I'll Take the 18 by Scott H. Gloodt

Author:Scott H. Gloodt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2018-05-08T15:18:11+00:00

In most cases, the pilot makes the decision to keep the engine running or to shut it down, but sometimes the engine makes the decision for him. A Twin Beech pilot in Seattle had a failure in the cam gear/cam ring portion of the engine. The cam gear/cam ring is the orchestra conductor of all the valves in all nine cylinders. The intake and exhaust valves open and close as directed by the conductor, and they must play quickly and precisely for the engine to operate. When the cam gear/cam ring stops - the music stops - and the melody of the 985 comes to an abrupt end. When this failed for the pilot in Seattle, the engine shut down instantly. Fortunately, the propeller feathering system didn’t depend on operating engine oil pressure, so he was still able to feather the propeller. The pilot knew the mountainous terrain of his Northwest route well. He dialed in and followed a radio navigation course that he knew would safely guide him through the valley below as the Beech descended with its only one functioning engine. Even though the airplane was carrying a load of ice, the Beech was able to maintain 4,500 feet of altitude, and the pilot made it to the airport.

An engine failure is definitely cause for concern, especially when it happens in an instant, but at a light gross weight, the concern is less because the airplane can still maintain a reasonable altitude. Most “on demand” freight runs hauled freight one direction, and then flew back empty and light.

A pilot was flying home empty from a freight run when one of his engines began to run rough. Confident that at the airplane’s current light weight the old Twin Beech would easily fly on one engine, he shut down the ailing engine and feathered the prop. To compensate for the loss of power, he nudged up the throttle on the good engine. As the engine began to work harder, the master rod broke (the master rod is the main coordinator for all the motions of the other eight rods and pistons) and the engine abruptly stopped. Now, without either engine operating, he became a glider. Murphy’s Law must have a special affection for aviation, because when the pilot tried to restart the first engine, the one he had just shut down for running rough, the prop refused to come out of feather. The pilot was forced to make a dead stick landing and lived.

Pilots know the peculiarities of their airplane and the idiosyncrasies of their engines, and so do the mechanics who work on them. At one time, Ray flew a Beech 18 with an engine that came off of an AG-Cat. AG-Cats are crop dusters. Crop dusting is tough, low level, diving and climbing work, and the engines get a lot of hard use. This engine was probably a cheap buy and it had many problems. As Ray said, “It was a junk motor, and the case was rotten.”

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