So my student has total engine failure and lands in a field today.

[nosehair]

Upon investigation of the engine the cause has been labeled "water in the fuel". But I'm skeptical about that as they had been flying for over an hour and doing stall and touch and goes to boot. The tanks and the belly sump were drained before takeoff as well.

I have always thought and taught that draining after the first flight was sufficient - that no water would remain after a flight; it would have been ingested.

But that theory has changed with me. I have had students who were taught to drain before every flight, and I have observed water being drained after a previous flight. It can happen.

 

[avbug]

When draining water, the wings should be shaken the tail lowered and raised, and every effort made to move water from places it may rest behind baffles, to the fuel drains. Simply sampling the fuel doesn't do this.

Additionaly, adequate time must be given for entrained water to settle out after fueling, between flights.
​

 

[transampilot]

I had something alot like this happen in a 182RG after a student and I were finishing up a steep spiral to a "simulated engine failure" landing. We had cleared the engine 3 times on the way down from 6,000. I told the student to slowly advance the throttle at about 600 AGL, and of course the kid mashes the throttle full forward, and silence results. I brought my hand up from behind the seat pulled the throttle back and slowly pushed it forward and thankfully the engine coughed to life. I gotta say we would have made it to the grass just fine but it definitely gave both of us a good pucker factor.

 

[WestHouston]

Nicole W********** is your chief instructor?

Don't know any nicoles. Not recently anyway.

 

[nosehair]

I told the student to slowly advance the throttle at about 600 AGL, and of course the kid mashes the throttle full forward, and silence results.

This happens a lot, and is an indicator of a deficiency in our way of primary flight training.

Of course, the root cause is not understanding why we should not suddenly advance the throttle, but the flight training handbook description of a level off from a glide sets the student up for this sudden advancement.

The book says to start adding power at about 100' above the desired altitude, but that is not enough lead time to make a smooth slow power and airspeed avancement so that you are at cruise speed and trim and power as you "blend in" to your new altitude. I now use about 3 to 400 feet lead time (in a small primary trainer) to make a smooth transition. Smooth on elevator, rudder and trim, and on the engine.

 

[Tired Soul]

Im my humble opinion the ..." carb heat hot, mixture rich, throttle idle.." is just a setup for disaster.
That combined with a shove-the-throttle kinda student is perfect for a rich-cut.
I have the mixture leaned when we do this sort of thing and I will initiate the go-around with the throttle, student gets to keep the flight controls.
Nothing exciting ever happened after I started doing it this way. Have had my share of put-putting engines at low altitude passing over the field.

 

[Metro752]

I just lOld, the name of a Playboy Playmate was edited out.

Carmella Decesares

 

[Flip]

I was good experience for her but of course only because she is ok.

Sex and flying don't mix well.

 

[navigator72]

are her initials M A?

 

[freighthumper]

This kind of thing just shows how careful you need to be when simulating these things. A student in NY died(instructor still in hostpital) last month when practicing this.

I wouldnt ever simulate this kind of thing unless I was confident that the plane could actually be landed if the the engine failed to power up again.

It makes you wonder how many unintentional emergency landings have been made due to practicing them.