diamondaviators.net

Plane and Pilot article complete with audio.

Cool as a cucumber. My non-pilot wife overheard me listening and said, "He sure is calm for a mayday."

168LA on FlightAware. The engine died 6min into his climb out at 4,500'.

40.NC078. Airworthiness date of December 2019, registration of March 2020. Take Flight is a training academy and Diamond Service Center. Sold by Lifestyle so CFI-Dave probably knows the operator.

Very professional by all parties!

If I did the math correctly, the glide angle at best glide would range from 5 -8 degrees for a DA40, much steeper than a typical ILS. So I suppose if intercepting an ILS dead-stick, you'd want to be about twice as high as the normal glideslope.

smoss wrote: ↑Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:28 pm If I did the math correctly, the glide angle at best glide would range from 5 -8 degrees for a DA40, much steeper than a typical ILS. So I suppose if intercepting an ILS dead-stick, you'd want to be about twice as high as the normal glideslope.

That's a really good point. My experience is -950fpm with engine at 0%, way more than a 3˚GS. Any instrument approach is pretty much useless dead stick, other than maybe to get you onto runway heading. It sounded like the pilot took a visual approach which is really the only thing you can do.

wow... like nothing out of the normal.

AndrewM wrote: ↑Thu Oct 29, 2020 12:17 pm wow... like nothing out of the normal.

Exactly! Here's another WOW for that!
Wayne

Boatguy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 29, 2020 3:01 am

smoss wrote: ↑Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:28 pm If I did the math correctly, the glide angle at best glide would range from 5 -8 degrees for a DA40, much steeper than a typical ILS. So I suppose if intercepting an ILS dead-stick, you'd want to be about twice as high as the normal glideslope.

Any instrument approach is pretty much useless dead stick, other than maybe to get you onto runway heading. It sounded like the pilot took a visual approach which is really the only thing you can do.

It sounded like he reported having lost the engine and then at first accepted an instrument approach. Maybe with partial power but no instrument approach is doable with a totally dead engine. Technically, maybe a contact approach but that's not in IMC.

If I have any brain cells not frozen in fear during an engine out in a single in IMC, I think I would try to fly directly over the airport and spiral down, hoping to break out in time to find a flat spot.

It'll be interesting to find out what caused the loss of engine power.

My guess is an intake manifold hose popped off, caused by poor 100 hour engine and gearbox servicing (Unlike Diamond twins, DA40NGs require removal of a U-shaped air intake duct on the front of the engine in order to expose the fill cap on top of the gearbox -- with hose clamps that must be properly tightened when the intake system is put back together.) There have already been at least 2 other DA40NGs that made emergency landings due to this issue -- one in a field off the end of the runway, and another that was able to fly back to the airport.

How will we ever find out what happened? No crash so there won't be an NTSB report. It seems unlikely the Take Flight service center will want to disclose the problem if their service center was culprit.

Boatguy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 29, 2020 3:01 am My experience is -950fpm with engine at 0%, way more than a 3˚GS.

That's consistent with the audio - at 1:13 he reported 3000 feet, at 1:56 2300 feet = about 975 ft/min, and it sounds like there was at least some turning there.

Nice job by all involved.

dan