a PA18 hydravion lost power in the Arcachon region
Can you give a link to that? I googled various combinations of PA18, Biscarosse, Arcachon, hydravion… but found nothing that seems relevant.
Start a new thread and perhaps link to it.
gallois wrote:
I disagree with the 99% it was a fuel problem. There have been other reports over the last week or so of engines losing power and/or engine failure.
I thought the Twin Commanche has fuel injected engines, far less susceptible to carb icing…
Twin engines failing at the same time – sure seems like fuel to me – either no fuel, fuel in the wrong tanks, fuel can’t get to the engines, or bad fuel.
Yes they are fuel injected, but you may notice I also mentioned the air intakes.
Eg on a DA 40 and DA42 it is advised to use alternate air if temperature drops velow 5°C in humid conditions.
Bad fuel would be strange unless they refuelled at Rouen as they were on a return flight. Other fuel related factors are of course a possibility (hopefully we will be able to find out). My objection was to the 99% certainty of a fuel related problem, although if the twincom had had carbs and rge carbs iced up, one could say that’s a fuel related problem, as would frozen water in the fuel tanks. I was just pointing out tgat there are other possibilities.
@Peter I don’t think it’s worth starting another thread for one return on experience because it is possibly only useful in this context.
If you send me the URL I can start a new thread with it!!
You can get fuel servo icing but not at +5C or below. It is around -15C. The TB20 engine stops then in IMC, just like a DA42 does (one former DA42 pilot here got that but never IIRC posted about it, and an SR22 owner almost certainly got the same but sold the plane the next day). One has to use alternate air.
What was the temp in this case?
On Meteo France history I get +9° (+8° dew point) in Orly around the time of the crash.
History also show precipitation and IR cloud tops in the area.
METAR LFPO 041600Z 19009KT 8000 -RA OVC009 09/08 Q0996 TEMPO 8000 -RA=
Either fuel or some sort of icing seems likely. If investigators can get their hands on enough evidence, we’re pretty sure to learn something valuable, if a little specific to the aircraft type (e.g. if the fuel system is involved).
gallois wrote:
or engine intake icing
The TwinCo has fuel injected engines, and I don’t buy the intake icing either. Even if they were in the right temperature range, which they were not, the design of the alternate air door is quite good. And that’s for sure on the top of the list if you loose an engine.
So I’d add that to the 1% that’s also left by @boscomantico
@UdoR I guess we’ll have to wait for the BEA report and hope that it gives us an answer. Such certainty (100% sure)never sits well with me on any accident/incident without the full story. Even with many hours in a particular type.
Interesting that the instructor describes keeping up speed to avoid stall and aiming for the black hole to avoid possible collateral damage. Also how lucky they were to have hit the wing against the building on the way down which turned them into a side alley, otherwise the result would have been very different.
@Peter there is no URL. I get a list of incidents every Sunday, I then click on the link and go directly to the REX.
Perhaps if you go to FFAREX and sign in you could set up a thread.
There’s another indicator for too much air in the tanks: there was no fire. Both wings were severely damaged and from the pic I have seen the tanks (certainly the right one) ruptured. Then again, that may have saved their lives.
