Covered in Ice With No power

U

Unregistered

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There I was on an instrument flight plan in our Mooney at 14,000 ft on a relatively clear afternoon in May. I was on my way up to northern Wisconsin when I penetrated a medium-sized cumulus cloud. Picked up a little ice but it was no big deal. In a couple minutes I was in clear air and it burned right off.

Thirty miles down the road another cloud appeared on the path. This one looked larger and meaner but I remember thinking; it can’t be that bad because there were hardly any clouds in the sky, the last one was a piece of cake and ATC didn’t mention anything bad along the route. Besides, I’d have to request a course correction and maybe add three or four minutes to the rest of the flight. How inconvenient…. But just to be on the safe side, I flipped on the prop and pitot tube heat.

Then it started to get a little exciting. Embedded in this deceiving mass of moisture was a nasty mix of freezing rain and snow. The words severe and convection also came to mind. Within a couple minutes I was covered with every type of ice known and it was accumulating QUICKLY! I had about an inch of ice building and it seemed everywhere, including the windshield. Holy Schnikees! (that’s a Wisconsin phrase) how did I get into this mess? I immediately called Center and announced my situation and requested a lower altitude and course deviation. I knew there was warmer air down below and the cloud didn’t look THAT big. He approved the course change and cleared me to 8,000 ft. That’s when the real fun started. The engine died!

You gotta be kidding me. Now I had no power, I was covered in ice and couldn’t see forward while gliding toward hard things on the ground! So in a feeble voice I called back the controller and casually mentioned that I had an engine problem and seemed to have lost power. Immediately he came back in that official FAA tone; “Mooney XXX what are your intentions”? I always hated that question. I was almost hoping he would tell me what to do! Now the FAA and every airplane in the sector was listening for my well thought-out plan of action. Without declaring the dreaded Mayday, the best I could come up with was: “I’m trying to get the engine started and I’ve started my descent” - Duh.

Moments later the word “aviate” came to mind. Ground school instructors were always talking about “aviate, navigate & communicate”. - in other words, when you get in a tight situation up there, your first priority should be to - fly the plane.

OK, I got the plane under control but I was still going down and frontal visibility was zero cause the entire airframe was encased in hard water. A “controlled crash” came to mind.

In couple minutes, which seemed like an hour, I finally broke out of the Cb cloud from hell and was back in VMC. Then I quickly went through the emergency checklist: Switch fuel tanks from right to left - check. Mixture full rich – check. Emergency booster pump on – check. Feather the prop (you can do that with a Rocket conversion), set up the appropriate descent airspeed allowing for the ice and don’t forget the defroster - done. Then I pressed the special button on the GPS to locate the nearest airport. Three hundred and twenty degrees and seven miles over there - OK, that’s doable. A slow descending turn to the left, say a Hail Mary and start looking for some clues as to why a relatively new engine was not running.

Lets see…the left fuel gauge on the instrument panel indicated 27 gallons. The one on the right read 22. The outside fuel gauge on the left wing read 27 gallons and the right one read zero. Wait a minute… zero on the right! That doesn’t look … By the time my panic-stricken brain started to process this minor bit of information, the engine coughed & sputtered and miraculously fired back to life! Oh thank you Mother Mary, I promise to be a better person.

So what happened here? Well the rest of this story is kind of academic and maybe even a little boring. Eventually the ice burned off and I continued to Antigo (AIG) where I topped-off the tanks and took a hard look at the right fuel gauge on the instrument panel. The arrow was still in the same position fixed on 22 gallons. Like a big dummy, I trusted the gauge on the panel and ran the tank dry just when things looked their bleakest.

Yeah I know that when you seasoned wingmasters read this you’ll probably point out that I should have done this or I should have double-checked that. And how “one” should never trust fuel gauges and “one” should always avoid those icy springtime clouds. OK my friends, you’re right. I should have done all those things and a maybe a few more. But like all of us who happen to be human, I too am prone to stupid mistakes and can only view this experience as another valuable flight lesson learned the hard way. Hopefully by this short story I’ve illustrated an example of how a series of small errors can lead to one giant screw-up…
 
Glad you made it. A lot of pilots don't.

I always switch tanks based on time burned, I switch every hour. The Garmin 496 has a tank switch reminder based on flight time. The fuel gages are there to confirm my balancing the weight.

BTW, when the engine quits in on a single engine airplane it is an emergency.
 
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Unregistered said:
...I had no power, I was covered in ice and couldn’t see forward while gliding toward hard things on the ground! ... Without declaring the dreaded Mayday,...
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Why not? Seems to me your situation qualified as "A condition of being threatened by serious and/or imminent danger and of requiring immediate assistance."

That said, it seems you learned several good lessons. Now go and sin no more.
 
A valuable lesson for sure.

One input on the full rich - at 14,000 ft without your engine running, you're effectively naturally aspirated, even with a turbo. Going to full rich that high might have the potential to flood the engine. If it doesn't work to achieve your restart, it could be prudent to pull the mixture back in an attempt to get back to the appropriate air/fuel ratio to allow ignition.
 
how a series of small errors can lead to one giant screw-up…[/QUOTE]


In the safety world we liked to say the average is 3. Sounds like you also did alot of things right. Glad to see it ended well...you can now pull the seat cushion out of your butt.
 
I applaud you. You kept a cool head (though it may not have seemed so at the time), aviated and ended up with the best of outcomes.
Good job.
I'm a simpleton. When the big hand on the clock points to the left wing, I switch to the left tank. When it points right, I switch to the right.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
I applaud you. You kept a cool head (though it may not have seemed so at the time), aviated and ended up with the best of outcomes.
Good job.
I'm a simpleton. When the big hand on the clock points to the left wing, I switch to the left tank. When it points right, I switch to the right.
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Hmmm, I like that trick....I'm going to steal it. Normally I change tanks every 30 minutes, but its random when I start, haven't forgotten yet, but I could see how I would.
 
I'm a simpleton. When the big hand on the clock points to the left wing, I switch to the left tank. When it points right, I switch to the right.[/QUOTE]


I like that!... as it meets my rules about K.I.S.S....(Keep It Simple Stupid) it's an acronysmn I always liked.
 
Red Air Rambo said:
I'm a simpleton. When the big hand on the clock points to the left wing, I switch to the left tank. When it points right, I switch to the right.
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I like that!... as it meets my rules about K.I.S.S....(Keep It Simple Stupid) it's an acronysmn I always liked.
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I like to keep things simple too. So, I always switch it to both. Is there any good reason not to do so as long a the tanks are relatively balanced?
 
skidoo said:
I like to keep things simple too. So, I always switch it to both. Is there any good reason not to do so as long a the tanks are relatively balanced?
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A lot of low wing planes (and some high wing's) don't have a both. If you have a both and they are relatively balanced I see no reason not to leave it there. (Unless you run out of gas...in which case right or left may give you the added suction to get at that unuseable fuel.)
 
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Ted DuPuis said:
A valuable lesson for sure.

One input on the full rich - at 14,000 ft without your engine running, you're effectively naturally aspirated, even with a turbo. Going to full rich that high might have the potential to flood the engine. If it doesn't work to achieve your restart, it could be prudent to pull the mixture back in an attempt to get back to the appropriate air/fuel ratio to allow ignition.
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I think there's an aneroid on the fuel pump that reduces the full rich fuel flow proportionately to the upper deck pressure on most if not all TSIO Continentals. If this Mooney has that, full rich shouldn't be too rich to produce substantial power.
 
gismo said:
I think there's an aneroid on the fuel pump that reduces the full rich fuel flow proportionately to the upper deck pressure on most if not all TSIO Continentals. If this Mooney has that, full rich shouldn't be too rich to produce substantial power.
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Ahh! Good point of note. Hence why it's important to know your plane. Some of my clients with a Bonanza have a similar function on their IO-550 fuel pump.

On my IO-520s, though, it would result in a grossly rich mixture.
 
Glad things worked out! I have accidentally run a tank dry and I have flown into clouds which I shouldn't have. But not at the same time. :eek:
 
Red Air Rambo said:
A lot of low wing planes (and some high wing's) don't have a both. If you have a both and they are relatively balanced I see no reason not to leave it there. (Unless you run out of gas...in which case right or left may give you the added suction to get at that unuseable fuel.)
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My fuel selector is placarded "Immediately switch to single tank operation above 5,000' MSL"
 
DavidWhite said:
My fuel selector is placarded "Immediately switch to single tank operation above 5,000' MSL"
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I like having a few gallons left in one tank just I case I run the other out. If you run both out you are screwed. On "both" if you develop a leak both tanks run out. :eek:

Better remove the placard and remember to switch tanks every hour. ;)
 
My M20J has annunciator lights for low fuel. They come on at about 3 to 4 gallons left in each tank. Doesn't yours have this?
And my first thought too was iced over air filter and alternate air door that was stuck closed.
Do you recall what the OAT was when you entered cloud 2?
 
If you have a Garmin 400/500-series unit, you can put in a reminder to flash every 30 minutes to do an "ops check" including which tank you're on.
 
The OAT was around 0 C.

The fuel switch on the K Mooney I fly has a left position or right position only. Not both.

It also has low-fuel indicator lights on each fuel gauge on the instrument panel. Unfortunatly the right gauge and its annunciator light were inoperable and I made my first mistake by trusting it instead of cross-checking the wing gauges. Consequently the right tank ran out of fuel and the engine quit.

Regarding the full rich: I didn't go full rich until decending to a lower altitude. I was cleared to 8,000 and I had alread started down. The engine is a TSIO Continental 520 & with the fuel pump on, it won't flood the engine.

Thanks for everyone's comments.
 
U did good...I have to admit that I giggled alittle bit in the midddle of the story! :rofl: Sorry
 
Nice job! Even through the eyes of a Monday morning quaterback. Yeah, I'd have declared an emergency, but hey you flew the plane, and that's what counts. I think I'd be a little stressed if I was covered in ice, add an engine failure (even if pilot induced) and the stress levels would take another huge leap.
 
FWIW, controllers can effectively declare an emergency for the pilot if they think the situation merits that, and given what you told ATC, the one working you probably did.
 
Geico266 said:
I like having a few gallons left in one tank just I case I run the other out. If you run both out you are screwed. On "both" if you develop a leak both tanks run out. :eek:

Better remove the placard and remember to switch tanks every hour. ;)
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Me too. Definitely like the ability to switch between tanks
 
Great story. Glad you are OK.

I am unfamiliar with outside fuel gauges on Mooneys. Anyone have a picture?

You mentioned feathering. Did that take out the AI and DG with no vac, or was the prop windmilling? I guess you were out of the cloud when you did that (just re-read it), but was the windscreen still iced up?

Again, thanks for sharing.
 
jhausch said:
You mentioned feathering.
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The props on piston singles don't feather.
Did that take out the AI and DG with no vac, or was the prop windmilling?
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Generally speaking, unless there's a serious internal mechanical failure, the props on piston singles continue to windmill and drive the accessories like vacuum pumps and alternators. Usually, you have to slow the plane down near stall speed to get the prop to stop windmilling.
 
Ron Levy said:
The props on piston singles don't feather.
Generally speaking, unless there's a serious internal mechanical failure, the props on piston singles continue to windmill and drive the accessories like vacuum pumps and alternators. Usually, you have to slow the plane down near stall speed to get the prop to stop windmilling.
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That's what I thought, but he posted something along the lines of the Rocket conversion allowing this?
 
305 rocket conversion comes with a fully feathering prop. Rocket engineering says that it gives it a 16:1 Glide ratio when feathered. :thumbsup:
 
Problem with feathering props on singles is that if you have an oil pressure loss, the prop feathers itself even if the engine is still producing power. In addition, in an engine failure situation, if the prop feathers, you lose the vacuum pump and alternator. That's why you don't find feathering props on singles from the factory.
 
The Extra 300 series go to coarse pitch when losing oil pressure, but not full feather. The rationale is that the big fat blades act like a speed brake, while coarse pitch can increase the glide. So, not all certificated singles go to flat pitch when losing oil pressure.
 
Ron Levy said:
The props on piston singles don't feather.
Generally speaking, unless there's a serious internal mechanical failure, the props on piston singles continue to windmill and drive the accessories like vacuum pumps and alternators. Usually, you have to slow the plane down near stall speed to get the prop to stop windmilling.
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On a rocket conversion, they do. It's half of a C-414, IIRC.
 
Ron Levy said:
Problem with feathering props on singles is that if you have an oil pressure loss, the prop feathers itself even if the engine is still producing power. In addition, in an engine failure situation, if the prop feathers, you lose the vacuum pump and alternator. That's why you don't find feathering props on singles from the factory.
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Its not an auto feather feature. You still have to "Feather" the prop, so one would assume that if you are still making power that you would not do that. They have electric standby vacuum pumps!:thumbsup: You don't need an alternator, you will be on the ground soon and I think your battery will provide enough power untill you get there! :thumbsup:
 
The Mooney Rocket conversion has a TSIO-520 NB. Yes you can fully feather the prop for a 85-90 kias @ 475 fpm

Re: Did that take out the AI and DG with no vac, or was the prop windmilling? I guess you were out of the cloud when you did that (just re-read it), but was the windscreen still iced up?

Flying Moose is right:

The prop was windmilling when it happened so the AI & DG still worked. The plane has a standby vac system but I didn't have to use it.

I can't remember the altitude when the ice on the windscreen disapated enough for forward vis. I was just happy the engine fired up.
 
Ron Levy said:
FWIW, controllers can effectively declare an emergency for the pilot if they think the situation merits that, and given what you told ATC, the one working you probably did.
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You're probably right cause he asked me to call him when I got on the ground. I did that & he asked me if everything was OK. Without all the details, I told him (in a whoosey voice) I had a "slight engine problem" and all was well..
 
Not for the troll, but those that fly responsibly:

Geico266 said:
"I always switch tanks based on time burned, I switch every hour."

In the early 80's I werked for an old man who had been in aviation for a long time. even werked on the guidance system that sent the missle to the moon. He was the CP for a company that had a contract with Kodak to fly the film to Rochester for them to develop film. Then the CP for Beechcraft East at TEB. He was full of common sense aviation sense. His attitude toward flying was: Ya gotta love it, BUT, remember...any time you are higher off the ground than you would want to fall from, you are in a hostile environment. The odds are against you. Your job as a pilot is to lessen those odds. In twins, he would run the tanks dry(twins with multiple tanks) because when it came down to the final analysis, he always knew where the fuel was. It sounded complicated, but it wasn't, once he explained it(another story).
As far as singles, he changed tanks after the first hour of flight, then every two hours after that. His reasoning was that anytime you move something in an aircraft, there is a chance of something going wrong. For example: on a three hour flight, if you change every hour, you move the selector switch twice. If you change after the first hour and then after 2 hours, you have only changed once, thus cutting the odds of something going wrong in half. The fuel imbalance was the same just in a different tank. I did a lot of 4-5hr trips in singles with long range tanks following this advice and never had a problem. Just lucky in my aviation career.

any thoughts?

Noah Werka











































































he use
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