Actual piston engine failures?
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog
Actual piston engine failures?
This is a request from a low-time to all you high-timers out there. As I and my fellow pilots-in-training are out there bombing around building time for the CPL, its pretty easy to become overconfident in the performance of our little lycoming engines. I was having a conversation with another student yesterday who mentioned that a lot of the engine-failure precautions we're taught seemed like overkill given that neither of us had had any engine trouble or heard of an engine failure in our 2 years. I know the precautions are there for a reason, but in an effort to stay super-motivated and sharp on them, I pose this question: how many of you have had an engine failure in a piston aircraft? What were the root causes and the circumstances leading up to it, what did you do, and what was the final outcome?
Piston Engine Engine Failures......
Cessna 172.... 3 engine failures all close to an airfield. Two due to faulty carb heat boxes, one due to carburetor problems at idle and quit working while on final to a gravel strip. Had a 172 160HP Lycoming that had a throttle cable jam in cruise and had to shut the engine down close to the airport so I could land. ,,,, so that makes it 4 dead stick landings in a 172.
Had a Gruman Cheetah leak oil all over my windscreen due to a leaking crush washer.... was interesting as I only had 70 hours total time back then.
Had a Navajo drop a valve while in IFR conditions flying out of Port Hardy for Vancouver one very dark and wet night in winter.
Had a Cessna 310 shatter a valve boss, which kept the valves from working on that cylinder..., necessitated a shut down just after taking off from Sea Schelt a good number of years ago.
Have had good luck with turbo props when I used to fly those.
Have had to shut down a couple of JT8D Turbo fan engines... one on a B727 shortly after take-off from Cozomel due to an engine fire indication.
I have also had to shut down a JT8D Pratt and Whitney Turbo Fan on a B737 just after commencing decent into Ceigo de la Villa Cuba because of loss of oil quantity indication followed by a loss of oil pressure. The mechanic on the ground told me we had 3 quarts remaining out of a 27-quart system.
Life has been good fun in a 10000-hour career so far. I think I may have had more engine troubles throughout my career than some, can’t really say for sure.
My advice to you and your friend is to not take those lovely little reliable engines for granted... just because you have not had one quit on you so far does not mean it cannot happen.
Seen it, been there, done it.... got the T-shirt as they say!
Fly Safe my friends.
Cessna 172.... 3 engine failures all close to an airfield. Two due to faulty carb heat boxes, one due to carburetor problems at idle and quit working while on final to a gravel strip. Had a 172 160HP Lycoming that had a throttle cable jam in cruise and had to shut the engine down close to the airport so I could land. ,,,, so that makes it 4 dead stick landings in a 172.
Had a Gruman Cheetah leak oil all over my windscreen due to a leaking crush washer.... was interesting as I only had 70 hours total time back then.
Had a Navajo drop a valve while in IFR conditions flying out of Port Hardy for Vancouver one very dark and wet night in winter.
Had a Cessna 310 shatter a valve boss, which kept the valves from working on that cylinder..., necessitated a shut down just after taking off from Sea Schelt a good number of years ago.
Have had good luck with turbo props when I used to fly those.
Have had to shut down a couple of JT8D Turbo fan engines... one on a B727 shortly after take-off from Cozomel due to an engine fire indication.
I have also had to shut down a JT8D Pratt and Whitney Turbo Fan on a B737 just after commencing decent into Ceigo de la Villa Cuba because of loss of oil quantity indication followed by a loss of oil pressure. The mechanic on the ground told me we had 3 quarts remaining out of a 27-quart system.
Life has been good fun in a 10000-hour career so far. I think I may have had more engine troubles throughout my career than some, can’t really say for sure.
My advice to you and your friend is to not take those lovely little reliable engines for granted... just because you have not had one quit on you so far does not mean it cannot happen.
Seen it, been there, done it.... got the T-shirt as they say!
Fly Safe my friends.
I have 3 engine failures in singles (luckily the airport was near by). I know more than a few guys who have crashed in single pistons due to engine failures. I have worked with 2 drivers that have had failures in twin pistons, one also lost one mag on the one good engine as well!!
It happens more often than you think for sometimes stupid reasons. Clogged fuel filters, forget to switch tanks, induction icing, carb icing, massive oil leaks - you name it, I can name someone it's happened to.
So keep those procedures sharp cause you just never know.
Cheers.
It happens more often than you think for sometimes stupid reasons. Clogged fuel filters, forget to switch tanks, induction icing, carb icing, massive oil leaks - you name it, I can name someone it's happened to.
So keep those procedures sharp cause you just never know.
Cheers.
The feet you step on today might be attached to the ass you're kissing tomorrow.
Chase lifestyle not metal.
Chase lifestyle not metal.
I've had a couple. Most recently in a Beaver. The airplane had an on going problem with wet mags. The symptoms many times would not appear during the runup and the airplane would miss a couple times while climbing out, then the mags would dry out and we could never duplicate the problem for maintanance. Well one morning after an uneventful runup followed by an uneventful takeoff the engine missed once quickly while climbing, followed by the engine running very rough for about 30 seconds then quitting completely. Lucky for us it ran for that 30 seconds because it gave me time to turn back towards water.
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Right Seat Captain
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Some of those procedures are to protect you from yourself. For example the 'Cause Check' makes sure you didn't screw up by not switching tanks, you didn't forget to enrich the mixture prior to descent, even having the primer not locked will cause some nasty problems. I can guarantee you if you did not learn and practice those procedures, the day you do have an engine failure, you will not live to tell us about it, like the people above.
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I_Drive_Planes
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I had an engine failure while doing my licence, on the ground luckily, I went to touch and go, and she didn't go. It was about -20 or so and I may have been just a little aggressive on the throttle, we re-started and ran it up, still didn't run right so we put it away, apparently it was fine the next day 
Another student that was doing his licence at the same time as me had a cracked jug in his 150 not long after getting his licence, he made it to a little strip and put it down.
Planes
Another student that was doing his licence at the same time as me had a cracked jug in his 150 not long after getting his licence, he made it to a little strip and put it down.Planes
1. 0-320 power loss forcing a return to airport in Cherokee, temporary in nature, probably ice crystals in fuel clogging filter.
2. Governor failure IO-360 Travelair, overspeed controlled by throttle but at expense of performance. Would have feathered if it was worse but flyable and could use that engine to climb if I really needed to.
3. Precautionary shutdown of TPE 331-10 due to overspeed.
My experiences probably mirror the greater population nowadays in that the engines usually remain intact but gearboxes, FCUs, governors, and fuel render the engine "failed".
Turbine engine reliability makes failure a rarity but the ever increasing birdstrike risk means the V1 cut exercise is more relevant than ever for us in the migratory bird areas.
2. Governor failure IO-360 Travelair, overspeed controlled by throttle but at expense of performance. Would have feathered if it was worse but flyable and could use that engine to climb if I really needed to.
3. Precautionary shutdown of TPE 331-10 due to overspeed.
My experiences probably mirror the greater population nowadays in that the engines usually remain intact but gearboxes, FCUs, governors, and fuel render the engine "failed".
Turbine engine reliability makes failure a rarity but the ever increasing birdstrike risk means the V1 cut exercise is more relevant than ever for us in the migratory bird areas.
My story is probably exactly what you could relate to:
When I was training for my CPL I had about 110 hrs total time, was out doing the forced approach procedure with my instructor and didn't do so well, missed the field......kinda didn't really put much care into it thinking the chances were pretty slim I'd actually have to do this sometime (I was young & naive!)
Next day I went off on a solo x-country and had a complete engine failure on a Lycoming O320, ended up making a fairly small clearing and came out with no damage or injuries, except for needing a clean pair of pants!
When I was training for my CPL I had about 110 hrs total time, was out doing the forced approach procedure with my instructor and didn't do so well, missed the field......kinda didn't really put much care into it thinking the chances were pretty slim I'd actually have to do this sometime (I was young & naive!)
Next day I went off on a solo x-country and had a complete engine failure on a Lycoming O320, ended up making a fairly small clearing and came out with no damage or injuries, except for needing a clean pair of pants!
My first was when I burned a hole in a piston in a Cessna 140. Oil temp off the clock so I forced landed in a stubble field. No harm done. Second was a Champ when I ran out of gas on a test flight. Owner forgot to gas up. Landed at the airport and had the gas gauge fixed. Had the oil temp bulb work loose and lost all the oil out of a Cessna 150 and force landed in a field. Had external ice come loose and snuff out the fire on a Norseman. Taxiied downwind in a snow storm and snow built up around the air intake. Came loose after I was airborne. Had fuel flow problems with a Cesssna 185 on wheels over open water. Blew a jug on the left engine on a Beech 18 on floats. Was able to keep it going long enough to land. Blew a jug and pumped out most of the oil in a Navajo. Landed before it quit. Co-pilot left the oil cap loose in a Cheyenne and had oil pressure problems. Landed before problems realy developed. Had to shut down an engine on the Gulfstream because of loss of gearbox oil pressure. Had an engine quit cold on a Metro. Fuel problem. Blew a cylinder in a Cessna 206. Aborted the take-off. Hit some birds on take-off with a Cheyenne but was able to keep both engines running. And I survived them all. Only one or two that I could honestly say were preventable. The Gulfstream had an oil leak and I figured to top it off on the next landing. I should have checked fuel quantity closer with the Champ. With the Metro, never ever trust the fuel gauges unless you can verify levels with the magnasticks.
The average pilot, despite the somewhat swaggering exterior, is very much capable of such feelings as love, affection, intimacy and caring.
These feelings just don't involve anyone else.
These feelings just don't involve anyone else.
1. Blew a jug right out of the cowling on DC-3, fire extinguished and returned to a happy landing in YWL.
2. Fuel line fell off the flow gauge on a 185 on floats and covered me and my passenger with gasoline - shut it off right away but didn't shut off the master in case of sparks. Just missed the ridge and dead-sticked into Owikeno Lake, paddled into the camp. My passenger was outside on the float and I had to yell at him just before he lit a cigarette! He was stressed out a needed a drag. That camp was filled with guys out of Deliverance - they were in for 4 months at a time and had a kind of strange stare when they looked at you. Talk about bushed. We weren't sure if they would prefer to screw us or eat us. I fixed the fuel line and we bogged off before either occurred!
3. Starboard Wright R-1820, Tracker, red lights all over the dash, oil puked out everywhere but happily the prop feathered, climbed to 10,000' and drove it home on one. Could do chin-ups on the prop (master rod bearing failed).
4. Ailerons jammed on final in an AC69 - did a go-around and flew it with the rudders - safe landing. Nothing found in the controls.
5. Elevator trim tab rod broke at the elevator in a Beav on floats at about 500 feet in the clllimb, got a wild full-up/full-down elevator oscillation and dead-sticked into the salt-. right under the Lion's Gate Bridge. Good thing the tide was rising as I had to taxi all the way back into the harbour.
4. 347 RR and GE engine failures in the sim!
So far, that's all folks!
2. Fuel line fell off the flow gauge on a 185 on floats and covered me and my passenger with gasoline - shut it off right away but didn't shut off the master in case of sparks. Just missed the ridge and dead-sticked into Owikeno Lake, paddled into the camp. My passenger was outside on the float and I had to yell at him just before he lit a cigarette! He was stressed out a needed a drag. That camp was filled with guys out of Deliverance - they were in for 4 months at a time and had a kind of strange stare when they looked at you. Talk about bushed. We weren't sure if they would prefer to screw us or eat us. I fixed the fuel line and we bogged off before either occurred!
3. Starboard Wright R-1820, Tracker, red lights all over the dash, oil puked out everywhere but happily the prop feathered, climbed to 10,000' and drove it home on one. Could do chin-ups on the prop (master rod bearing failed).
4. Ailerons jammed on final in an AC69 - did a go-around and flew it with the rudders - safe landing. Nothing found in the controls.
5. Elevator trim tab rod broke at the elevator in a Beav on floats at about 500 feet in the clllimb, got a wild full-up/full-down elevator oscillation and dead-sticked into the salt-. right under the Lion's Gate Bridge. Good thing the tide was rising as I had to taxi all the way back into the harbour.
4. 347 RR and GE engine failures in the sim!
So far, that's all folks!
"What's it doing now?"
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
Jeez Ive only two. Had an engine failure just after takeoff in a fully fueled and loaded 402 in the arctic - ice clogging the fuel bowl caused the engine to die. That was fun... Lost all but one quart of oil doing aerobatics years ago - covered the entire windscreen - apparently I had snapped rolled it once too much for the amount I had tightened the oil dipstick - totally my fault...
All I can say about piston engines is - I LOVE TURBINE!!!
All I can say about piston engines is - I LOVE TURBINE!!!
Keep flying till the noise stops.
I've had some fun...
O360 quit on approach in a good friends homebuilt. Made the field without problems.
Had an exhaust manifold crack in a climb in a IO360.. hello carbon monoxide! Opened all the windows/vents and descended back.. Then the damn thing started missing. I think it was the left mag that let go. Made a safe return.
I was known for finding problems with all the planes during walkarounds.. Missing inspection covers, broken exhaust systems, oil leaks, binding control cables etc.
Just a week ago had an alternator let go during some simulated IFR shenanigans.
I can only hope thats the worst that'll happen
O360 quit on approach in a good friends homebuilt. Made the field without problems.
Had an exhaust manifold crack in a climb in a IO360.. hello carbon monoxide! Opened all the windows/vents and descended back.. Then the damn thing started missing. I think it was the left mag that let go. Made a safe return.
I was known for finding problems with all the planes during walkarounds.. Missing inspection covers, broken exhaust systems, oil leaks, binding control cables etc.
Just a week ago had an alternator let go during some simulated IFR shenanigans.
I can only hope thats the worst that'll happen
Good info guys. Keep 'em coming!
I've only had one. 0-540's hanging on both sides. Fuel was getting low on the RH, but hey, that's what cross-feed is for...right? After 20 mins in cruise, the RH tank was low so I flipped it to cross-feed. Problem solved or so I thought. Turns out the cross-feed had a problem with the cable rigging, and would not draw from the LH tank. It kept drawing from the RH tank until it was dry. Fuel Pressure dropped off the dial and the RH engine quickly packed it in.
Fortunately it was a light load and I continued home for an uneventful landing. Manuvering on the apron was interesting indeed.
RJ
I've only had one. 0-540's hanging on both sides. Fuel was getting low on the RH, but hey, that's what cross-feed is for...right? After 20 mins in cruise, the RH tank was low so I flipped it to cross-feed. Problem solved or so I thought. Turns out the cross-feed had a problem with the cable rigging, and would not draw from the LH tank. It kept drawing from the RH tank until it was dry. Fuel Pressure dropped off the dial and the RH engine quickly packed it in.
Fortunately it was a light load and I continued home for an uneventful landing. Manuvering on the apron was interesting indeed.
RJ
Rowdy -
if you Keep finding faults with your airplane on the Walkaround, you will probabily have a long, safe and happy career in aviation. Most incidents can be traced to a "Look but never saw"scenario. I worked for and with an air engineer who could find more faults with an airplane just by a casual glance than many could during a detailed inspection. He is now with TSB and is having a great career.
if you Keep finding faults with your airplane on the Walkaround, you will probabily have a long, safe and happy career in aviation. Most incidents can be traced to a "Look but never saw"scenario. I worked for and with an air engineer who could find more faults with an airplane just by a casual glance than many could during a detailed inspection. He is now with TSB and is having a great career.
The average pilot, despite the somewhat swaggering exterior, is very much capable of such feelings as love, affection, intimacy and caring.
These feelings just don't involve anyone else.
These feelings just don't involve anyone else.
I had a few occurences as well.
The worst was on during run-up, someone noticed a lot of blue smoke and told my friend to stop the engine. One jug was broken three quarters of the way aroun it and was about to let go.
Another time a starter gear fell in the crankcase of an O200. That cost me an overhaul...
Another time, during low speed Search and rescue flight, the breather froze and the front seal popped out, covering the windscreen with thick oil...
Ran out of gaz once during parachute jump... Nice quiet flight from 13500 to the runway...
Really froze the carb once, and lost almost all altitude over northern Ontario...even the wife got scared...
I would now take a reliable Honda engine anytime over these certified ones...
Cheers,
The worst was on during run-up, someone noticed a lot of blue smoke and told my friend to stop the engine. One jug was broken three quarters of the way aroun it and was about to let go.
Another time a starter gear fell in the crankcase of an O200. That cost me an overhaul...
Another time, during low speed Search and rescue flight, the breather froze and the front seal popped out, covering the windscreen with thick oil...
Ran out of gaz once during parachute jump... Nice quiet flight from 13500 to the runway...
Really froze the carb once, and lost almost all altitude over northern Ontario...even the wife got scared...
I would now take a reliable Honda engine anytime over these certified ones...
Cheers,
Success in life is when the cognac that you drink is older than the women you drink it with.
heard of a guy who has logged 23 hours of actual single engine time in a DC-3. you'd almost have to start a new column in your logbook for "single engine time in a multi-engined aircraft."
seems to be a common story for the DC-3.
seems to be a common story for the DC-3.
ever notice how there are no car chase scenes in books?
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BirdDog IV
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3 failures in total.
C-182 First day on the new Skydiving job....happend on the first flight.
Some "dumb-bomb"(SKYDIVER) decides it would be funny as hell to switch off the fuel selector as people begin to climb out the front of the plane, restricting my hand from even coming close to turning it back to the on position. Carb ice ensued, as did 3 people on the wing and a guy in the doorway. Losing alt from 8T... rather quickly.
Made it to a farmers field 1/2 mile from the airport that I took off from.
Did I mention it was my first revenue flight as a Commercial Pilot, on my first day...yeah.. I think I did.
C-206 Different place...still skydiving.(7-yrs later)
Shot a puch rod up through the engine block at 7T looking for 13T.
Landed back a the DZ with a meazly 3 ltrs of oil still in the sump...but I started with 9. The missing 6 ltrs was easily discoverd traveling over my windshield as I decended.
No Jumpers onboard... was a chck flight to inspect WX.
AC50 Near CYTS.. Lvl at 4.5T Cruising to Elliot Lake.
Crankshaft let go.
180 back to YTS....couple of radio txm to YTS Radio.
Landed ...A-OK.
Good training and good altitude helped to work everything out just fine in all of the above mentioned situations.
C-182 First day on the new Skydiving job....happend on the first flight.
Some "dumb-bomb"(SKYDIVER) decides it would be funny as hell to switch off the fuel selector as people begin to climb out the front of the plane, restricting my hand from even coming close to turning it back to the on position. Carb ice ensued, as did 3 people on the wing and a guy in the doorway. Losing alt from 8T... rather quickly.
Made it to a farmers field 1/2 mile from the airport that I took off from.
Did I mention it was my first revenue flight as a Commercial Pilot, on my first day...yeah.. I think I did.
C-206 Different place...still skydiving.(7-yrs later)
Shot a puch rod up through the engine block at 7T looking for 13T.
Landed back a the DZ with a meazly 3 ltrs of oil still in the sump...but I started with 9. The missing 6 ltrs was easily discoverd traveling over my windshield as I decended.
No Jumpers onboard... was a chck flight to inspect WX.
AC50 Near CYTS.. Lvl at 4.5T Cruising to Elliot Lake.
Crankshaft let go.
180 back to YTS....couple of radio txm to YTS Radio.
Landed ...A-OK.
Good training and good altitude helped to work everything out just fine in all of the above mentioned situations.
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BirdDog IV
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Big Pistons Forever
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Cont 0200: Oil pump drive failed resulting in no oil pressure
Lyc IO 320: fuel starvation due to a failed fuel selector cable
Lyc TIO 540: Turbo meltdown with enough metal contamination in oil to hold the oil relief valve open which resulted in loss of oil pressure.
Curtiss R 1820: Large hole in top of No 2 cyl resulted in loss of oil quantity and pressure.
P&W R 2800: blown cyl (twice), broken pushrod, spun blower seal.
Lyc IO 320: fuel starvation due to a failed fuel selector cable
Lyc TIO 540: Turbo meltdown with enough metal contamination in oil to hold the oil relief valve open which resulted in loss of oil pressure.
Curtiss R 1820: Large hole in top of No 2 cyl resulted in loss of oil quantity and pressure.
P&W R 2800: blown cyl (twice), broken pushrod, spun blower seal.
Well in 29 years of flying I can honestly say I have never had an engine failure while airborne. Blew a R-2800 on start up one time, seized it solid. Had a couple of jugs go on a Beech 18 but landed uneventful back at base.
Even had a Piper Apache topped off with Jet A and went out doing some single engine training with a guy I was giving a Multi Endorsement to. During engine cuts it was kind of hard to get it running again and the temps stayed pretty cool. It was only after the training did we figure out what was wrong. Never suspected the fuel since it was the student who fueled it. He was the engineer on the aircraft and also a licenced pilot. Never thought I would have to second guess him.
I certainly know lots of friends who have not been quite so lucky over the years. Learn and pratice those procedures because they are taught for a good reason.
Even had a Piper Apache topped off with Jet A and went out doing some single engine training with a guy I was giving a Multi Endorsement to. During engine cuts it was kind of hard to get it running again and the temps stayed pretty cool. It was only after the training did we figure out what was wrong. Never suspected the fuel since it was the student who fueled it. He was the engineer on the aircraft and also a licenced pilot. Never thought I would have to second guess him.
I certainly know lots of friends who have not been quite so lucky over the years. Learn and pratice those procedures because they are taught for a good reason.
You Can Love An Airplane All You Want, But Remember, It Will Never Love You Back!
Stay sharp
SORRY FOR THE LONG POST
If all you've got is one engine... and said engine goes to hell...
I understand your view - I was there once and learned quickly how naivity / complacency is BAD. It is easy to relax and think it will never happen - but a couple stories:
1. I had an engine failure in a 180 on floats - cylinder head blew off and another cylinder suffered cracking (probably due to the vibration caused by the first failure, so I'm told). Made a "precautionary" I guess - although couldn't maintain altitude or power so I will call it a "slightly delayed forced approach." Successful.
2. I had an engine fail in a 206 due to fuel starvation after a fuel selector valve malfunctioned. Switching tanks (there is no BOTH option) the handle pulled off the shaft in mid-switch... i.e.: OFF. The handle wouldn't go back on so I began scrambling for the good ol Leatherman to twist the shaft over to the proper tank. While trying this the engine failed - I abandoned my efforts - set up a forced approach - and went back to the valve AFTER the failure was dealt with. I switched it without too much difficulty and the engine purred back to life. Pucker factor up there a bit, but successful.
3. A coworker of mine had a catastrophic failure of an IO520 in a 206 on floats - main bearing slipped and blocked the oil journal - result was a snapped connecting rod which went through the engine case. It suffices to say that one was a quick forced approach as it happened just after takeoff. (lots of problems with this type of engine in this regard - several accidents have occurred) There is no warning - the problem lies in a certain connecting rod not getting oil - but there is still oil pressure and that oil is of normal temperature - so cockpit indications would be normal until the engine rips itself apart. Successful landing. Expensive repair.
4. A former instructore of mine had a failure in a 172 just after takeoff when (I don't know why) the oil drained out of the engine - probably a ruptured oil cooler but I am uncertain. WIthin a few seconds he noticed the escalating temps and a vibration and landed "straight ahead" on the remaining lake. Ended up on the far shore - airplane busted up pretty bad but he and passengers ok. I'd call it successful.
5. Last story. I promise. A former coworker had an engine fail on a VFR XC when the electric driven fuel pump failed (Cessna Hawk XP). Following procedure he switched the auxiliary one on (which is a ridiculously tiny electric pump) which, as luck would have it, failed after about 5 minutes. The resulting forced approach into a swamp destroyed the airplane but good technique saved everyone's life with only minor bruises. That was successful.
You get the point. Engines quit for sometimes the most unexpected reasons (i.e the fuel selector). That's what they do. Yes, they are rare and I wouldn't go around 'expecting' the failure - but always, always, always be prepared for it - know what you would do - know where you would go - know what you would say. A critical failure isn't the time for consulting the checklist - deal with the vitals first and go to the checklist if you have time. That's what training is for. In each story (which were all successful) the pilot immediately perfomed a set of tasks - which made it successful. Those set of tasks are your procedures.
Stay sharp.
Don't forget the gear.
If all you've got is one engine... and said engine goes to hell...
I understand your view - I was there once and learned quickly how naivity / complacency is BAD. It is easy to relax and think it will never happen - but a couple stories:
1. I had an engine failure in a 180 on floats - cylinder head blew off and another cylinder suffered cracking (probably due to the vibration caused by the first failure, so I'm told). Made a "precautionary" I guess - although couldn't maintain altitude or power so I will call it a "slightly delayed forced approach." Successful.
2. I had an engine fail in a 206 due to fuel starvation after a fuel selector valve malfunctioned. Switching tanks (there is no BOTH option) the handle pulled off the shaft in mid-switch... i.e.: OFF. The handle wouldn't go back on so I began scrambling for the good ol Leatherman to twist the shaft over to the proper tank. While trying this the engine failed - I abandoned my efforts - set up a forced approach - and went back to the valve AFTER the failure was dealt with. I switched it without too much difficulty and the engine purred back to life. Pucker factor up there a bit, but successful.
3. A coworker of mine had a catastrophic failure of an IO520 in a 206 on floats - main bearing slipped and blocked the oil journal - result was a snapped connecting rod which went through the engine case. It suffices to say that one was a quick forced approach as it happened just after takeoff. (lots of problems with this type of engine in this regard - several accidents have occurred) There is no warning - the problem lies in a certain connecting rod not getting oil - but there is still oil pressure and that oil is of normal temperature - so cockpit indications would be normal until the engine rips itself apart. Successful landing. Expensive repair.
4. A former instructore of mine had a failure in a 172 just after takeoff when (I don't know why) the oil drained out of the engine - probably a ruptured oil cooler but I am uncertain. WIthin a few seconds he noticed the escalating temps and a vibration and landed "straight ahead" on the remaining lake. Ended up on the far shore - airplane busted up pretty bad but he and passengers ok. I'd call it successful.
5. Last story. I promise. A former coworker had an engine fail on a VFR XC when the electric driven fuel pump failed (Cessna Hawk XP). Following procedure he switched the auxiliary one on (which is a ridiculously tiny electric pump) which, as luck would have it, failed after about 5 minutes. The resulting forced approach into a swamp destroyed the airplane but good technique saved everyone's life with only minor bruises. That was successful.
You get the point. Engines quit for sometimes the most unexpected reasons (i.e the fuel selector). That's what they do. Yes, they are rare and I wouldn't go around 'expecting' the failure - but always, always, always be prepared for it - know what you would do - know where you would go - know what you would say. A critical failure isn't the time for consulting the checklist - deal with the vitals first and go to the checklist if you have time. That's what training is for. In each story (which were all successful) the pilot immediately perfomed a set of tasks - which made it successful. Those set of tasks are your procedures.
Stay sharp.
Don't forget the gear.
