Plane down on Vail Pass

Kinda hard to feather the prop on a piston single.

Bob Gardner

"Seth Masia" wrote in message
...
I agree. It also looks to me as if the prop is feathered.

Other issue is that the direct route Rock Springs to Leadville is via
Tennessee Pass, which is also about 400' lower. Crossing Vail Pass means
you still have to cross Fremont Pass, about 900' higher than Tennessee.

Seth

"ET" wrote in message
...
"Gig 601XL Builder" wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote in
news:rGqNe.2120$7f5.470
@okepread01:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...57/detail.html

I dunno, looking at "photo 6" it appears only 1 blade is bent back as if
it
was not moving when the planes belly hit (it was then rotated to the top
in
the ensuing belly slide) that's my theory anyway. The top blade does not
have that characteristic "prop strike" bend.

--
-- ET :-)

"A common mistake people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
fools."---- Douglas Adams

It does appear that the prop is feathered and none of the blades are bent
forward, which would be characteristic of a normal power setting prop
strike.

Jim



"Seth Masia" wrote in message
...
I agree. It also looks to me as if the prop is feathered.

I agree with you, Bob, but look at the root of the prop blades. SOMETHING
forced those suckers into perpendicularity to the slipstream.

Not that it matters; that airframe and engine are beer cans from the looks
of it.

Jim


"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
news
Kinda hard to feather the prop on a piston single.

"Seth Masia" wrote in message
You're right. It's a six-cylinder engine. They should have had plenty of
power, unless they had none. Check the prop: does it look as if it was
turning?

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
From the photos here
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...57/detail.html
all three blades are bent.

Bent forward, engine developing power.
Bent backward, engine not developing power.

So during a BFR, when the instructor pulls the throttle and tells me to set
up for a practice engine-out landing, and I pull the prop knob all the way
back to reduce prop drag, I'm not feathering the prop? What am I doing?

Seth

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
news
Kinda hard to feather the prop on a piston single.

Bob Gardner

"Seth Masia" wrote in message
...
I agree. It also looks to me as if the prop is feathered.

Other issue is that the direct route Rock Springs to Leadville is via
Tennessee Pass, which is also about 400' lower. Crossing Vail Pass means
you still have to cross Fremont Pass, about 900' higher than Tennessee.

Seth

"ET" wrote in message
...
"Gig 601XL Builder" wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote in
news:rGqNe.2120$7f5.470
@okepread01:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...57/detail.html

I dunno, looking at "photo 6" it appears only 1 blade is bent back as if
it
was not moving when the planes belly hit (it was then rotated to the top
in
the ensuing belly slide) that's my theory anyway. The top blade does
not
have that characteristic "prop strike" bend.

--
-- ET :-)

"A common mistake people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
fools."---- Douglas Adams

In this case, no power. Feathered prop, or at least high pitch. Power-off
forced landing on the interstate at high density altitude. Ground speed at
touchdown could have been 80mph, merging with traffic that often bogs to
50mph on the steep uphill at 10,000 feet.

Pretty dicey but the passenger walked away and the pilot survived with a
back injury. Good work.

Seth


"john smith" wrote in message
...
"Seth Masia" wrote in message
You're right. It's a six-cylinder engine. They should have had plenty
of power, unless they had none. Check the prop: does it look as if it
was turning?

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
From the photos here
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...57/detail.html
all three blades are bent.

Bent forward, engine developing power.
Bent backward, engine not developing power.

"Seth Masia" wrote

So during a BFR, when the instructor pulls the throttle and tells me
to set up for a practice engine-out landing, and I pull the prop knob
all the way back to reduce prop drag, I'm not feathering the prop?
What am I doing?

Setting it to a high pitch but not feather. Does the prop stop
turning? If not, it's not feathered, even if it does stop, in
a single engine airplane it is probably not feathered.

Bob Moore

Seth Masia wrote:
So during a BFR, when the instructor pulls the throttle and tells me to set
up for a practice engine-out landing, and I pull the prop knob all the way
back to reduce prop drag, I'm not feathering the prop? What am I doing?

A feathered prop has the blades go parallel with the forward motion of
the plane. A single engine such as yours will not let the blades turn
that much. You can reduce drag but not nearly as much as a full
feathering prop.

john smith wrote:



Bent forward, engine developing power.


Ah, no. I have a prop on a stand in my hot tub room that I was able to
make the blades bend back, one at almost 90 degrees. The engine was
wide open at ground contact.

Okay, but look at the Picture 6 in the sequence at
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...57/detail.html

Look carefully at the prop blades, then tell me whether this engine was
making power at touchdown.

Also, no fire. Fuel status? Selector closed?

Seth

"Newps" wrote in message
...


john smith wrote:



Bent forward, engine developing power.


Ah, no. I have a prop on a stand in my hot tub room that I was able to
make the blades bend back, one at almost 90 degrees. The engine was wide
open at ground contact.