Engine blew crusing at 15,000 ft. over the California Sierra mountains on the way to Las Vegas. A rod blew through the casing, causing catastrophic engine failure. With the help from ATC, glided to Hawthorne airport about 20 miles away.
My dad’s Bonanza had engine failure too. He had my mom and another couple aboard. He landed safely in a wet farm field in norther Indiana. Wind screen covered in oil. Had to used side glass to see. Farmer came out of his house. He asked my dad if he needed a drink, my dad and the other passenger proceeded to celebrate with a bottle of a Jack the farmer had. Farmer was cool. He let my dad keep the plane on his property while a mechanic replaced the motor and prop. My dad took off on the road in front of the farm once it was repaired.
You, my friend, are a steely eyed missile man! I have about 2000hrs in B35 Bonanzas with a few exciting moments my self. I've lost electrical at night a couple times, a fuel pump failure over mountains, a stuck valve and a bird strike. They were all high pucker factors, but nothing like yours!
Fantastic job! You did yourself and yours as well as general aviation proud! I can't help but chuckle at the doubting Thomas calling BS on your post and the Hawthorne airport. If they ever became a pilot, they would be the ones you read about that landed at the wrong airport!
Very good video. It will stay with me for a long time. I didn't think/know about passengers until the end when I heard their frightened, relieved voices.
If this is the same incident I remember the airport was actually closed. The Army was having a week long exercise and helped push the disabled aircraft.
You are right. The Air National Guard and the Army were conducting their exercises that week and helped me tow the plane to a tiedown spot, and very kindly comforted my three young children who were shaken up from the bad experience. Great bunch of people in uniform.
fredrmann1 good to hear everything ended up on a good note. Anyone who knows this part of Nevada knows the terrain can be very treacherous. You were talking to my coworker at Oakland Center who also happens to be the pilot of a Cessna Skylark.
Great job of flying, seemed like a lot of vibrations going on ?? I knew four pilots that all went in together and bought a Beechcraft Bonanza. It was the one pilots turn to change the oil. After the oil was changed and new oil added the guy couldn't find the drain plug. After a few days of looking for it they determined it could have fallen in to the engine. Pulled the engine and had an A and P guy tore the engine down and no drain plug. I don't know what that oil change cost that pilot but I think he sold his forth of the aircraft to another pilot.
chtiguillaume Thanks, It helped that we had a 6000ft runway in front of us! It would have been different had it happened a few minutes earlier when we were over the top of the Sierra mountains and nothing flat below us.
fredrmann1 luckily it happened a bit after. If your glideslope had been better than the mountain's, I'm sure you would have found a proper place to land ... even if it would have been a little more rude than on a paved runway ! Fly safe, cheers from a French pilot.
Of all the tragedies you read about there are many more great saves like this, thanks for posting! Man, that sounded like a 2 cylinder tractor! Did u notice if there was any oil pressure from the windmilling? Did you try pulling the prop control to smooth things out, or possibly help stop the prop? Again, great job, I worry about this all the time over the Sierras...JB
Thanks for your comments JB. I had zero oil pressure and unable to feather the prop as it is designed to go to high pitch when there is no oil pressure. I thought about slowing it to stop the prop with no success and did not want to stall it anyway. Luckily Hawthorne airport was within gliding distance. Nowadays, I take the long way to Las vegas going south around Andrews airbase!....Fred
+Fred Mann Nice job putting it down in one piece. You look cool as a cucumber in the video too!!! Had to laugh when you got on the ground and said "Just like I practiced"
I landed my 182 twice in the last month with oil on my windshield (no engine failure) and the limited visibility caused me to flare too high both times.
I had an old friend who's Banaza 35 had the same thing happen . He tried to stretch his glide and paid the ultimate price hitting trees. He had a prolonged run up on the ramp indicating that there was an apparent problem.
excellent job of keeping your cool and flying the plane. you,Lucky as you were ,the outcome is because of your staying calm and keeping your kids calm by showing them you had a handle on the situation. I know you where there hero that day. Well done.
You must not be a Doctor with a god complex, sir. My FAA doctor killed himself and his his wife and 3 kids about a year after he examined me. He was in a Bonanza and had a couple of surgeries earlier in the day. RIP all
Scary Stuff. I also fly a B36TC and can't imagine this happening. Were there any indications during flight? and where you flying at 28" 2300 rpm or a different setting?
Great job! My god, I was terrified for you! The harmonic vibrations that caused seemed like they could shake your teeth out of your head. I really worried about the stress. I would be so worried that the stress would cause the engine mounts or bolts to fail, losing the engine and throwing the glide into chaos with the sudden shift. I’m not sure if my fear is warranted or not, since I’m not an A&P am I’m too familiar with engine Mount stress limitations.
The vibration was bad enough to rattle our teeth but I tried not to get distracted by it too much since there wasn't anything I could do about it. Beechcraft Bonanza is built like a tank with very strong engine mounts that held up nicely without any damages to them. Just fly the plane all the way to the landing spot is what I had learned from my flight instructors.
This was a sudden and catastrophic engine failure. It was not producing any power and I had stopped the fuel to it. The prop was just windmilling causing the vibrations. I tried to slow the plane to stop the prop with no success-also didn't want to stall the plane creating another emergency.
All the vibration and noise was from the windmilling prop that was banging the broken rods and metal pieces inside the engine. I wasn't able to stop the prop.
fredrmann1 did you attempt an approach to Vs while still at altitude? that should of stopped it but it's all about your comfort level and necessities in this circumstance. our CFI performed this exercise successfully so it is possible to remove vibrations and increase the L/D ratio during an engine in-op apprch.
fredrmann1 disregard, i read thru more and seen your remarks about attempting Vs to stop the prop. with all souls onboard, best not perform "airwork" just to marginally extend gliding distance.
WOW, someone in the back was crying. What? Didn't that person trust you? Ok, I'm kidding. We can do that now that you all are safe. I know I would have been scared to death too. And yes, YOU PRACTICED! You are truly THE MAN!
WoodenYouKnowIt that says it all right there sit. I too avoid flying over mountains and flying piston singles at night. Even if I HAVE to go at night, I dont.
Derek Benjamin I need to do my night rating very shortly and have been on a few night flights so far. Your comment made me think about it a little harder and now I’m kinda uneasy about it. Lol Was always more focused on how cool the city looks at night, but doing a forced approach would be very difficult to succeed. Even coming into a lighted airport on my first night approach I came in high till beyond the fence since I wasn’t sure what was in the darkness anymore (even though I’ve flown over that path hundreds of times in daylight) Guess that’s a good enough reason to buy myself a Twin Comanche :)
Thanks for your good remarks Donald. Practicing engine out procedures came handy, plus being lucky to have a good landing strip within gliding distance and the calm voice of air traffic controllers pointing me to the right direction.
This is why I decided not to fly, I would just be trifling with it. I know from watching vids like this, you've got to know what you're doing! I'll just remain an aviation enthusiast! That costs nada.
Thought that was a cracked windscreen but saw oil later, good job on dropping it in.....pretty rare for those things to throw a rod? Was it rod bolt failure or did it just snap?
Some times the piston pins will carbon up and are very hard to get out when removing the piston if this was the case with cyl. change especially next to the aft baffle.....pure speculation and here say if this was the cause but something to consider in the future when using a hammer to remove pin with no backup.
I use a special tool that applies force to the wrist pin and wraps around the piston. No hammering at all. Uses a gear wrench. Aircraft supply places should have this tool. Forgot the proper name.
Thanks for the comment. The engine on this Bonanza is a continnental TSIO-520 with a turbo charger. It had about 1400 hours on it and running very smooth up to that point when number 2 rod broke and went through the casing. We were very lucky to be within gliding distance of the air strip(had my 3 young kids with me).
Questions What caused vibration? Unbalanced crank due to broke rod? And spinning prop exaggerated air frame vibration Did the engine lose all the oil after hole in case?
What is it with big Continental six cylinders throwing rods? I’ve got over 1000 hours behind an IO-520 with one failure (fuel pump) but never a catastrophic one. Surely you could hear rod knock on shut down or see a reduction in oil pressure long before it let go.
That's just continental engines for you. The real known quantity is the cylinders, the exhaust valves giving out in particular, which then leads to collateral damage and in many instances the entire engine power goes as other components get damaged and fail. Then there is crappy metallurgy in the more recently manufactured continentals (90s et al) and you're basically playing the lottery. No offense but the -520 is the worst of them all, especially as you track the dozens of variations they did to that engine (cases, studs et al) through the years. I know we'll never be able to prove it statistically since there's so many non-engine related factors when it comes to recreational pilots, but I cannot get myself to fly my family behind a single Continental engine. I fly naturally aspirated Lycomings, which can fail too, but since my perception is my reality, it allows me to take up to the skies without constant worry. To each their own, but even continental engine owners admit the quality control and design of their cylinders is garbage. They merely accept that as a sunk cost since the popular six cylinder airplanes like the newer -35, 33 and 36 bonanzas, cessna 210s et al, are all powered by six cylinder continentals without the legal option of retrofitting engines. In certified aircraft land this is as we know, an economic and legal non-starter (thanks FAA). For all the money that it costs to inspect, operate and maintain these old clap traps, I just can't accept a known quantity like continental cylinders as an opportunity cost. I think it's a ridiculous proposition. Only in aviation do people smile at being given a garbage product. Nobody would put up with it in the automotive market (I know economies of scale has a lot to do with it). When I was childless and single, I didn't care about these nuances, but now with a son I'm responsible for and my sincere desire to share this passion with my wife and kid, hearing that poor spouse sobbing in fear is something that sticks with me. That lady will be unlikely to get into a single engine again, so the dude in this video is gonna have to up the budget quite a bit to be able to afford a parachute or two engines, the latter carrying extra insurance and training if the pilot doesn't currently possess the certificate. I do have the halo effect benefit of being a military pilot so my wife emotionally relies on that assurance to ameliorate what otherwise would be a reaction very much like that of the spouse in the video. But I assure you, I do not rest on my laurels when it comes to that, so I look at ways in which I can mitigate the eventuality my airplane too could scare my family from ever flying with me again. For me, with my budget limitations, that means Lycoming engines. To each their own.
if it blew a rod, there is no fire extinguisher, but let me see if the remaining power takes me to a RWY. I don't think so. There are a few roads in that area, put the baby down, hitch a ride, walk
As Bobby mentioned, the engine was not producing any power and I had already turned of the fuel valve. Prop turning was 100% due to wind milling effect causing the laud vibration all the way to the ground.
You can't feather the prop when there is no oil pressure-prop goes full flat(fine pitch). And the engine was already cut and fuel valve closed. Prop was just windmilling.
@@fredrmann1 well, I would respect her desission, that's just human fears.. However, I'd better fly with such great Pilot that proved in real life that he does not let fear to make him loose control. You can not just buy such skill. I'd like to be like you! But I know, that in most of such cases, my nerve system let me down, I feel scary:( Best regards from Ukraine!!:)
not really. how many times have you had an engine failure in your car? i bet never (if its properly maintained and its a decent make). an airplane engine is more safer and the checks also many more. the only time an aircraft engine fails if its poorly maintained.
Everyone on RU-vid says that, but nobody takes into account the fact that one-engine-out landings in multi-engine private planes DO NOT NEED TO BE REPORTED. So you are missing a bunch of your statistical basis.
The statistic came from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. You are right in that 'near accidents' (my terminology) aren't reported. Or aren't often reported. Engine failure in a twin at a towered airport will end up reported to the FAA even if the landing is 100% successful. Original point being, flying a multi engine aircraft you aren't assured a successful flight due to one engine failure. That spare engine can kill you.
Two engines mean that you’re more than twice as likely to have an engine failure. Twice as likely from having twice as many engines, and the extra coming from fuel mismanagement and being overloaded with tasks in a more demanding aircraft. Then there are the great equalizers like running out of gas, and shutting down the wrong engine. After that... you’re either in a very heavy, underpowered, and poorly designed single engine aircraft trying to maneuver for a landing often with a negative climb rate... or in a very heavy, draggy, and very fast glider trying to set it down on a long enough field that won’t result in the deaths of everyone on board. Just about any properly executed forced approach in a piston single will result in everyone walking away. I made it back to a runway like this guy did.. and so have many others I’ve had first hand experience with. Twins don’t become truely safer until you get into turboprops.
My god man. Shut that motor off Already..you're going to ruin it more with no oil in it. What a dummy he just keeps on flying like the motor isn't going to get ruined....
