Cessna 152 real emergency landing

[Guest CFI0607]

Today at my flight school an important point was made and that was why we learn and practice the procedures for engine failures.

 

A fellow instructor and his student were over a local reference point, Turlock lake, when they experienced smoke in the cabin and shortly after opening the windows and closing vents the smoke continued out of the cowling. This was quickly followed by irregular behavior of the RPM.

 

The instructor quickly took over the controls and proceeding with the memorized checklist. Fearing an engine fire the mixture was pulled and the fuel turned off. Now the only problem was were to land, as they glided they notified ATC (Norcal Air Traffic Control) squaking 7700 and calling may-day on the radio so that thier position was known and help be sent on its way. The best place to land was a cow pasture near the lake, given it was a rolling tundra, but the other obstacles nearby suggested a hillside was much safer, and it proved to be just so.

 

 

 

 

 

My mate seabass and some students.

 

They made it down safely and no damage occurred other than the engine which was discovered to have 'thrown a rod', you can see the hole it made in the side of the engine as it disconnected itself from the crankshaft. After chatting with the mechanic this seems to be a lesser of the common causes of engine failures in the trusty old C-152.

 

 

See the hole, its not supposed to be there!

 

Anyway, news got back to the school rather quickly and I took my student on a bit of a field trip to see what was going on and we found the mechanics already had one wing off and were in the process of removing the other to ready it for road transport.

 

 

 

My student :biggrin:

 

So next time you think about engine failures, during manuvers, normal cruise, or even right after take off make sure you think of the procedures and possible landing areas, it may save your life one day.

 

Considering these 30yr old birds fly 100 hrs every two or three weeks I am impressed that our maintenance department has not seen an engine failure in our fleet of 20 odd C-152's in over two years, other than the occasional carb ice.

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

:goodpost:

 

 

[Guest OzChris]

Great report and a very timely reminder!

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

Good post mate. I must admit engine failures are always in the back of my mind. I am always scanning for suitable 'engine out' landing areas. Again, good post and well done to the PIC.

 

 

[Guest airsick]

A habit my brother and I have gotten into is pulling the throttle off while the other person is flying and forcing a run through of the engine failure procedures. If you are on your own you can do the same unexpected thing by pulling the throttle on the next radio call. You never know when it will come so it is like the real thing.

 

 

[Guest Michael Coates]

Hi Airsick... i think you should use sidecutters on the throttle cable, now that would be fun to watch little Phil going into panic mode !!

 

 

[Guest Michael Coates]

Looking at the Cessna photos again in detail (and I must say it's a very good report !!)

 

Is the hole in the crankcase really in the right position that aircraft to have thrown a conrod ??

 

The hole just doesn't look in the right position to me and you can see where some metal sheet has been peeled away above that ?? it just doesn't look right

 

 

[Guest airsick]

I agree, the hole is in the wrong spot. If it was a conrod it would be roughly central to the cylinder head not between them. If it was a push rod it would have come out somewhere completely different. Regardless of what it was though I think the hole shouldn't be there!

 

As for cutting the throttle cable it would be more fun while the plane is flying. Unfortunately this would result in two things that I am not entirely comfortable with.

 

1. I would need to be in the plane screaming with Phil.

 

2. The plane wouldn't be useful afterwards. The plane is pretty much mine now anyway given that Phil no longer flies due to his new 'dependent' so why would I want to trash it?

 

:biggrin:

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Actually having another look the rod may have come from the opposite cylinder...

 

 

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Awesome Report mate.

 

By the looks of things it has come from the right hand piston from the other bank of Pistons. Lucky to not have completly destroyed the engine. I have seen some engines let go of a piston and it has completly tore the crack case, head and other piston out of their correct spot. The peice of metal that has been peeled away over the hole apears to be an engine plate that has been atached to the casing. Have a look at the picture on the page in Wikipedia that I fond on the Engine in the Cessna 152.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoming_O-235

 

 

[Guest Michael Coates]

Yes... that photo is MUCH better and i have to agree its from the other side.... also the plate bent up is the serial / Identification / certification plate.. it all makes sense with a few good pics