Parts fall off at 1000 feet

[cornfieldflyer]

This was my second bird, I had been flying about 45 hrs. I had just purchased this bird she had o hrs when I got her and 4 hrs when this happened.

I was flying with friends, we where all flying our own birds and had just left a friends place. I had just leveled off at 1000' when all of a sudden it was like a brick was thrown at me. The bird made a real bad shake then all went silent. I really was not sure what happened but I knew I was going down.

I had a radio as did one other friend and we were talking. I came over the radio in a real calm voice " my friend told me this, he was shocked how calm I was" saying , Mayday,Mayday, I am going down.

My buddy came over the radio also in a very calm voice telling me just what I was going to do. The bird I was flying, Legal Eagle, felt like I could have glided her for ever. I was 1000 feet and I would have glided right past where my buddy wanted me to land.

He said, you are going to land right down there in that field, this field was at about a 45 degree's down from my point. I headed to the field, pointed the nose down and speed started climbing. There was a row of tree's right at the end of this short field and I was moving. I kept saying over the radio, I am going into the tree's.

My buddy came over the radio and said put that bird on the ground and as soon as you hit the dirt, stick that tail down in that dirt with full up eleavator. I paused, he said you believe you will go airborn but you will not, no thrust.

I did just as he said. But I was moving, about 80 on touch down, and I pulled the stick back hard. She bounced maybe three times and came to a stop.

I climbed out and saw I lost the complete front of my engine.

I learned a couple things from this... One what that sound is right before a part comes off, the plane was talking to me but I had never heard that before, now I know what that harmonic sound is when something comes of.

Never ever glide past a landing point. After this field all I had was tree tops. This would have been a different story,

Without the Radio. The radio is your friend and use one if you can.

Above all stay calm and just do your job...fly the plane..if you can....

This was engine out #3 out of 6.

Tony

[znurtdog]

Do you have any pics? Do you know precisely what failed? Glad you are ok!

[cornfieldflyer]

Do you have any pics? Do you know precisely what failed? Glad you are ok!

Znurtdog: You know I do have pics of this. I will find them and post some of them.

What happened:

This engine was NOS " New Old Stock" The company owner knew he had a problem and changed these enegines. This engine ws sold to a company who in turn sold it to the man who built my bird.

The "old style" reduction units where held on by 3 bolts. This company found out 3 bolts where not enough and redesigned this reduction unit so it had 5 bolts not 3. This company should have recalled all engines but did not. This company just let old stock "go away" so to speak.

After speaking with the owner of this company and he making me pay out of my pocket over 1000 to repair this engine, I knew I would never deal with this company again. They still make these engines, but this owner wanted to blame everyone but himself for what happened. He kept telling me the 3 bolt design will fail but would take no responsabilty for this happening.

The company I speak of is Compact Radial out of Canada. When speaking to the owner, I never had anyone talk to me the way he did, one cuss word after the other. Here I am just surviving this forced landing and this man is just cussing me up one wall and down the other. He would not stand behind his product and made me pay out of my pocket to repair an engine with 4 hrs. on it.

Tony