My student had progressed well and was nearing his time for first solo. In preparation for same we had scheduled forced landing practice for this flight to sharpen his skills and ready him for his first solo event. With the walk around complete and our tanks topped off with fresh fuel/oil mix we taxied out for takeoff. As we lined up at the end of the runway I gave my student specific instructions on how I wanted him to proceed which he followed precisely. As expected the aircraft performed well in the cool evening air and the engine hummed a joyful tune as it drove us skyward. As we climbed through 500 feet I asked for control of the aircraft so I could demonstrate an engine out/forced approach procedure. Leveling off I backed off on the throttle to cruise RPM and began to explain to the student exactly what I was about to demonstrate. Then all of a sudden the engine lost RPM and then QUIT! To my alarm I was about to demonstrate the “REAL THING”……this student was about to get firsthand experience on emergency procedures many only ever hear about!
As I lowered the nose and immediately identified a suitable landing zone I talked through the entire process step by step with the student. All those hundreds of previous simulated engine failures were really paying off now as everything was proceeding as if it were an actual lesson plan. As I Completed my emergency check list and continued to gracefully glide towards our very suitable emergency landing area, I had time to attempt a re-start which I did, the engine immediately came back to life and I aborted our landing approach at a few hundred feet and began a slow turning climb back towards the airport. As we scratched for altitude I again went through the check list, what had I missed? Fuel on both and adequate, ignition on both, temps good what had happened? Just then the engine QUIT AGAIN!!
Again I lowered the nose to maintain airspeed, looked for a suitable landing area and started through the emergency check list, only this time, “THERE WAS NO SUITABLE PLACE TO LAND”! Had I just made the worst error in judgment a pilot could ever make giving up a suitable landing area on a “hope and a prayer” the engine quit the first time“BECAUSE”???? As we slowly approached the most suitable choice for an emergency landing site available, a plowed field with deep drainage ditches zig zagging across it everywhere, a voice kept running through my head “YOU IDIOT”!
As we entered into ground effect I told my student to brace as it was going to be one very rough landing. Fortunately we were in a relatively low inertia aircraft and flew it all the way back to mother earth bleeding off airspeed in the flair resulting in a very slow touchdown speed. Even though we struck several drainage ditches on the roll out, bent both axles and lost a few bungee cords we came out of the event with minimal aircraft damage and no injuries to ourselves (outside of my pride).
After we had a few moments to gather our thoughts(and empty our shorts), our focus turned to “why did the engine quit”? The question got answered only a few minutes later as the other instructor came rushing up and immediately admitted he’d forgot to put OIL IN THE GAS! Now there is nothing I appreciate more about a person’s moral character then when one admits they “SCREWED UP”, and I will forever appreciate such honesty. It takes real character to admit you made a mistake, many would not!
So what’s the lesson learned? If an engine quits its usually for a reason, and if that reason is not identified through your emergency checklist, and you have a suitable landing area “RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE, TAKE IT”! It can always be debated what the right decision should have been in this case, but after this experience for me the right answer was much more clear, like the old saying “The most useless thing is air above you and runway behind you”, “The most useful thing is the air under you and the runway in front of you”! More importantly was how to avoid having to make such a decision to begin with? In our case we implemented new procedures for re-fueling that put proper checks and balances in to“ASSURE” the pre-mix oil always found its way into the gas “BEFORE” it could ever end up in the airplane without it! It doesn’t matter if you fly a two stroke or four stroke, bad fuel is bad fuel, the end result is the same…….pay attention and take nothing for granted!
Happy flying……..
Comments
This was a good article for both learning and teaching. You aren't the first to not have oil in the fuel and I'm sure you won't be the last. It has happened to a lot of pilots.
The one thing I would take away from this; if the engine sputters or quits and re-starts then it's time to land right now. Until proven otherwise it should be assumed it will die again and at a more inopportune time. Better it be on the ground while you are doing the maint. checks.
Glad everything worked out and with only slight [censored]age, but not to your own limbs.
Started return flight climbing back over mountains at 6000' with absolutely no place to land when a heavy flow of vapor came streaming out of the upper cowl onto canopy. I surmised that somehow, coolant was leaking badly or I had airshow smoke pouring out (joke). CHT read 375F. Pulled power back to idle, turned plane around, set glid speed at best and decided to make the airport I just left 2000' below and 8 miles away. Called CTAF and announced I was doing an emergency landing and all traffic should get out of the way. No one was there anyway.
Managed to bring plane down in one piece and someone on ground actually complimented me. Dragged plane to side of taxiway, opened cowl and found that a radiator hose had come loose and all coolant was lost. I must not have fully tightened clamp.
Reconnected hose, managed to find garden hose water for engine and took off for home. Landed ok but water dripped out of waterpump weep hole all day. Operating the pump dry had fried the sensitive water seal surfaces. Had to replace it and the accompanying oil seal by pulling engine.
The lesson learned was that I got distracted during work and forgot to resume what I was doing. I now ask people to come by later if I'm in the middle of engine work. I also coated the male junction of hose connections with a little finger wipe of silicone rubber which stops weepage and also keeps hose in place should clamp loosen.
Bob H
From then on, I somehow preferred two-stroke oils that give the fuel a strong colour (I have fiber tanks through which you can see the fuel's colour.)
Blue fuel mix is just so easy to recognise. this does not mean you can't put the wrong quantity of oil in.
And yes: admitting a mistake is good practice that not every pilot uses.
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