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I have gone back and forth in my mind as to whether to share with the group
the details of my recent accident. Some participants in this forum have not
been particularly nice and extremely judgemental of others who have had
similar experiences. Nonetheless, in hopes of promoting safety, I have
decided to share the experience with you.
On July 9th, the culmination of ten years of hard work came together when
the FAA issued my airworthiness certificate for my IV-P and Don Goetz flew
my plane for the first time. Don and I trained during the next week,
although the training was hampered by a bout of rainy weather. I can't
emphasize enough what a great pilot, teacher and friend Don is. His
knowledge and experience are the best in aviation. Further, Don is willing
to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty to assist in getting your
plane ready for flight. It is amazing to me that Lancair offers his
services at a paltry $200 per day. Don is worth ten times that amount.
Don departed for home at the end of the week and I began an aggressive test
program to fly off my 40 hours to allow me to take the plane to Oshkosh. As
many of you know, my plane has the EngineAir Power Systems V-8 engine
package and this engine is a delight to fly behind. Starting is simple like
a car. Idle is smooth due to an idler motor. Engine controls are simple
since everything is computerized with no mixture controls. You simply push
in the power and fly. What is striking is the engine performance. Smooth
and quiet in flight with extremely low fuel burns at various power levels,
improving substantially with increases in altitude. For example, for those
penny pinchers out there, I was indicating 180 knots at 10,000 feet with the
power pulled way back to 22" and burning only 12 gallons per hour. For
those wanting more speed, take the plane up to 15,000 feet and at 220 knots
indicated I burned 17 gallons per hour. Using both 100LL and 93 octane
autogas, I saw no difference in engine performance, fuel burn or speed.
Meanwhile, flying over the state, I received calls all the time about the
unique sound of the engine, different from any other plane, as well as the
speed of the plane. The engine sounds very much like the sleeved engine in
a Sea Fury. Its certainly in its own class.
On July 21st, I complete my forty hours without a hiccup and began my
preparations for Oshkosh. I departed with a friend from Auburn, ME on the
23rd. Takeoff and climb were uneventful and we contacted Portland Center
for flight following and received a squawk. We continued to climb to our
desired altitude of 14,500 feet. About ten minutes out and about 8000 feet,
there was an abrupt loss of engine power. It felt very much like the plane
had been grabbed by the tail, moving us forward in our seats. A quick scan
of the instruments showed a drop in manifold pressure from 34" to 15". Fuel
pressure was fine. The alternator was producing current at 13.5 volts. The
engine has dual computers and a switch from computer A to computer B
produced no change. A switch from battery A to battery B similarly produced
no change. A switch in fuel tanks similarly produced no change.
At this point I used the GPS to find the nearest airport, Fryeburg about 12
miles and 90 degrees to the right. Now in contact with Boston Center, I let
them know of the loss of engine power and that I was going to make a
precautionary landing in Fryeburg. A descent commenced at 120 knots and
engine performance further deteriorated during the descent, the manifold
pressure falling to 3-5". To be honest, I couldn't believe my eyes since
this was far less than ambient pressure. At this point, the prop was pulled
fully back and the plane left clean for best glide and indicating a descent
of 1000 FPM. Nearing the airport, it became clear that we were going to
come up short - there was a headwind. These are the hardest decisions of
your life in that last minute. On approach to runway 22, short of the
field, you have no choice but to leave the gear up, put in flaps, and hope
for the best. On final, we were down to 100 knots and the controls were
clearly mushy. Having never been in the situation before, I made a last
minute decision to partially extend the gear, hoping the gear legs would
protect the fuselage and smooth the impact. Contact was made in the field
short of the runway, the MT prop began to beat the ground and come apart and
in the blink of an eye, we slid 100 yards onto the first 20 feet of the
runway and stopped. Following a quick shutdown, we exited the plane, walked
down the runway to the FBO and announced our "arrival."
Damage to the plane included the prop, lower cowling, puncture of the right
inboard wing tank by a runway end light and a bent oil pan resulting in oil
leakage from the engine. The main gear wheels were sheered off the legs and
the left wheel impacted the left elevator putting a 5 hole in the bottom.
The nose gear, because it fully extended, was driven into the wheel well and
destroyed. The retraction linkages of the main gear were bent, but the gear
itself, as well as the fuselage, were almost untouched.
With my parts order placed, total parts cost for repair = $3000 + prop. The
structural repairs were simple and have already been completed.
Don believes I would have done better leaving the gear fully up. I'm not
sure the fuselage damage would have been so minimal had the plane not slide
on its gear legs as it did. An interesting topic for discussion.
Following the accident, an examination of the engine revealed that an
opening in the aft portion of the air cleaner had permitted paper toweling
to be sucked into the turbocharger and blown into the intercoolers,
effectively choking off the induction system. Needless to say, the air
cleaner is being redesigned. As for lessons learned, few of us actively
practice emergency procedures, much less spend time seeing how the plane
flies with no power or landing "dead stick." This is not to suggest that we
should practice dead stick landings. In a Lancair, that practice in and of
itself is risky. However, we should keep in mind that these are
experimental planes and that both certified and uncertified engines can
malfunction. Without the knowledge to deal with such a situation, a true
disaster can ensue.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Doug Pohl
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LML website: http://www.olsusa.com/mkaye/maillist.html
LML Builders' Bookstore: http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair
Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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