Engine failure on takeoff - mitigation.

[MooneyDriver78]

I didn’t need no instruments to tell me that something was wrong - I had enough accumulated hours listening to the correct takeoff sound/feel to instantly know that something was off ( you can actually hear the engine pull back when pushed to full power )

One lessons for me is that next time I am getting a fuel injected version - carbs are just another mechanical failure point that I can do without ...

A modern engine monitor can save you time and money by narrowing down the problem to a cylinder and causes. Go to a mechanic and tell him the engine was running rough vs telling him #4 cylinder stop making power will result in a big difference in labor.
My engine monitor told me my cam was bad and which lobe was the problem,saving a lot of labor trying to fix a problem that couldn’t be fixed.
Fuel injection engines can fail or clog as well.


Tom

 

[Dan Thomas]

One lessons for me is that next time I am getting a fuel injected version - carbs are just another mechanical failure point that I can do without ...

Ever studied the complexities of an aircraft fuel injection system? Makes a carb look awfully simple. It's no harder for a mechanic to introduce foreign material to an injection system, and there are multiple places where small stuff will cause trouble.

 

[Warmi]

The thing with fuel injection is that the complexities are mostly confined to a electronics/software package both of which don’t have physically moving parts - at least as compared to a typical carburetor.

Yes , there is the physical side where you actually have to inject the fuel ( the pump etc ) but the logic for how much and at what time is not handled via a mechanical device but by electronics

 

[Geosync]

Brief engine-out procedures out loud in the run up area ever time- on takeoff roll, below 500 feet, below 1000 feet. My instrument instructor did it and it has stuck with me ever since.

It will be something like "takeoff roll- apply heavy brakes, below 500- land straight ahead/golf course fairway(whatever is at the end of the runway, yes there may be nothing), below 1000- 180 degree turn, land on runway/taxiway etc."

 

[James331]

Brief engine-out procedures out loud in the run up area ever time- on takeoff roll, below 500 feet, below 1000 feet. My instrument instructor did it and it has stuck with me ever since.

It will be something like "takeoff roll- apply heavy brakes, below 500- land straight ahead/golf course fairway(whatever is at the end of the runway, yes there may be nothing), below 1000- 180 degree turn, land on runway/taxiway etc."

You sure about the linear thinking of no turns below 1k?

From experience, I’d rethink that.

One of my favorite quotes

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

-Tyson

 

[PatternBreak]

I'd highly suggest getting an engine monitor such as a JPI, recently theres been some talk in the CFO about sticking exhaust valves. By the time it gets bad enough that you can tell in flight it has most likely gotten stuck on previous flights as well, which is something you can see in EzTrends.

Never hurts to find an engine issue before it becomes a problem.

 

[FastEddieB]

Had a 4 cylinder Rotax 912 ULS recently partially lose power during takeoff roll due to a maintenance error ( foreign debris introduced into one of the carbs which ended up partially blocking fuel jet)...( - carbs are just another mechanical failure point that I can do without ...

Fairly common with the BING carbs on ROTAX engines. Happened to me once on takeoff roll with plenty of time to abort. The good news is pulling the float bowls is trivially easy, and even a tiny bit of crud blocking the main jet is usually obvious. Solution is to religiously glance at the tach on takeoff, which I did and do, and abort if it’s at all low. And to pull and inspect the float bowls at least annually, if not more often.

Moving to a fuel injected ROTAX is likely a mixed blessing. Yes, no float bowls to collect debris, so there’s that. But God forbid you have an rpm loss on takeoff at a remote field. To troubleshoot that may require an expensive dongle that not every ROTAX mechanic has. In short, while failure in the field is less likely, if and when it does occur, it will likely be a much bigger deal than tracking down some dirt in a float bowl.

That said, fuel injection is the future, and I’m somewhat ambivalent if I’d want it on a new ROTAX-powered Light Sport. Currently I’m leaning against, but that may change as ROTAX fuel injected motors accumulate more time in the field.

edited to add: I see some of this was covered in threads subsequent to the quoted post. So it goes...

 

[luvflyin]

Remind myself that when all else fails and it’s going to be a crash, do it as slow as possible and don’t stop flying the plane until the crash is over with.

 

[Daniel Biltz]

Look at Amsafe Airbag’s Soars package. My next upgrade for A36. I keep a crash helmet for my right seat passenger which is frequently my son. Of course shoulder harnesses. I have BAS restraints and like them. However the Soars system will give me a greater degree of confidence in my crash survivability.

 

[Matthew Rogers]

I was just thinking about having a low tech block of foam of some sort to hold in front of passengers torso and head. Would not help for a crash at 50’ on takeoff, but anything more and there is enough time to grab it from the back seat. Helmets are nothing more than blocks of foam we strap to our heads, so having a cushion of foam in front of your torso would help, right? Just like a ditching procedure, doubles as a flotation device. Some emergency checklists even say to grab soft items and place them in front of you.

This came to mind during my recent emergency and my son was in the back seat with only a lap belt. No way to put shoulder harnesses back there. But if he had a big block of foam to hold, it sure seams more safe.

I can imagine coming into a crash landing thinking, “boy I hope these airbags actually inflate”. At least you know the foam is right there in front of you.