if I did something bad I never want to do it again. This plane has >engine monitors galore, but they don't agree with each other so we generally >ignore them. Maybe it would have been worth the trouble to find out which >gauge was telling the truth, but avionics bills these days are prohibitive for >things that "aren't really broken." So we tend to just listen to the engine, >and all was well until just a few minutes before the "explosion." > >The kids were great. Per my intention, they didn't know how serious the >situation could have been until we were stopped on the ground and I told them >this was a Real Emergency and they had to get far away from the airplane NOW. >After the airplane didn't turn into a ball of flame, it just became a Great >Adventure for them and they got a kick out of spending a night in a hotel and >driving home in a brand-new car. > >When they learned that nobody was hurt or even traumatized, both the FAA and >the NTSB declined to show any official interest in the event. > >If or when there's more information about the nature of the engine failure >I'll post it, because I'm sure there are lessons to be learned. I took some >photos that I'll post, too. If one of you thinks the Grumman Gang would be >interested (the plane was a Tiger), feel free to forward this info to them - >it might be "on topic." > >That is why I was not at the Block Island fly-in this weekend, and why I stood >up my students for lessons today. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. > >Isn't that better than "the dog ate my homework?" > > > > -- ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 11:47:54 AM PST US From: TeamGrumman@aol.com Subject: Re: TeamGrumman-List: Sat. night fever - the rest of the story --> TeamGrumman-List message posted by: TeamGrumman@aol.com Wow, that is quite a story. I'm glad everything turned out OK. Sounds like it's time for a new engine. Gary