How I broke a Cirrus SR22 (and how we fixed it) - real footage

[@fineartz99]

Humility and honesty ... // Denotes longevity and durable respect.

[@DeadReckoner]

Kudos for the honesty and willingness to discuss everything that you experience, whether positive or not. You set a great example for other pilots to follow, Stefan!

[@FlyingGospel]

Once in a C152 I was coming back from a solo navigation and my landing was pretty good, gently put the nose wheel down like on any landing, but the whole plane started vibrating with incredible violence, pulled the nose up again and as my speed bled off, nose wheel came back down on the ground and the vibrations started again, it was so bad that the ELT went off. I started braking then came to a stop and taxiing was fine. When I got down I check my shimmy dampener and it had leaked. I always check this before every flight as part of my walk around so I still don't know if I missed it in my walk around or if it leaked in flight. Either way I did a full report, the airplane was snagged and everything. I was quite humiliated that the ELT went off during my landing but as you said safety is paramount. If the nose wheel does this, continue with the landing and keep the nose wheel off the ground as long as possible a bit like a soft landing. Cheers Stef!

[@tims4654]

Did anything happen with the ELT, or were you able to turn it off quickly enough?

[@ozequestrian]

The silver spat you show at 3:38 was the one I cracked in exactly the same circumstances landing at Bathurst in a gusty crosswind. A very humbling experience.

[@StefanDrury]

Ah good to know I’m not alone. Yes it’s quite the learning experience, a good session of circuits with my instructor a short while after got me back in the swing again.

[@colinpotter7764]

Paul needs his own KZbin channel, he was so clear in explaining exactly what he was going to do.

[@NikosWings]

Very interesting mate, thanks for sharing!

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Niko, the engineering team said it's not uncommon so one to watch out for hey. Definitely some learnings from this flight for me.

[@Jake-Day]

Amazing vlog. 👏

[@chickenaviation1018]

mate, as Joe said, "A good landing is a landing that you can walk away from" and we all will make mistakes and things will happen, at the end of the day you learnt something and will most likely never do that again. you made it back safe thats the main thing :D

[@aaronazz]

Great video. The iPhone screen protector gag was brilliant!

[@damianstalker775]

Hey stef just saw you today at moorabbin with KJN I was in the vixxen, I was going to stop and come say hello but wasn’t sure if ymmb ground would like a little yellow plane parked in the middle of the taxiway just got a meet and greet but glad KJN is fixed she looks great

[@StefanDrury]

Ha yes, the queue behind you might have complained a little! Shame, hopefully next time we can say hello.

[@jamesnewton8977]

Much respect stef. Setting the right example!

[@mwilliams2101]

Nice video really demonstrating some good old fashioned airmanship, not a lot of that around these days 👍🏻

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Matthew, glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@hamishdavidson3368]

Honestly spats are nice and good for drag reduction, what happened to you has happened many times to many types with spats. A lot of bush operators remove them.

[@johnpro2847]

1:38 I loved touch downs when the the stall buzzer sounded when in GA aircraft. . now I fly RAA LSA with no stall warning ..what a cheap way to save a few dollars ..

[@brucefox6580]

Hi Stefan, I respect your honesty. Thanks for sharing.

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Bruce, hoping through my experiences we can all become better and safer pilots.

[@kaimalcolm]

Very interesting video. Super surprised how many broken spats were in that room.

[@StefanDrury]

They weren't all mine, I promise... 😂

[@craigwillis3372]

Fascinating stuff and great skill from the guys in the hangar! Liked the "pink" overalls as well!

[@africancirrus]

Hi Stefan, great lesson for all cirrus pilots! Being trying to explain the hazards of crosswinds and not landing aligned to new pilots and this is a wonderful video.

[@StefanDrury]

Yeah hope my experience can help others not do the same. Thanks for watching.

[@Mike_Costello]

Nice work Stef. Love the Breaking Bad graphics. Rogue pilot takes to cooking spats for extra money.

[@StefanDrury]

Yep, haha, well you gotta pay the rent somehow Mike... 😂

[@SwingWestBand]

I just noticed that you are back to using a four-blade prop. What performance difference have you noticed?

[@StefanDrury]

Yeah gives me better climb rate and I can slow it down a lot faster.

[@JodelFlyer]

Nicely crafted video Stef. Great story telling with a good message. Well done!

[@StefanDrury]

Cheers Tim, hope you're well mate.

[@flamethrowerjob18]

My flight school just leaves all the fairings off the wheels on the cirrus sr20. We have alot of hard landings though. The fairing does give you a few extra knots when you're cruising long distance though!

[@StefanDrury]

For my use it's definitely preferable to leave the spat on. Better cruise performance and after flying this plane for a while now this is the first time I've ever had an issue with it. So on an hours per broken spat ratio, better to keep it on. I can understand removing it for flight training though.

[@seanmcerlean]

Whoops.We have all done it.Lookks quite dramatic.Thanks for showing us the repair stef

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks for watching Sean. Yeah good to know I’m not the only one that’s done it, but some good learnings for me moving forwards.

[@user34274]

Paul and Steven are great!

[@StefanDrury]

Yeah they're a lot of fun to make these videos with, thanks Viraj.

[@cirrusflyerh2843]

Stef, Thanks for sharing the lesson learned. Take-aways for me are: 1) Aim for the stall warning on round-out > Energy management 2) Aileron into the x-wind and step on the high wing (rudder) > Proper X-wind technique & line-up in the round-out 3) Damage to the side walls of the nose wheel tyre and inside of spat could remain hidden > Look for hairline cracks in nose gear spat during pre-flight inspection. 4) Stay away from Bankstown ;-)

[@ethanlamoureux5306]

When I learned to fly, I did so at an airport with one runway and frequent crosswinds. I learned to do a side slip so as to align the landing gear with the runway before touchdown. I also learned to use a bit of extra speed in a crosswind landing. I’d say you were probably fine with your speed on approach, you just needed to change your crab into a side slip and then hold it off the runway until it settled down nicely. But as they say, it was still a successful landing!

[@mickmolloy5964]

Great advise on reporting damage... we cannot fix what we don't know about..

[@StefanDrury]

Cheers Mick, thanks for watching, stef 👍

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Absolutely fascinating, thanks Stef.

[@StefanDrury]

Looks like we both had broken planes this week, though mine was a little more self-induced... :)

[@virtual812]

I feel like i see more Cirrus nose gear trouble videos then any other aircraft nose gear videos. Is there anything to this? The way they wobble looks pretty dodgy to me. Edit to add, now that i have seen the wall of shame of damaged Cirrus spats it seems clear to me this is something they might want to consider doing better. Some heavy dampening might be a good start.

[@vixyman]

8:51 Looks like someone snuck in a mini Subframe from home. Also, I wonder why Paul didn't drill out the root of the crack.

[@fzapaterop]

Good night,i am writing from Spain,sorry for my english. In my landing,i had a bound,flight that bound and landing after ,no problems.In a Cirrus sr 20.Is coorrect,or is dangerous?Congratulations

[@seferion1seferion131]

Dumb question why is the spat? there in the first place? I assume it has a reason why it's there, but I am unaware why it is required.

[@andersongeorge4653]

*Stefan did u ever think about buying KJN* ?!

[@StefanDrury]

Yep, every time I fly it! Not ready to purchase an aircraft just yet, but there may be a time when I do and something like KJN would be perfect.

[@R2robot]

Ya dun goofed, m8!! A good lesson for plane sharing. Honesty. Also, I was a bit disappointed that Paul quickly said it was 'minor' instead of winding you up a bit first. :D

[@StefanDrury]

Haha, oh don’t worry, they had their share of winding me up! 😂

[@taptap209]

Was about to taxi at YSBK (Bankstown, NSW) a few days ago when I heard KJN come in for landing, got excited because I thought it was you, Stefan! Turns out it was someone else haha

[@StefanDrury]

Yeah she's flown by a few other pilots these days, great to know she's getting good use. I'll be back though for sure.

[@BrynPrice]

As the pilot in command are you responsible for the repair costs?

[@pslny]

Bummer, fortunately it's only "moynor" damage, lol. I like that guy. Paul

[@JordiFrio]

But what was a reason of shimmy? I don't see any hard landing but if was it shouldn't lead to shimmy. Usually is bad maintenance lead to shimmy

[@TREVORDAWSONTHD]

There's always a wear and tear in something. I guess that's why we all have to check every inch of the aeroplane before flight. Hope the KJN get's back in the air again.

[@craigwilliams8108]

I try to hold the front wheel off the ground as long as possible when landing. It seems to help.

[@StefanDrury]

Yes I remember one of my instructors always saying "protect the nosewheel" each time I landed.

[@thelocksmith4553]

At least you kept it on the runway 👍

[@captainsman]

Is this something more likely to happen with these castor steering nose wheels?

[@StefanDrury]

Yeah I think the design is a factor here to some extent. There's more nosewheel movement with these free-castoring ones, which is fantastic for manouvering on the ground (you can really spin a Cirrus round in a tight space for parking) but will move around more if it's off centre on landing as you saw. Pros and cons of every design I guess.

[@spiro5327]

Yes, i thought that you seemed a bit upset towards the end of that last video when you left bankstown on your way home. I guess that you have to have some experience in panel beating as an aircraft engineer.

[@kickasspeanut]

@8:08 classic mini front subframe! on a box you walk past.

[@StefanDrury]

Googles "mini front subframe"... ah, wow good spot, that was only in frame for a second!

[@tandemwings4733]

I can't find this question anywhere else. Did they charge you for the repair? (I probably would have... :)

[@rodblievers620]

A shed-full of repaired spats. Does the Cirrus have nosewheel shimmy issue?

[@StefanDrury]

They got those out so we could show them in the video. And that would be over a period of time. A lot of aircraft go through Blue Demon so I wouldn’t say it’s a nosewheel issue, rather just a collection of similar incidents saved over time. Thanks Rod.

[@michaelfink64]

Did you add a bit of chilli pepper to the mix?

[@justbob588]

The C172s I've been flying in until now haven't had fairings on. I guess my flight school went through too many so just gave up on them, or something!

[@StefanDrury]

I can see why flying schools would take them off for sure. Not worth the additional maintenance for the small benefit in cruise speed.

[@Roohikhan804]

Oh God...It could have been worse...Thanks God safe landing...

[@joeirwin6212]

A good landing is a landing that you can walk away from, and a great landing is a landing where you can use the Airplane again. So it was a great landing

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Joe. Definitely some learnings for me from the experience that’s for sure.

[@briantii]

False. I hate that saying. His landing was a bit fast but this isn't his fault. The nosewheel is setup wrong and tire pressure is probably set wrong too. 100% sure this doesn't pass the normal tension test that's supposed to be performed at annual.

[@777SHW]

Lol, and a perfect landing is one you can make a video about. Either way, thanks for being so upfront with us and sharing your aviation life with us.

[@TeemarkConvair]

as an old sheet metal man, i ask, "you don't stop drill the crack?" i also wonder why cirrus, since it seems a "common" occurrence, doesn't modify the spat for more clearance.

[@opecyna]

Uff. Glad to hear that it is just a minor bump.

[@InflightAviation]

Awesome!

[@Joe-qj7oh]

I'd leave the Spat off, with the way the nose wheel has limited control, it's bound to happen again, just keep the main gear ones.

[@stevetravelsaus]

Thanks for sharing. Nearly as in-depth as Air Crash Investigation.

[@StefanDrury]

Ha! I should’ve started the video “it was a calm Summer’s morning, but nobody could have predicted what was about to happen on flight KJN1 to Sydney...”

[@stevetravelsaus]

Stefan Drury that would have been a great start to the Video. Reel those Punters in.

[@Airplanefish]

Landed to fast. Common damage on the cirrus. Also check the side tension on the nose. Simple composite repair. I've done alot of these repairs

[@rikspector]

Your an excellent pilot but"Stuff" happens. I really think the problem is more design than your"hard" crosswind landing since there are more examples shown of this particular damage. Just my thought. Cheers, Rik

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Rik, yes I'm certainly not the first pilot this has happened to, nor will I be the last. But I can definitely improve some of my techniques to be a bit more gentle on the nosegear next time. It's a good learning experience for me.

[@tonylibra8493]

Is that a common issue on a Cirrus?

[@briantii]

Yes

[@gbigsangle3044]

Three point landings are bad for any tricycle gear plane. So are side-loaded landings. The older Cirrus nose-gear is not as robust as current models which have a hydraulic damping system now. You NEVER want to touch the nose-wheel at the same time or before the mains in any plane, let alone a high performance Cirrus. Even in a side-loading situation you would have saved the nose-gear by keeping it up until the plane was tracking on the runway on the mains.

[@h0ll1s]

'And don't break it again' bahahaha best quote! XD

[@pbbrown1963]

Ouch!

[@StefanDrury]

I know right?

[@bEEBO178]

Free castoring wheels are a bit rubbish tbh.

[@mikemonce1405]

love your videos though............

[@firemanbraids8987]

i am a engineer and i get at least 5 people telling him that they broken the plane and no one gets made only the people going somewhere because they will have to wait

[@maxmaxmaxmaxmaxmaxmaxmaxmax1]

Why would they not put a centering device on it? That's stupid. On 172s and 150s they literally use bungee cords.

[@SnowHarp]

I can't help thinking the nose wheel could be better designed if it oscillates like that and self harms in the process. However, I am not an expert so 'nuff said.

[@jamesbaxter9123]

Looks like my 162 without the fairing on😂😂

[@davefrommelbourne1237]

6:32 reminds me of the dentist 😑

[@kymbiddell7467]

Bit of duct tape and back into the air in no time 😀

[@nathansasse4430]

Landed flat and need some new dampeners...

[@briantii]

This isn't your fault. The tension isn't set high enough on the nose wheel. Ours did the same thing occasionally until we FIXED the root cause. The Belleville washers are worn out or setup incorrectly. Don't let anyone blame it on you. The mechanic doesn't have it setup right.

[@StefanDrury]

Hey briantii, I appreciate the comment but I have absolute faith in the engineering team to have the aircraft setup right. Thanks for watching mate, stef 👍

[@briantii]

@@StefanDrury I'm telling you - I am 100% sure. It was not setup correctly. We own a Cirrus too. Had the same problem. Setup correctly it will not do that.

[@HWingsAviation]

That intro xD

[@StefanDrury]

We had fun filming that, couldn't keep a straight face!

[@HWingsAviation]

It's awsome

[@pilot.joaoneto]

Papai do não

[@toivowiikari9705]

Just... don’t use wheel fairings...😂 it really doesn’t help a lot, a few more knots in cruising speed but more to maintain... that’s why you don’t usually see those in training

[@jeffreydurante662]

Seems like more of a mechanical problem than a pilot problem, I imagine student pilots would crack those left and right.

[@erikthered4929]

The SR22's nose wheel is definitely too fragile for its' own good, and with the shimmy that Stefan has had on some landings in previous videos I had a feeling something like this would happen. Worst case scenario the shimmy is so strong that it can damage more than just the spat. It really shouldn't happen to that degree even with bad conditions or a bad landing. The problem seems to be exacerbated by the amount of flex Cirrus has on the nose wheel strut for dampening, creating a resonance that causes the wheel to develop a serious flutter in some cases.

[@briantii]

@@erikthered4929 It's the tension on the nose wheel. It's set incorrectly, tire pressure, and potentially the belleville washers are worn out and need to be replaced. There is a reason why this is supposed to be checked / maintained at annual. It requires maintenance and if it's loose it'll do exactly what it did.

[@doubletrouble473]

I’m sorry but you look like a year 8 teacher at my school

[@kimmycarpentero8746]

Cool. Hope i winn the giveaway

[@racko651]

Thinking quietly. $600,000 for a castoring nose wheel?!!

[@ashsmitty2244]

It straight up is a terrible design.

[@StefanDrury]

If you're talking about the pilot, I don't disagree...

[@MikeMike-er7kn]

Love my "steerable nosewheel".... wouldn't have it any other way. Castoring nosewheels require the correct tension. Too loose and they shimmy and shake. Too tight and they won't turn. After time they loosen up and require re-tensioning...... To some degree, I think yours was a bit loose. Maint facility obviously won't admit that....

[@ashsmitty2244]

Stefan Drury 😂 I love the humility.

[@briantii]

It works fine when it's setup correctly. When it's setup INCORRECTLY it does what you see in the video. This is a maintenance problem NOT a pilot problem. Us pilots have enough things to beat ourselves up over... this isn't one of them. Our Cirrus has the same shimmy occasionally. It doesn't EVER do it now that the Belleville washers are new and the tension is set correctly.

[@briantii]

@@StefanDrury Man give yourself a break, this is PURELY a maintenance problem. Your approach was a little fast... but when these things are setup wrong it WILL do what you saw on the video sometimes no matter how perfect your landing is. You can sit down on the mains, nosewheel held in the air with the stall horn going off and only let the nose touch when you run out of elevator and it'll STILL SHIMMY. I promise you... from a Cirrus owner who has had this exact same problem - THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT.

[@2manyblueberries]

That doesn't look good.

[@steven4783]

Just a bad landing, shake it off.

[@StefanDrury]

Listening to Taylor Swift as I write this.

[@davecat1458]

Meh. Plane can be fixed. Too much energy for sure. Go around....treat every approach to landing as a go around and continue only if EVERYTHING is proper. Easier said than done....we are guilty of forcing a landing now and again. Human nature... My sister wants to know if Paul is married?

[@mikemonce1405]

its a cirrus..... nuff said...... get a real plane....MOONEY.....