Author Topic: N121HJ lost engine power -ONT  (Read 12399 times)

Offline N400PW

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N121HJ lost engine power -ONT
« on: June 10, 2010, 09:23:31 PM »
Piper Malibu, said he didn't have cruise power.  Ontario's 26L closed throughout the day, thanks LAWA, caught most of the audio sounds like they made it out ok, probably not the plane. 

-Peter



Offline ek1029

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Re: N121HJ lost engine power -ONT
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2010, 06:38:30 AM »
minor injuries from the news reports.   i fly out of cable (a few miles away) often, glad they were ok.   

Offline kb8uuw

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Re: N121HJ lost engine power -ONT
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2010, 10:47:04 PM »
It was a training flight. The owner had just purchased the plane and was flying with a master CFI the the new owners insurance company recommended. The plane had a set of jugs replaced do to information on pre-purchase inspection. After engine work it had 1/2 hour flight with old and new owner then it was purchased. it was only an hour or so into the flight when the engine Exploded ( owners words ) at around 17000( he thinks) during climb.  Load sound !!  loss of power. New owner at the controls stabilizes plane at best glide speed and starts gets things stabilized around 14,000

So the question is

Engine craps at 17,000 to 14,000 over the airport. how do you manage to land 1/2 mile short ?

Why are you doing an extended down wind with a crapped engine?





Offline N400PW

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Re: N121HJ lost engine power -ONT
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2010, 11:18:05 PM »
Wow, he was circling from some time over the airport from what a coworker said.  That's the thing, I went by the site today and I just don't understand how his glide wasn't right, unless he did an extended downwind, and he was at a steady 6000 and having 2 and a half miles of runway to spare.  Also during that time in the afternoon the winds pick up pretty good maybe a steady 10-20 knot headwind so that might have been a factor too that wasn't calculated.     

Offline kb8uuw

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Re: N121HJ lost engine power -ONT
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2010, 11:56:54 PM »
The new owner was at the controls the whole time. He told me he just flew where and how the Master CFI check pilot Told him to fly. the Check pilot was convinced the was still power even though it should have been obvious that there was no power ( rate of decent needed to hold airspeed it was closer ) combined with lack of elevator authority ( no prop wash over elevator).  there is a difference between NO power and pulling the power back during practice. 

The downwind WAS extended. The audio verifies it. they did that to avoid commercial traffic the new owner said. Why was there still traffic ? why did the check pilot who was working the radio NOT declare an emergency. The controller seemed to be waiting for an emergency to be declared.

They got over the airport and descended through the over cast. the pilot was local so he should knew about local conditions. He just tried to do the pattern as normal and forgot that he had no power to compensaite for a headwind.

they were so low the owner had to dodge a semi.

Offline natedexter

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Re: N121HJ lost engine power -ONT
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2010, 01:59:35 PM »
How do you know so much about the accident?

Offline N400PW

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Re: N121HJ lost engine power -ONT
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2010, 06:00:52 PM »
Plane was based out of SMO correct?  Interesting, and yes the pilot should have declared an emergency.  Now we wait and see from NTSB why there was no power to begin with, it was a relatively new aircraft right?

Offline kb8uuw

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Re: N121HJ lost engine power -ONT
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2010, 09:00:39 AM »
I know the new owner. the plane is a 1985 but with an engine with 2 new cylinders, rods, heads etc. they had had very low compression during the pre-buy inspection and replaced. I would be interested to know if what they really did. Were the others taken off and the bearings looked at? When was the last oil change prior to the new cylinders being replaced?