Engine out on Takeoff

[ntbjounin]

My first engine failure!

Yesterday morning we were departing Fullerton, CA IFR for Van Nuys, CA in a Piper Seminole. We started our takeoff roll and around 30 knots the right engine died. We slammed the throttles back and hit the brakes and taxied off the runway.

We had done our right engine run up, and were clearing some mags on the left engine, so we temporarily had leaned the right engine. We had both forgot to push it fullrich for takeoff after we had fixed the left side.

We did another runup, and headed for van nuys. Everything was fine with the engines, but the Right engine manifold pressure needle got stuck at 33 inches (not even possible in that plane). We did everything we could to fix it, but we werent about to takeoff from Van Nuys without that gauge, so it cut our day short.

Good learning experience, and I had a fun time in CA. And I got 19.5 more multi hours!

 

[TMetzinger]

And the question is - did your instructor "forget" the mixture on purpose?

 

[poadeleted20]

Lesson learned -- push all six forward.

 

[ntbjounin]

He was just my co-pilot, not instructor. We ran the checklist, and then dealt with the left engine. We had 18.7 hrs of experience already in that plane that weekend, and he had 70 hrs in it before that, so we knew the left engine preferred to be leaned for takeoff.
We had previously tried pushing all six forward, but the left would run rough at full rich.
The left was fine on the takeoff roll, but we had forgot full rich on the right side. Won't make that mistake again.

 

[Richard]

Won't make that mistake again.

One down, millions left to go.

 

[TMetzinger]

Yep. If you interrupt the checklist to work a problem, run the section again.

 

[sba55]

Glad nothing happened!

To prevent this exact scenario (well, and to save fuel and make my engine happy), I start up full rich, and then lean so that the engine almost quits (which happens to be around 2.1 gph). If I forget the mixture and go above 1500 RPM, it will quit right away. Cheap insurance, and no fouled mags.

-Felix

 

[dmccormack]

Glad nothing happened!

To prevent this exact scenario (well, and to save fuel and make my engine happy), I start up full rich, and then lean so that the engine almost quits (which happens to be around 2.1 gph). If I forget the mixture and go above 1500 RPM, it will quit right away. Cheap insurance, and no fouled mags.

-Felix

Excellent technique!

I'll have to try that one!

 

[bbchien]

Your success will vary by pressure altitude!