It wasn't quite as dramatic as Captain Sullenberger's, but...
It was exciting enough for me.
We recently had a new rebuilt engine installed on the club airplane. It is very important that the proper break-in procedures are followed to ensure that the oil consumption is minimized over the life of the engine, and that we have the best chance of the engine lasting its rated life. It is also prudent that the first few hours be flown in close proximity to an airport, in case the engine fails - as that is most likely during the break-in period.
So, there I was flying laps around the island, when I noticed the attitude indicator was spinning. Just like in the movies! Fortunately, I wasn't. I quickly deduced that the directional gyro had also ceased working - a clear indication of a vacuum system failure.
I must say, even though the failure wasn't really that big a deal, it was enough to unsettle me a bit. I was glad that my first mechanical failure was relatively innocuous, as it gave me a bit of an appreciation for how even a minor issue can affect my thinking. I think I will be better prepared to handle the next issue, even if it is more serious.
Since I was concerned that the failure might be indicative of something more serious - or at least the start of something that could cascade - I decided to head straight back and land.
The landing was just fine, and after talking with one of the other club board members and the A&P who services the aircraft, they assured me that I wouldn't cause any more damage by continuing to fly the airplane, so I took it back up to put another hour on the engine.
The following day, I flew the final of the first five hours, then flew the airplane to St. Marys to have the filter changed, cut open, and checked for the presence of metal. While it is not uncommon for there to be a small amount of metal (from the seating of the rings) in the oil, more than a small amount can be an indication of potential issues. Fortunately, there was no metal in the filter, which was good. While they were checking the filter, they confirmed that the vacuum pump had in fact failed (I had hoped it was just that a line had come loose) and we had them order a new one.
Two days later, I flew the plane one more time up to St. Marys to get the vacuum pump replaced.
We are now past the critical stage of the engine break-in, although it will be a few more hours before we switch from the straight mineral oil to the standard ashless dispersant oil.
The good news is that the new engine is running great, and should provide us with at least ten years of faithful, trouble free service.
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Posted by David at February 27, 2009 04:18 PM | Categorized under: A day in the life, Flying