A new YouTube channel, Cessna Twoohfive, has just one video, which documents a catastrophic engine failure in a Cessna 205 while flying on an IFR flight plan from S36 (Seattle) to KMYV (Sacramento, California).
Cruising at 9,000 feet, the IO-470-S engine suddenly vibrated and then immediately exploded, stopping the propeller instantly.
The glide and divert to KHIO (Hillsboro, Oregon) was captured on a GoPro Hero. The ATC audio is partially from LiveATC.net, according to the pilot.
No word yet on cause of failure, but photos at the end of the video show the damage.
I would like to know how many feet per second drop should I expect if I lost power but was able to maintain best glide speed. By the way Cherokee 140 if anyone knows.
Thanks
You can expect about 500-600 fpm at best glide speed, which varies with weight.
You can also test your aircraft;
climb a bit above a convenient altitude, maybe 3,200 ft.
Set best glide with the engine at idle. [in the poh ]
when passing through 3,000 ft, start a stopwatch and time how long it takes to descend to 2,000 ft.
If it took 1:40 to descend, that is 600 fpm.
Retest at a number of different airspeeds to determine the best glide for your configuration.
Very nice dead stick… cool, collected never let the nose drop. Great work.
Crankcase blown apart and no oil anywhere? That seems odd.
Yes? I wonder if the oil got dumped overboard, which would cause the engine to ‘grenade’ , with no oil showing on the engine.
I’ve not seen an engine come apart like this – both rear cylinders and the crankcase and accessory case blown apart. !
When the aircraft sold in 2017, the engine was 18 smoh, so I imagine it may have had 500-600 hours .
Sir,
Nicely done. You were pretty cool when the chips were down. Glad it worked out!
Cause of failure?
As the father of a 20 year old who is working on his IR, I appreciate your skill. He first earned his glider credential at age 18, and was told by his instructor, Tom Knauff, glider HOF that his early training would make him a better pilot when he started power. I have to agree with Tom.
Would you recommend glider training for just such an event as you experienced?
Very respectfully,
Jack from PA
Where is all oil, don’t See any oil in the engine photos.
Where is all the OIL on the engine looks to be void of any oil.
I had a catastrophic engine failure over Santa Elena canyon in Big Bend National Park. Glad I was in my 205 with STOL and VGs. Dismantled and packed the plane out with mules. Rebuilt it and will be flying it out over the park again later today.
For those of you taking offense at the parachute comment….he was most certainly talking about the youtube idiot that faked the engine failure so he could video himself bailing out of his airplane.
Excellent pilot and excellent ATC people
I think that was a beautiful job
Speed is life altitude is life insurance. Great job!
The 205 Cessna is a strait leg 210 in 1960. wish I had one or 210!
Wow, the engine stopped in flight and he didn’t need a parachute.
A certain YouTuber should take a lesson from this guy, who is a real pilot.
Yes, and altitude is our ‘friend’. At 9,000 ft, he could glide about 24 miles.
I’d rather have the 80 pounds of parachute system in fuel, which is 1.5 hours in my C175.!
Aircraft engines don’t ‘blow up’ for no reason, and those that do are very rare.
Not sure how an extra 1.5 hrs of fuel would have helped in this situation…but ok.
Make it 12 miles and you are in ;-)))
California Sky Ranch published a book reviewing engine failures following rebuilds. IIRC, many occurred soon after rebuilding. It’s an interesting read. Does anyone know the total hours on this engine or the cause of failure?
So if this had happened over the mountains (or any other place) where there was no viable landing option and the pilot perished…would he be a real pilot? Oh, yes of course, because a “real pilot” doesn’t have a parachute (your opinion). Got it. So, what about all the military aviators that fly with a parachute strapped to their backs? How is that any different? Oh, right….it’s because they aren’t REAL pilots like yourself….but I’ll let you tell them that. I’ve heard all the arguments, but I still fail to see the correlation between a parachute and a “real” pilot. Truth be told…flying with or without a parachute is not an indication of skill level. I’ve flown with and without a parachute and it doesn’t affect my flying abilities or aeronautical decision making. Also, last I checked, the requirements for a REAL pilot license are the same regardless of whether or not your airplane (or your back) has a parachute strapped to it. Numbers don’t lie….and like it or hate it, statistically you are more likely to survive a parachute drop into a forest than a dead stick landing into that same forest. I’ve done the research and I would encourage you to do the same. I personally don’t care what anyone flies as long as they are having fun and the airplane meets the requirements of his/her mission. Love whatever plane you want, but stop the hatred for parachutes and those who fly with them. Don’t forget we are all part of the same aviation community and can learn from each other regardless of what we fly. Insulting other pilots who have undergone the same training as you but who simply chose an airplane with a parachute is elementary behavior and there’s no need for that attitude. You are entitled to your opinion, but your perspective is a bit naive….but that’s my opinion. I hope you enjoy many years of flying and have many opportunities to boast to the world about your skills as a “real pilot.”
Blue skies and tailwinds.
Sorry, I;m not sure what are you talking about …’real pilots ‘ ?
I’m ok with others having a personal or aircraft parachute.
My understanding is that pilots flying aerobatic aircraft must wear a parachute.
I imagine that military pilots are required to wear a parachute since their aircraft may get shot out from under them.
[ I don’t expect to ever get shot down ]
Here in Northern CA, most of us who fly over the Sierras can fly over/near I-80 or I-50.
Those roads are a better place to ‘crash’ than the granite.
Very well done! Stayed calm and collected even with the adrenal dump of such an event. A well trained pilot.
Thank God you’re safe. They make those engines every day. Nice job handling that emergency.
Cool as a cucumber.
Time for a 550
Was the cause of the engine failure determined?
There’s no detail on the history of the engine.
But, from the engine pics, both rear cylinders, [ #1 & 2 ], separated from the crankcase, So I’ll assume one or both rod bearings failed , and destroyed the crankcase .
There are a few reasons why bearings fail; loss of oil pressure [ no oil], loss of torque on the through studs [ spun bearing ], low torque on the rod bolts [ spun bearing ]….
An FYI, KMYV is Marysville, Yuba County airport.
12 nm north of Sac Int’l. KSMF
My Cessna is based there.