Last summer I posted a video of my emergency landing. I have had many questions about what happened. Hopefully this video will answer those questions. Link to original video: • Emergency landing at N...
Mark, you did a great job handling this. Do not let the arm-chair critics get you down. My instructors stressed that you treat a partial-power situation differently from a complete engine failure, and that altitude and time give you options. Also, once making the runway is assured (which it was), flaps are a much more stable option than a slip. Lastly, all these critics should keep in mind that debriefing an emergency after the fact is very easy compared to dealing with it in the plane in real time. As M. Tyson once said "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." Put their butts in the plane in an actual emergency and let's see how "by the book" they perform.
The fact that you landed your plane means you made all of the right decisions during this event! Good job! There is something bothering me about the engine problem. Calling it a fuel problem is no bueno. The Rotax engine has a history of RPM loss at cruise. It is a finicky engine. If it were my airplane, I would do the following: 1. Scope your fuel tank to check for particulate (after it sets for 24 hours). 2. Check your fuel tank vents to make sure they are not blocked. 3. Remove carb bowl and check for debris. Place catch basin under bowl and engage fuel pump to flush debris from carb/hose. 4. Inspect all fuel lines from tank to engine. Check fuel cutoff valve. Check all hose clamps for over-tightened clamp; partially collapsed hose. 5. Inspect all cables, linkages, etc. 6. Remove spark plugs and check for signs of problems. 7. Change fuel pump and run to see if you can reproduce the problem (on a hot engine, not cold). 8. Check connections and electrical wire on your fuel pump. Check for short. 8. If all of this is OK, my bet is the problem is one (or both) of your mags. Mags can cause this problem (after they get hot). Don't chalk it up to bad gas. It is most likely something else and your engine is talking to you. Listen!
Thanks for the follow-up, many were wondering what the issue was, exactly. In my opinion you handled the situation just fine. The engine was giving you partial, intermittent power, and you used it to gain some altitude. Altitude is your friend, unless you're on fire, lol. You were under control throughout. I say great job. I, also, find going into a slip, close to the ground a bit "spooky." With my Cessna 172, I can just drop the "barn doors" all the way and shove the nose down. Thanks for sharing!
Hey, great job getting back to the runway safely! Good save, and great landing in the end. It's always easy to come up with alternatives from the comfort of a desk chair watching a video, with the time to think about what else could have been done. Under the circumstances, I think your reactions were perfect: altitude = options; engine's not completely dead, so let's get back to the runway, if we can; there's other options if the engine does completely give out before we can make the runway. In the end, you landed safely in one of the most dangerous emergencies there is (engine trouble on take-off). So great job!
Thank you for the follow up! Just saw part one and was really curious. Glad you guys made it back. I plan on starting PPL this year and its sobering but inspiring seeing emergencies well-handled like yours.
Mark Just randomly came upon Part 1 last week and I said “I know that guy!” In your situation I probably would have done the same thing to come back around and make the runway. Glad everything worked out. Great job.
Great job. IMO you did the landing you were most comfortable with, as such you weren’t even worried, and your confidence was obvious to your passenger whom seemed pretty chill because of your demeanor!
Awesome job! Great situational awareness and it seems like you definitely know your aircraft which is so important. I agree with the full flaps instead of side slip, the most usual/comfortable configuration is the best to use in an emergency as it relieves yourself of extra workload/pressure in the most critical part of flight!
Thanks I agree. I was able to fly the plane the next day, that’s the definition of a “great” landing. Lol! I am open to learning, no matter what my mom says I’m not perfect.
Hi, I had the identical situation just after maintenance and it turned out to be a blockage in a small bolt the is used to allow fuel into the float chamber. It only happened when I was pitched nose up in the takeoff. As soon as I lower the nose it was fine. May be worth checking out. It turned out that at some point the small bolt was changed for one that didn’t have the hilt through the middle of it so was restricting the amount of fuel that could enter the float chamber. When at an angel the float would lodge and stick not allowing for more fuel.
Great job and it takes guts to put your story out there and your intention is to help the aviation community to learn from your experience. I thank God he kept you both safe! Thank you for serving our country in both the army and firefighting. A honorable man is all I see, you made the decisions you made and they were the ones that led to a safe out come. Nothing more nothing less. Take care and keep on keeping on. Congrats on your retirement! Not a bad present to yourself if ya ask me! Much respect!
Great save! That seems like a terrible engine design if its common for the low fuel pressure warning to trigger in what should be normal operating conditions. Thats how you get people to ignore the fact that theres a real problem.
Would have thought the low fuel pressure warning is key to what happened not the fuel itself. If the engine is using more fuel than the fuel system can supply then the pressure drops. I'd say the pump was going bad or restricted filters.
Similar issue with my Sling Tsi, although it’s fuel injected. I won’t use fuel with alcohol now. I noticed the low pressure happens more with increasing temp. If you fly in, sit somewhere and then go again I think everything in the engine compartment is hot. 100ll has a much different vapor pressure. So I increase my cruise climb and watch the fuel pressure. If you can get non-ethanol gas where you live that is > 91 octane. Also car gas changes over the year so winter gas (through June) will vaporize easier than summer gas. Best of luck, glad you are safe. I’m thinking the gas is effervescent in the fuel lines causing mischief.
Glad you kept it and made it safe. Thank you for the valuable debrief! Tight and high seems way better than far and wide. Slips/flaps to your advantage
Considering the prop, what is your normal and (on that day) RPM... I've heard that some of the newer fuel pumps are not as robust as in the early engines. Glad you were able to experience some excitement and gain experinece👍
You made good decisions all around. The very worst thing we can do a PIC is question ourselves. Second pilots have stake in the game as well and I didn't say they should not question our decisions, but as single pilot we just need to fly, stay calm, and do the best we know how. I have had many engine failures as a single pilot in Ag and pipeline patrol. All mine, save one, were low so only six second deals to somewhere in the very near hemisphere. And on most I, being very near the LZ, ended up using full flaps and full forward slip to make the beginning of the LZ. Anyway, good job.
Great debrief! Thank you for sharing. I agree if you have partial power and you can limp home (or better area to off airport) then why not try if you feel doing so isn’t making your situation any worse.
vapor lock? that’s a known issue with some of the LSAs that incorporate the Rotax 912ULS running in a hot environment. Recommendation is to run 100LL as its less prone to vaporization.
i had 4 different LOTOT/partial power engine fails on take off as a Bush Pilot in South America. If the engine is only vibrating while lost some power but NOT SURGING OFF AND ON, and keeps altitude at least, it is good to try to turnback to closest runway at airport from 400 agl or higher (i did that 2 times, one from 300 agl only) instead of throwing the towel and crash in front without a fight(Besides in front there were houses and or ocean). But if heavy surging, prep to land, little turns only. No turnback unless much higher than 400 agl. Due it can quit dead next surge. Those difficult to judge LOTOT killed the great MacSpadden. He was killed on a “Surging LOTOT” and they did turnback but lost engine after it, NOT REACHING THE RUNWAY after the airplane owner pop the draggy gear out. Practice LOTOT.. FOR EXAMPLE; climb to 400 agl, Engine power to 50%.. level at 400 agl. Troubleshoot with SOME carb heat and some leaning too. And decide if Turnback, Turnaround the airport OR CRASH I FRONT. 3 OPTIONS ON LOTOT. IT S SURGING LOTOT, TREAT A SURGING LOTOT as an engine dying in next few seconds. Be ready to lower nose and land.
Thank you Mark............so enjoyed your vid, I am not a flyer BUT know a lot about flight, I believe you did the right thing by gaining altitude while the engine was going, its not a case of who did what, you did what you had to do.............thank you Sir
Thinking it through being high was a good choice. You knew there was plenty of runway, and if on approach power is altitude, better to be a bit high. It's a better bet of making the runway with reduced power. There is no requirement that you have to land three stripes past the numbers. Taking advantage of the length of the runway was smart. Better a little high than being low. I'd fly with you anytime.
My comment about a mayday call is that it's not about your feeling, your judgement of your situation, but rather about clearing out anyone else on frequency and getting yourself a clear runway. You *need* that runway now, no ifs ands or buts, and a Mayday makes that clear (altho obviously the next guy on frequency clearly understood this regardless). But then I assume you already know this by now, so this is pretty much a pointless comment lol. Both these videos are great, and I appreciate getting the chance to see your great handling of an engine issue in a Flight Design. (In fact I had my first ever flight in a Flight Design just last month, and they seem quite rare, so this was quite the coincidence for me to stumble upon your video!)
It is very easy to sit on the ground and watch a video then criticize someone else's actions. You were there. You made the best decision, based on your equipment, and knowledge there of, your skill level and your knowledge of the area. I would fly with you anytime.
First I watched, I say good save. Still thinking same , may be vapor lock happens mix mogas with avgas for summer season flying, my plane is at 100hr never put avgas sometimes on climb fuel bar goes under 1.9 bar and goes to yellow arc but never goes under 1.5 bar it usually happens in summer time too.
Hello, good job!! and good landing! What was the outside temperature at the time of takeoff? Rotax engines can suffer "vapor lock" if they have previously been exposed to the sun and the outside temperature was high. I have a CTsw and I know that the engine is equipped with an expansion tank to avoid this problem, but I have several flight companions who have suffered a problem similar to yours for this reason with Rotax engines, always in summer and at high temperatures. .
The design of the fuel system in the CTSW is far from perfect. You loosed fuel pressure at rotation, this is a clear indicator for a fuel vapor lock. Make sure it will not getting too hot under the cowling, keep the small door at the left side open during parking under the sun. But to make sure this will never happen again only a auxiliary fuel pump would help 100%.
You should try ethanol-free(non-oxygenated) gas. It is not toxic like leaded gas and it more stable and more resistant to vapor lock than gas that contains 10% ethanol in it.
We had the same issue with our 912ULS and now alternate mogas with avgas here in NorCal. It's hard to be confident of a fix. I wonder if this is only an issue with winter blend mogas.
I’m not familiar with your aircraft. Is it prohibited from doing a forward slip with full flaps? As for the mayday/emergency, probably nobody really available to assist. You did a good job.
That’s a left over habit from my fire chief days. I put up white boards with lists of things to do, projects, reminders, ideas etc. I can’t break the habit. Lol
Great video, Mark! I had just finished a video describing my recent encounter (about two months ago) with the Flight Design (CTLS in my case) engine light. In my case it was entirely an operational error on my part. I happen to think that, since you were so close to the airport and the engine was still working, a mayday call might have been too premature. Cheers. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T2HIf4NRF9s.html
It's an engine that has proved to have a problem. Better safe than sorry. Especially if you're a full time government worker like he was before retirement, he has the cash for private aviation, some extra oil changes aren't going to break him.
I have a jetski with Rotax engine and I do the same, 25 hours for new oil and 50 hours for spark plugs. It's a cheap insurance because I run it at 7000-8000 rpm almost all the time.
