They just saw the engine stop suddenly while hearing “Caution” in their headsets ! Kind of a cognitive dissonnace 
ECU A Fail & ECU B Fail appeared on the annunciator panel and that’s it.
So they did their checks by reflex but somehow knew the engine was toast.
The FI says she didn’t have the reflex to press NRST at first. Good point.
Being 3 pilots, they could wear their lifevests during the descent, while doing the check-lists.
Quite an amazing testimony, reminded me of the video from the husband (Air France pilot), wife (AF PNC) and two of their friends who ditched in a Robin (?) on a similar trip and did a video.
The only bit I don’t understand is why the instructor decided to remove her seatbelt pre-ditching, especially given she had a knife; every thing else is pretty much what I hope I would think of doing in a similar situation.
The only bit I don’t understand is why the instructor decided to remove her seatbelt pre-ditching, especially given she had a knife.
She was afraid of not being able to unhook / cut the belt after landing and going under with the plane.
Sure, I understand the reason she gave, it just doesn’t really make sense, especially if you have a knife; the chances of being knocked unconscious or worse seem much higher and worse than somehow not being able to open a seatbelt designed to hold you in case of a crash, especially if with a knife you have a plan B.
But I’m nitpicking for the sake of learning, she clearly did an amazing job
Thanks a lot for posting this article. A truely inspiring story of professionalism.
Another interesting point is
Anyway, the minute she took before calling didn’t change the outcome one tiny bit.
It reminds me of other reports where comms with ATC were a bit useless because :
Humbling thoughts.
Jujupilote wrote:
A shame we will never know what happened to this engine.
Diamond is in possession of engine that had similar problem (DA40 NG lost engine in IMC audio here) but they haven’t released the cause for almost a year.
There was another case this summer near ZRH where a DA40 had to perform a forced landing in a field due to the same error by the looks of it. Also Austroengine, also ECU faults.
Systematical error? If so, I would expect an AD as a consequence. Pity they will not be able to examine the Calvi airplane, but they do have (at least) two others.
A couple of recent DA40 EFATO one in EGTK where a low time solo student was able to make a perfect return to the reciprocal runway from crosswind, another at EGTC where a solo student hopefully was not hurt. Aircraft appears to have mushed in.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
There was another case this summer near ZRH where a DA40 had to perform a forced landing in a field due to the same error by the looks of it. Also Austroengine, also ECU faults.
I know of at least one instance with a DA42 as well that lost an engine with a similar message of one French flight school (ended in Emergency landing in the North of France but on airfield).
