The engine is a Continental IO550, which is a common model across many aircraft make and models. The difference in this case was it had had major engine work 61 hours before the failure. One of the likely scenarios is this was maintenance induced (some would also say a defective part could've been the culprit. I'm not saying. We had a couple oil changes after the engine work. One was done 10 hours later and the next was 25 hours later. Normally,, with new cylinders, there is metal assoicated with the break-in. That's what we saw. What caused the engine failure was a bearing that shifted and cut off the oil supply to the #2 cylinder. It would have been tough to see that until the bearing shifted. Was it a bad part? Improper torque? Improper procedure? I'll leave it at that. 😉

ALl iin the spirit of speed. This time it worked out for me, but am told the Cirrus gear are a weak link for off airport landings. What do you fly?

@@pfflying6275 Microsoft FLIGHT SIMULATOR Sir 😂😂😂, we thank God you landed safely 👏👏👍

@@Foster_Asanty007 Thanks. Back in 1982, I started selling this new computer called the IBM PC. 😉. And used to play MS Flight Sim all the time. What a difference 42 years makes.

@@pfflying6275 Am glad to learn from one of the greatest 🙏

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Blue Skies.

I did not get a backfire and have never gotten a backfire. Maybe because it is not on the one mag very long. Need to think that through. Thanks for a great question.

@@pfflying6275 I only ask because I saw Martin Pauly's video of his N70TB Bonanza for the in flight mag check. And he said that if you get a cold one don't just flip it back to both, go ignition off, mixture idle cutoff, power idle, ignition both and then reintroduce mixture slowly and once then power to get the engine running again, the logic being that if one goes cold on you on one mag, that cylinder is still pumping a mixture in and out the exhaust at cruise RPM which could mean an ignition inside the exhaust once that cylinder is firing again. I thought well that's the scenario you had. So that's why the question. But maybe the exhaust is so hot from the other cylinders running that one going cold and just pumping mixture through into the exhaust only means that the mixture burns immediately in the hot exhaust and doesn't cause a problem short term. No idea. But I wonder... Would love to hear your thoughts.

@@markor2476 Very interesting. I am going to do some research. When you go to both, you obviously will be getting one plug firing, which will burn (inefficiently) the fuel. But what you state is logical. I'll try to get someone at Continental to provide me their thoughts.

Carson, thanks for taking the time to comment. Blue Skies.

Sonny, thanks for commenting. Everything I did and said came from what my instructor taught me. I guess he was right! ;-)

@@pfflying6275 Praise the KZbin algorithm gods; it was very interesting watching this video. You handled that engine failure like a pro. I also experienced an engine failure last year, but in a 777; that was a non-event compared to your engine failure!

@@CenturionC210 I know this is a real shot in the dark and I'm not suggesting there is only one United pilot named Sonny, but when I had my engine failure that day, I received a text message from someone named Sonny saying he heard the 121.5 exchange while flying with United and hoped I was OK. Is it possible that was you? He also mentioned he had an engine failure in his Mooney.

@@pfflying6275 No, that wasn’t me unfortunately. I work for an European airline.

Thanks for reaching out. Bop (CFI) is loaded with great things like 1-2-3. Blue Skies.

Thanks for asking. I had a couple follow up videos, which included what happened after the incident and then on what caused the engine to fail. There is a link to that last video at the bottom of this response. I didn't want to be a finger pointer, so left some areas rather vague. To summarize, we had a bearing shift that blocked oil from entering into the #2 cylinder. What caused that? If you read all the comments and do all the research, it was either one or two of the following three items. 1. Improper procedure for a top overhaul performed a few months before, 2. Improper torque/stretch of a through-bolt, or 3. Defective part. I'll let you come to your own conclusions. ;-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIaQdaJorJ6brNE

@@pfflying6275 thanks for the response! I’m currently a Naval Aviator and looking into flying more GA. Love Cirrus aircraft. Your description of the emergency and executing your EPs reminded me of how I was trained in flight school - your immediate actions become almost instinctual and your brain quickly reverts to your training and procedure for survival - hence your mention of remaining hyper focused. Consequently, your fear seems to dispel and be far less than you would have anticipated. I can tell you have had some excellent training, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for your comment. Blue Skies.

I have answered this question so many times, I normally cut and paste the answer. It's an extremely important question that deserves an answer. What I learned and what I want all pilots to understand is that when confronted with an emergency, my brain (and I assume others will have the same experience), did not go through any kind of decision process. I am normally a compare/contrast decision maker. In this case, my brain tossed aside that very comfortable space I normally operate in and instead, put me into an execution mode. I hypothesize the brain recalled my engine out training from about 5 months earlier. Each step clearly came to me and my execution was relatively spot on. I found it difficult to make decisions for the next few hours too. It was so darn interesting (and comforting) to see the power of the brain to help us. The chute would've been an excellent choice, so I need to consider why my execution brain didn't go right to the chute. I know there are situations where the chute will have a worse outcome, but over farm fields, this was a pretty safe choice.to deploy the chute. Landing into the strong wind and a slightly soft field were key factors in the successful outcome. My point to all of us, is to study, train, and practice these things, because when the poop hits the fan, your decision making brain may not be there, but your execution brain will perform awesomely for you. We as pilots just need to make sure we can execute what we learned. Thanks for asking the question. Wishing you blue skies and safe skies.

@@pfflying6275 Thanks for taking the time to answer, very much appreciated! Same to you and hopefully you never have to face that type situation again!

Thanks. Some would just say I am experienced (older). ;-)

Thank you for commenting. Glad it helped.

Trying not to place blame. Could be one of three possibilities. Improper maintenance procedure, improper torquing of the cylinder, or a defective part. I'll stop there. ;-)

@@pfflying6275 and sometimes no way to nail it down. at least plane didnt get destroyed and you didnt get hurt and plane fixed.

Very kind of you to write and thank you for the compliment. I have slowed down on videos, because I want them to be of value and not just showing a trip. You've motivated me to get back on track. THANKS.

I replied to you on the follow on video. Thanks for watching.

Of course there is. Funny how my brain immediately recalled the training I had taken a few months earlier and replayed exactly. Chute would have been a great option, but in this case I got lucky and didn't damage the plane, property or myself.

@@pfflying6275 Thanks for replying. Interesting. Do you think if you had zero landing options, you would have gone into CAPS mode? Just curious on thought processes during high stress situations. Either way, glad you got it down safely.👍

@@slideryt I do think I would've pulled the chute if over inhospitable terrain. Or at night too, unless there was a hard surface airport within a mile or two. Everyone that told me what they would've done from behind their keyboards, I wanted to tell them, the brain took over. Didn't know how I'd react. Glad ths one worked out for me.

But the pilots do. ;-)

Depends on how wide the road is, are their telephone lines, trees, mailboxes, etc etc etc. The most important thing is how my brain went right to this field. No compare/contrast decision making took place. My execution brain took over. Less than two minutes from engine failure to being stopped on the ground. Amazing what I learned about the brain.... and the importance of study, training, and practice.

Thanks for your comment.

You're welcome. Thanks for the comment.

Thank you. I often remind people that the word community is made up of two root words.. COMMON UNITY. Our common unity is a passion and love for aviation. All of the communication from the airline pilots that day was very much appreciated and makes me a bit emotional when I think about it.

I was back flying her in about 3 months. No real damage to the airplane, but had to find an engine. We found a Factory Reman that was looking for an owner, and we were the lucky ones. The shop was super busy, so took them three months to get it turned around. Love her.

Wow. Lots of experience that others will never have. Thanks for sharing.

Great info. This had a few anomalies, like all 6 cylinders removed without torque plates, possible torque issue, so the cause is really in question. I've moved on however. Would love to see someone like yourself bring change to the industry.

​@@pfflying6275 On OM651 and OM646 Benz diesels it's common to see main-cap bolt stretch on Sprinters with like 700k+ kilometers. It's a fatigue issue. In your case probably workshop overtightened bolts and they were stretched by the crankcase during a heat cycle. I don't know, just putting the ideas I would check if it was my engine. I am pleased to hear that people are open to new ideas (as new as can be called pushrod automotive engine) but unfortunately, my local regulators (EASA) are not. My first intention was to build a Cub kit plane, just as a hobby (and in parallel get a license). But initial research showed that from a legal perspective, it's practically impossible. Also, I'm watching a few European sailplane bloggers and have seen them struggle with propulsion too. Some want to swap older gliders from ICE to electric, but it seems impossible to get an airworthiness certificate even after installing factory parts from newer revisions of the same model. Need I say that they had failures of engines freshly rebuilt in certified workshops. I saw, that in the US automotive engine swaps are relatively common and there are plenty of solutions for reduction, mounting, and controls. And I like the fact that people are allowed to take their own responsibility for their lives. I wish regulators would allow for more responsibility and so more freedom for GA pilots for recreational flights, especially here in the EU.

@@barongogenzoler4300 I'm guessing the implications to weight and balance are in play here as well. I'm always reminded of the importance when changing or adding avionics. You would think on an experimental, it would be easier, but most things aren't easy anymore. 😉

me 2!

Thank you for taking the time to pass along your comments. I just hope the video makes pilots realize how much each of us can do to prepare for emergencies. The human brain is amazing and we are empowered to make it work to our benefit. Blue Skies to you.

Alternate static is something different. In a fuel injected plane, there is no such thing as carb heat. We have an alternate air control. Alternate Air controls the source of air entering the engine's intake manifold. If alternate air is closed, the engine draws fresh air directly into the intake manifold. If alternate air is open, the engine draws air from a different intake that warms the incoming air with waste heat from the engine. Should your air intake become blocked (let's say you hit a bird, or maybe ice formed), then you can switch the source. And to Bob's point, for an engine to work, you need fuel, spark and air. This gives you a second option regarding the air. Any questions?

Engine outs and fire in the cockpit are two very scary things in aviation. There are others. Thankfully, fear and concern never was felt. And for whatever reason, those scary things didn't happen.

@pfflying6275 • 2 weeks ago I'm going to be lazy and cut and paste my last response to the same question from a few days ago. I do appreciate you taking the time to comment and ask the question. I have answered this question many times over, so I did a poor job of telling the full story. Happy to clear it up here. First, why didn't I pull. As soon as the emergency occurred, I felt like my part of the brain that executes, rather than thinks, took over. All the things I did mirror'd what my instructor and I practiced 5 months earlier. The closest I came to making a decision was ignoring the rest of the 3-2-1 checklist and ignoring the urge to find the closest airport. In both those cases, my brain told me to move on. It was an amazing experience and taught me how wonderful our brain can be if we give it all the right data. By the way, I had trouble making analytical decisions for the next several hours. The adrenaline must've had something to do with that. I will never question a pilot's decision making in an emergency anymore. It's too easy to say what you'd do when behind a keyboard. Bottom line, the chute never was considered when my brain took over. I brief the chute on takeoff's and would use it at night, over bad terrain or populated areas, so I am OK with the chute, but need to train my brain better for enroute emergencies. Also, there are times when I would not use it. On the lake shore in Chicago. If Lake Michigan is too cold too survive and the chute would take me over the lake to my certain death, I would rather put it on a beach due a few extra percentage points on my side. The chute is not a 100% answer. If you read the Cirrus POH, it warns you the chute can kill you and should be considered if a better option does not exist. Mostly a hard surface is the preferred option. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Thanks for the comment .

As was discussed, the report was pretty clear. Still in fairness to all, it comes down to improper procedure during a recent top overhaul, or an improper torque at the same maintenance event, or some may want to say it was a defective part. The forensic analysis was all fact based. The bearing shift was the root cause.

Thanks. Good luck. Let me know when you get the PPL.

me too.

I'm going to be lazy and cut and paste my last response to the same question from a few days ago. I do appreciate you taking the time to comment and ask the question. I have answered this question over 1,000 times, so I did a poor job of telling the full story. Happy to clear it up here. First, why didn't I pull. As soon as the emergency occurred, I felt like my part of the brain that executes, rather than thinks, took over. All the things I did mirror'd what my instructor and I practiced 5 months earlier. The closest I came to making a decision was ignoring the rest of the 3-2-1 checklist and ignoring the urge to find the closest airport. In both those cases, my brain told me to move on. It was an amazing experience and taught me how wonderful our brain can be if we give it all the right data. By the way, I had trouble making analytical decisions for the next several hours. The adrenaline must've had something to do with that. I will never question a pilot's decision making in an emergency anymore. It's too easy to say what you'd do when behind a keyboard. Bottom line, the chute never was considered when my brain took over. I brief the chute on takeoff's and would use it at night, over bad terrain or populated areas, so I am OK with the chute, but need to train my brain better for enroute emergencies. Also, there are times when I would not use it. On the lake shore in Chicago. If Lake Michigan is too cold too survive and the chute would take me over the lake to my certain death, I would rather put it on a beach due a few extra percentage points on my side. The chute is not a 100% answer. If you read the Cirrus POH, it warns you the chute can kill you and should be considered if a better option does not exist. Mostly a hard surface is the preferred option. Let me know if you have any more questions.

I was running a bit late that day, so the camera was on the back seat. Normally, it would have been recording.

Generally speaking, I do. If I'll be going back in shortly, I'll leave it on, but if its going to be 30 or more minutes, I turn it off. When I exit the clouds on an approach, I turn it off just prior to landing, so no one burns themselves when I get to the ramp. If near minimums, I will leave it on in case I have to go missed.

@@pfflying6275 I usually turn it off, too. I used to be ultra paranoid about leaving pitot heat on while on the ground, but just yesterday a Cirrus rep told me that it heats up to a lower temperature when on the ground than when in the air. Perhaps this means it wouldn’t melt itself or hurt someone who touches it, but it is also probably still very good practice to remember to have it off while on the ground.

@brandonham That's interesting. Doing my preflight, I can tell you that it gets VERY HOT and while it may be less, it can definitely hurt someone. My biggest concern is I will forget some day. But like when I flew a retract, it remains in the forefront of my mind when I fly. Part of my descent check list is to plan for Pitot Heat. And I will repeat my GUMPSS check multiple times on my approach to the airport.

The plane had already been through its first start up and first flight by the maintenance shop. The reason you do not want to wait until you are in the air is if you have a bad mag, you want to know that on the ground. That happened to me. Sure I could take off and the other mag would keep me flying.... UNLESS it failed too and then I am SOL.

Thanks Jeff.

There are many scenarios here, but since it happened after a top overhaul of the engine, the focus is on the procedure conducted by the maintenance shop and also the potential of not torquing a cylinder appropriately. Could've been a faulty part as well, but most point to torque procedure or cylinder procedure not being correct.

It always makes me smile.

Good points. I just had a conversation with an owner today, who loves his plane, but his company needs his attention so much that he doesn't have time to fly at times. He acknowledges that it is horrible for the airplane to sit for weeks or months and not fly. It can corrode the engine. He asked me about a partnership and is looking for a person he can put on a dry lease to gain the benefit of having someone else flying it, but he retains all the owner responsibilities and decisions. I think he will eventually convert the relationship to a true co-owner, but in the meantime, learn if they are compatible. Sort of a "try before you buy" experiment.

Thanks for the nice words. A lot of luck and some skill brought it all together. In addition to the great crew you mentioned, those that trained me and encouraged me before and during the incident all share in the result.

@@pfflying6275 You're certainly welcome! I am looking forward to more of your content! I agree that the CFIs and that all training asistance is critically important! Cirrus is really driving this as well and hope it expands further into the entire GA community. You highlighted this in your video; the farming family whose world you rather literally fell into were awesome as well! Thank you again, such a great job!