DIY Q-tip Propellers on a 310!

Fearless Tower

Fearless Tower

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Some dude gave himself Q-tip props on his 310 last weekend at Chesapeake (CPK).

Dude is lucky to be alive. When the props hit, he fire-walked it and went around. Bent back a significant portion of the blades on both props and damaged a belly antenna but survived the go around and now the airplane sits.

Any bets on how long the airplane will sit or will it ever fly again?

Gonna need 2 new props and two engines removed and torn down.

e89fb9b1e239e954faa41c99e7b63315.jpg
 
About 10 years ago someone couldn’t extend the gear on their 414. The local traffic chopper guy was filming all the excitement, including the landing.



A few years later I saw that plane on the ramp, pretty much in the same condition as it was after the landing. I was really surprised at how razor sharp the props had been ground down. I have pics, somewhere.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Some dude gave himself Q-tip props on his 310 last weekend at Chesapeake (CPK).

Dude is lucky to be alive. When the props hit, he fire-walked it and went around. Bent back a significant portion of the blades on both props and damaged a belly antenna but survived the go around and now the airplane sits.

Any bets on how long the airplane will sit or will it ever fly again?

Gonna need 2 new props and two engines removed and torn down.

e89fb9b1e239e954faa41c99e7b63315.jpg
Click to expand...

If he decides to fix, it'll take two years to get in the air again.

If he (only) wants to fix it, it'll never fly again.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Some dude gave himself Q-tip props on his 310 last weekend at Chesapeake (CPK).

Dude is lucky to be alive. When the props hit, he fire-walked it and went around. Bent back a significant portion of the blades on both props and damaged a belly antenna but survived the go around and now the airplane sits.

Any bets on how long the airplane will sit or will it ever fly again?

Gonna need 2 new props and two engines removed and torn down.

e89fb9b1e239e954faa41c99e7b63315.jpg
Click to expand...
I did this (still have the "trophy" in my music room). The amount of performance loss was incredible; not a chance I'd have gone around.
 
how much is a teardown with R/R these days plus two props? That's two of them at today's inflated labor rates, a 310 he wasn't intending to sell before the incident might not even be insured for that much. Most policies total at 70-80% of agreed hull. With the props installed cost, I bet goes over the finish line.
 
The engines must be OK if he made it around the patch after curling the props! :rolleyes:
 
Well, it is bird nesting season, at least he put the cowl plugs in. Maybe list, ‘as is, where is’, let someone else start the process.

Yeah, my plane would likely be written off with a gear up, I realize it. I normally never use flaps without the gear down, NLT abeam the numbers in the pattern.

8EDDF26D-4890-4385-A7BC-05EB2F320430.jpeg
 
Here's the FlightAware track:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N331BX/history/20230521/1700Z/KHEF/KCPK

Likely IFR coming from HEF. Norfolk Approach probably kept him high over the inbound traffic to ORF, so he's still 2-3k approaching CPK so he flies past and then crosses north at midfield around TPA and enters a continuous descending turn to final for 5. Dude was flying a tighter pattern than I typically do in the T6.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Someone remind me the physics of prop curl?
I had it in my pea brain that props under power curl forward; and backwards if at idle.

Maybe he pulled them off the runway then added power?
Click to expand...
My guess is that power was idle when they touched and as soon as they did, he pulled up and then hit the power.
 
2-Bit Speed said:
If he decides to fix, it'll take two years to get in the air again.
Click to expand...

No reason it needs to take two years. I've seen planes be back in the air in six weeks after a full gear-up, and this one should have less belly damage.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
No reason it needs to take two years. I've seen planes be back in the air in six weeks after a full gear-up, and this one should have less belly damage.
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Doesn't have to take 2 years, but it is highly unlikely to be six weeks considering the current maintenance and parts situation.

Out of town owner is going to have to arrange two engines pulled and sent off to a shop for a teardown and locate two props. Depending on engine times and if anything found, the current parts situation could result in an extended stay. We have several other airplanes on the field right now with engines removed waiting on silly things like backordered cylinders and those are common rental types.

Had a friend who ordered factory remans from Continental over a year ago. Finally got his Baron back in the air a few weeks ago after several Continental screw ups.

Not a good time to need engine work.
 
Matthew said:
About 10 years ago someone couldn’t extend the gear on their 414. The local traffic chopper guy was filming all the excitement, including the landing.



A few years later I saw that plane on the ramp, pretty much in the same condition as it was after the landing. I was really surprised at how razor sharp the props had been ground down. I have pics, somewhere.
Click to expand...

Found those pics. You could shave on the edges of those props.



IMG_0426.jpeg IMG_0427.jpeg IMG_0426.jpeg IMG_0425.jpeg
 
Daleandee said:
In the video it was said that the 85 year old pilot flew it 100 miles back home. Wonder if it had any vibration going on ... :eek:
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Different airplane. Photos are of the 414.

The 85 year old who flew 100 miles back home was in an Aerostar that curiously enough showed up for sale shortly after with no mention of the gear up/prop strike in the ad!
 
Fearless Tower said:
Different airplane. Photos are of the 414.

The 85 year old who flew 100 miles back home was in an Aerostar that curiously enough showed up for sale shortly after with no mention of the gear up/prop strike in the ad!
Click to expand...

Oops, you are correct ... I got the two vids mixed up. But still, flying 100 miles after a belly scrape is just nutty!
 
Looks kinda cool that way. I mean, it’s a nice conversation starter on the ramp.
 
Skymac said:
I’d be willing to bet more props just get replaced without a tear down than anyone wants to know about lol
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When I folded a prop, I flew a new one out to the airport where the plane was stranded, their mechanic had put a dial indicator on the crank, I flew back to our airport, and then our insurance company said they'd pay for a TDI. I was happy not to, my partner wanted it, so we sprung for rings and bearings while we were at it. They even paid for rental of the plane I used to deliver the prop. (BTW, it's tricky to fit a 172 prop inside of a 172.)
 
Skymac said:
I’d be willing to bet more props just get replaced without a tear down than anyone wants to know about lol
Click to expand...

Truth.
Which is why a diligent buyer is looking at logs & SN’s for unexplained prop swaps.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Doesn't have to take 2 years, but it is highly unlikely to be six weeks considering the current maintenance and parts situation.

Out of town owner is going to have to arrange two engines pulled and sent off to a shop for a teardown and locate two props. Depending on engine times and if anything found, the current parts situation could result in an extended stay. We have several other airplanes on the field right now with engines removed waiting on silly things like backordered cylinders and those are common rental types.

Had a friend who ordered factory remans from Continental over a year ago. Finally got his Baron back in the air a few weeks ago after several Continental screw ups.

Not a good time to need engine work.
Click to expand...
On top of the obvious engine/prop situation, I'd be wanting to give those engine mounts a damn close inspection as well, along with anything else near where the mounts install. Very likely something is tweaked or cracked. The vibrations would have been pretty ****ing intense on the go-around.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
There is a point at which the owner has gone "all-in", and you may not see anything in the logs.
Click to expand...

i think it would look like this:
The earliest entries in the prop log are after the prop strike date, and this is usually well after the airplane was manufactured.
No entry in the airframe log to explain the prop replacement, or simply mentioning the prop was replaced, without explanation.
A good, continuous record of the prop’s history in the prop log since aircraft manufacture… but the SN of the prop blades or hub don’t match the numbers in the prop log.
 
You are right it’s probably commonplace. Still, that kind of coverup/fraud seems just unbelievably malicious. People, man. Wow.
 
Value of the plane is probably less than two props (about 30k new), tear downs, and R&R. Guessing it’s totaled. A 414 might be worth 3-5 times as much so more likely to get fixed.
 
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