On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 08:41:36 +0200, Thomas Borchert
wrote:

Mike,

Sentences starting with

I know a pilot


rarely follow up with valid statistics. And the statistics say it's a
minor occurence across all of piston GA.

And the stats are highly unreliable.
How many of this type in incident go unreported? If nothing happens
it doesn't even require reporting.

I had the diaphragm fail on the fuel distribution block on top of the
engine. Unfortunately I was somewhere between 30 and 50 feet climbing
at 100 MPH. The engine quit dead. I landed, coasted off the runway,
and had it fixed.

BTW, it drove home the point to me at least, all that training paid
off. There was absolutely no stopping to think about what to do. I
know the feel of the plane and my body reacted by lowering the nose to
keep the control pressure the same. I landed without incident and not
even a need to change underwear. I was surprised at how little runway
it took to climb to that altitude at that speed and land.

It's like using the stats on VFR flight into IMC. How many who survive
are going to admit it. I would expect those stats to be highly skewed
and the problem to be much more frequent than the data shows.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com