Post 31
Post 31 by GMC is the best post yet. First off, I applaud you for posting the whole thing to be used as a learning tool, hopefully someone may use some of this “Monday morning quarterbacking” to prevent their own accident. I had some input that it seems others didn’t address..some were already mentioned..
1. Typical Pattern ops is either 800 agl or 1000 feet agl. At the accident airport, none is specified, I would have chosen 1000 feet. The op claims entering at 700agl when the engine quit, but then later said he was at 1000, it quit then he lost altitude to 700 almost immediately while on the 45 entry. Slightly confused, as losing the engine at pattern speeds, say 100 or 110 knots shouldn’t result in immediate altitude loss, actually he should have been able to hold altitude or even climb slightly, which brings me to the next point.
2. All of us should be able to land power off from the traffic pattern. If you can’t, you should either get more experience though instruction. This is especially true while doing test flights. If you can’t land power off from the pattern (or 45 degree point) perhaps more experience or find someone who can.
3. Op mentions fuel flow numbers while the transducer was flowing air.. eyes should have been outside the whole time with only a quick glance to check airspeed, change tanks, boost pump on, then back outside.
4. Looks like runway 8 was perfectly lined up with his downwind, It just seems inconsistent to say he was too high and fast to make one runway, then some up short and stall it a few seconds later. Comes back to proficiency. A RV-9 with a fixed pitch prop is about the easiest to land power off. They glide really well.
5. Hour 6 and still no wheel pants? The CHTs are high, yet no one told the OP that finishing the wheel pants would have helped cool them down, removing the distraction that night CHTs were giving him. Same with the fuel gauges. They should have been working by now, but in any case, you have to know where the fuel is. I don’t prescribe to the “change tanks every 30 minutes” thing. Having the alarm is a great reminder, but what I prefer is to know what you are starting with, then burn down down some whole number, say 5 gallons, then go to the remaining tank and burn that as low as you want, then before landing, you know exactly what remains in tank 1.
6. Having a more experienced mentor may have addressed these issues. Having a plan every takeoff that you can react immediately to. I came up with “Fuel-Air-Spark” to address an engine failure. FUEL-three things, fuel valve, fuel pump, mixture. AIR-two things, carb heat, throttle, SPARK one thing, mag switch combination. I do the fuel valve before the pump because running a tank dry is a real possibility, and hitting the pump first on an empty tank won’t help much. At the same time as I’m doing “fuel-air-spark” I do “AVIATE-NAVIGATE-COMMUNICATE”. AVIATE, (glide speed, fly the plane ect..NAVIGATE where am I putting it and COMMUNICATE dead last as the person on the other end of the radio probably can’t do much, but if time allows, broadcast your intentions and location, and possibly get the TXP code set and ELT activated if time allows.
Edit: just listened to the audio.. the OP shouldn’t take an intersection takeoff (Runway 30 at A3) on a new plane or new engine. Take the full length, on upwind, you’ll have runway in front remaking to land, then you offset in the climb to allow a possibility of the 180 turn. Another benefit of the offset is that it creates more flight distance, you’ll be higher at the end of the runway making the impossible turn quite possible, especially with a fixed pitch prop.