Real Pilot Story: Engine Failure in IMC

Link to certificate and ASI transcript: bit.ly/RPSEngi...
Description: It was a perfect day for instrument approaches--but the engine wasn't up to the task. Would the pilot be able to find a field? Would the airplane shake itself to pieces before he did?

[@ZILOGz80VIDEOS]

That "ifr cancellation received" gave me a little giggle

[@jaycee330]

Me too!

[@whiskeybravo91]

I busted out laughing ahahahaha, oh my goodness glad he made it down safely

[@astralchemistry8732]

@@whiskeybravo91 As we would say in Germany: "Stirbt ein Bediensteter während einer Dienstreise, so ist damit die Dienstreise beendet." which translates to: If an officer dies during a business trip, the business trip is ended.

[@sludge4125]

@@astralchemistry8732 And if the pilot is on the clock, immediately change that.

[@deanfowlkes]

Yes, that “IFR cancelled” was sooooo, unsatisfying. I would have had to go full Samual L on that controller. I SAID I’M ALIVE, MFer!!

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

I went through mechanic school. I remember my instructor say he'd rather be flying an engine on its last 100 hours than its first 100 hours. The old engine has already proven itself.

[@piloto2412]

Thats great advice

[@thefreedomguyuk]

Did he ever mention the term MTBF ??

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

@@thefreedomguyuk No...just general statistical experience. Did mention that lots of (mechanical) failures happened at throttle change.

[@Quasihamster]

Alternate ending: "I' ve ditched in a lake, I'm sinking, the doors won't open!" "IFR Cancellation received, thanks." (Hangs up)

[@tntkop]

When you land in the water, do you still have to chock the wheels when you come to a stop? Asking for a friend.

[@tfilter6]

@@tntkop No, setting the emergency brake should be sufficient. If the aircraft is upside down, then you can use the chocks without getting them wet. It's nice we can m make jokes about this one, even the aircraft survived.

[@tntkop]

C Jorgenson Definitely. In law enforcement, we make more jokes about the mishaps than we do non-eventful incidents. One time we were joking about an incident where I was on scene. A rookie asked me if the officer was getting pissed. I told him: no, because we all know where to draw the line. He then asked why we keep joking about it. I told him: even though we kid him about it, it keeps us talking about what occurred. That particular incident occurred several years prior, and I told him: the simple fact that we are STILL joking about it, means it’s STILL in our minds, which means that officers like you who weren’t even cops when that incident occurred, are STILL learning from it. Moreover, the officers involved were the biggest jokesters about what occurred. About a year later, that very rookie had a similar situation and he said he flashed back to this day. He came up to me and said: Now I get it. Mission accomplished. Smooth flying everyone! PS - The incident involved their response to a suspicious package after a business received a bomb threat, and I command our Bomb Squad. No one was injured in the incident and the suspicious package turned out to be a very realistic looking hoax device.

[@aerialexplorer772]

Any landing you can swim away from, is a good one..

[@NaomiCurtis]

@@tntkop in medicine it's the same. PTSD even in small doses can occur to others not directly involved such as happened on 9/11. This is our way of helping keep relevant information without the fear, dread, etc of the actual event.nit shows how long some of these events can affect us that we still make lol comments.

[@lazaglider]

I'm glad the biggest relief here was that the engine was still in warranty.

[@mwp1088]

Spoken like a true airplane owner lol

[@nicknav09]

"Potomac! 116SV made it on the Ground alive". "116SV roger IFR cancellation is received." lol

[@ThreeTwoVictor]

I like how he had to clarify that was the Emergency. Was he not paying attention to the callsign? lol

[@mmichaeldonavon]

What a let down that was!

[@StevenSwaks]

+Nick Navarro I thought about it. That was cold!

[@mikerossscuba]

"What did you expect? An engraved plaque?!" (Jus' messin' 'round. Glad you made it in one piece.) I'd would have loved to hear the conversation with the overhaul A&P.

[@Dr.TJ_Eckleburg]

"Yeah great job kid, what do you want a medal?"

[@janreznak881]

Me: Declaring an emergency, engine failure. ATC: what do you need? Me: Glider practice.....

[@RobertHollander]

I realize you were narrating so you had to make it alive but... I got so wrapped up in the story I found myself thinking, "I hope he makes it." Great job.

[@MarieInnes]

Me too

[@phillipmckie4913]

It is important no matter what to holler for help. Mayday is a million dollar word. The FAA will never fine a Pilot who ever uses the power of declaring an emergency and later finds out that one was not imminent. In this case there was an emergency and all deviations from the FARs are valid. Good job buddy you lived to fly another day and took the time to share your story with others. Well done!

[@mikerossscuba]

Good to know.

[@homefront3162]

PHILLIP MC KIE I keep seeing that in these videos, failure to simply state "Emergency" engine failure, cannot maintain altitude... boom Now everyones interested

[@bluehornet6752]

Actually, that's not quite true. FAR 91.3(b) reads that you can deviate from the regulations to the extent required to meet the emergency. _FAR 91.3 (b) In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency._ Good point about calling "May Day" first and asking questions later, especially when alone in a single-engine aircraft, in IMC, and not all that high above the ground. He did a very good job, under the circumstances. I've been alone in a similar situation, with a rough-running engine. This is why I now will no longer practice instrument approaches (with or without a student) in low IFR conditions (< 500 feet and/or < 1 mile vis) in a single-engine aircraft: too much riding on that one engine to tempt fate by remaining in conditions that low for that long.

[@duckslayer92]

@@bluehornet6752 isn't that basically what he said?

[@MyTube4Utoo]

I looked through most of the comments and was pleased to not see a bunch of, *"well, he should have done this, or, I would have done that."*

[@BrettonFerguson]

Lessons Learned: #1 Don't use the same mechanic who did you engine overhaul 200 hours before this happened.

[@bluehornet6752]

I would like to know more about said overhaul, that's for sure. Still though, if the engine was still under warranty at 200 hours, you'd almost think that it had to have been a substantial enough shop that they don't routinely have to repair engines under warranty. Also, 200 hours is a fair bit of time to have on an overhaul. I would expect something drastic to rear its ugly head before that point. I wonder what the prior inspections (annual, 100-hour, oil analysis, etc) found after the engine was placed back into service following the overhaul?

[@michaelmccarthy4615]

the engine would lose oil through the bent/broken pushrod tubes... Theres more to this story not being told.

[@raymondfrye5017]

@@michaelmccarthy4615 I agree. Something is hidden here.

[@michaeldose2041]

@@michaelmccarthy4615 Exactly correct. It is exceedingly rare for a valve to 'stick' in it's guide. There is something else likely going on here. Possibly a broken valve spring leading to a valve contacting a piston leading to a bent, 'stuck' valve and bent push rods. Or a valve guide coming loose. Lost oil was an effect not the cause. Just a guess, but I don't buy the stuck valve, especially 200 hours after an overhaul.

[@michaelmccarthy4615]

The engine shaking/low rpm was due to one or more "dead" cylinders. He lost oil outside visable on the cowling due to valve train failure which bent the push rod tubes. Likely: The valve train was not properly assembled, checked, adjusted, correct parts, etc. Valve train set up is more complicated on split case light alloy engines.

[@slehar]

"What is the nature of your emergency?" - "I'm getting a lot of shaking". Too ambiguous! I HAVE SEVERE ENGINE FAILURE AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER IT IS GOING TO RUN! Vector me direct to the nearest available airport.

[@bobbecka]

Have you ever been in an emergency situation? Yes, maybe ambiguous but he flew the plane and end of the day got to go home

[@mizzyroro]

One more mistake according to the transmissions you shared, when asked what was the nature of your emergency, you said you were getting a horrible shake but failed to mention you were not able to maintain altitude. This would be part of "over communicate" and would give atc a clearer picture of your situation.

[@planewire2153]

Mizzy Roro He should have said he was dealing with an engine failure

[@tfilter6]

You know, when you are in these situations, the brain doesn't work as efficiently or as logically as normal. That's one reason we practice emergencies so that we don't have to figure out exactly what to do, we just do what we trained for and practiced. Of course, every emergency has its own unique 'features" which make it something we have not exactly prepared to deal with, so we try to do the best we can. And, when you are knowing that the outcome may not be anywhere near to good, regardless of what you do, that makes the brain even less likely to perform normally. He did a great job, and I thank him for sharing so that the rest of us may be better prepared if the same situation happens to us.

[@TechOut]

Eli Smith he may not have known at the time the engine itself was the issue. He is narrating after the fact and knew the cause. He may not have when talking to ATC

[@Eruthian]

He was under heavy stressmthat`s why he missed that part I guess.

[@GhostRider351]

he did state he could not mantain

[@kentd4762]

I know this is an old video, but great job and thank you for sharing your experience with the rest of us. I hope you've had an uneventful flying career ever since.

[@MalachiWhite-tw7hl]

This same aircraft suffered another engine failure several years later and crashed. No one harmed but I believe the airplane was totalled. A cursed ship.

[@briansmobile1]

Great work aviate, navagate, communicate! Thanks for the lessons too!

[@AVMamfortas]

Many, many thanks for such an honest self-appraisal and description of the incident. You do yourself credit and a great service to others.

[@homefront3162]

A.M. Fortas Thats a rotor pilot thing...

[@kentd4762]

Agree!

[@BuckVertrillion]

Unless you’ve ever experienced a real emergency in which every action taken had to be near perfect or it would definitely cost you your life, you can’t begin to understand how difficult it is to maintain calm and rational thought. And THAT is why we practice such emergency procedures.

[@Mikinct]

Agrees Thing is how many pilots simulate a practice pull throttle back in real IMC on short approach at low altitude? My best guess is 1%. Same for not to many pilots flying g light twins pull power back immediately after take off near vmc speeds. Many tines during most "practice" we're expecting it. Real like we seldom have that luxury, the surprise hits fast. When one practices ILS approach 4 miles out at maybe 1500ft & actually loose an engine in IMC. Not sure if most GA planes can even glide safely onto runway if any near field obstacles are within line if runway.

[@TheRotorhound]

I am an experienced pilot with commercial rating in singles and twins, helicopter, glider and seaplanes. I don't care what the comments are that are negative but you did a great job and lived to tell about it. When the shit hits the fan there are always people that criticise but you walked away from an engine failure unharmed and that's what counts.

[@chrisreeves4388]

I learned to fly the Blackhawk in the Army with him, shortly after this incident. A good dude who I still stay in contact with often.

[@ShuRugal]

"IFR Cancellation received." lol, what a wiseacre.

[@veanwhitcher7867]

I would still call this flight skillful, you performed very well under extreme pressure and your voice sounded as if your nerves were calm and your mind functioning

[@ChristopherMilnevcm]

I am not a pilot. But I find these stories of failures in equipment, judgement, and planning to be useful in life on the ground as well. How people overcome these problems, keep their cool as did those in this particular story, and apply experience to prevent future repetitions is equally useful. I have spent a lot of time with computer flight simulators and flying games to understand SOME of the jargon, which helps. Thanks Air Safety Institute for this AMAZING channel.

[@crufflerdoug]

Oh sh-t oh dear. Well done by the pilot, and many thanks to him and ASI for telling this story.

[@Whatheonearth]

I'll be forever grateful for getting my glider licence before my PPL. The automatic skills I learned there are extremely helpful for emergencies, and for helping me be comfortable with an off field landing should it be needed

[@glennshaw5718]

PPL is a British term. In the US it is a Private Pilot Certificate.

[@pnzrldr]

Very nice to listen to an emergency that was survived, and that carries usable lessons learned for the pilot. So many accident reports are otherwise.

[@UltimaA380]

I flew this plane in September of 21, oil pressure was on the high end of the green but we flew without issues. The next renter had an engine failure landing in a field, fairly sure its totaled now.

[@MyTube4Utoo]

Good, quick decisions saves lives. I'm glad to be able to hear this story from the pilot himself. Much respect Mr. Shapiro! There are far too many, *"case studies."*

[@donnelljamison2381]

Great job finally a video where someone survives

[@kevinwiegard1697]

Under those conditions you acted very well. I know how split second decisions aren't always the best, however yours seem to work (which overall is the most important thing). You can dissect a flight many ways with...I should have done this or should have done that... but with so many human and mechanical factors the main goal is to get safely on the ground. Every pilot and controller should know their equipment and themselves.

[@GoodLifeMedicine]

You sound like an excellent pilot. Great job, my man!

[@papafoxtrott]

WOW MAN! My heart was thumping watching your video! Congratulations on your safe landing! I am just training for the PPL and that one made me shiver.... Many happy landings!!

[@Jack_quelle]

Wow I just found this video, this exact event happened to me last week. I was flying in IMC when are engine started extremely shaking, we ran the engine roughness checklist and realized nothing was working we immediately declared and emergency and landed at the closest airport.the problem ended up being to stuck valves on cylinder 1 and 4 culinders

[@joecraven2034]

This pilot did a fantastic job with this emergency. He made excellent decisions under duress and walked away with a salvageable plane and a scratch or two. Nice.

[@flytheater]

Great video. This is an experience you dont learn in text books. Great job. Glad you made it out ok.

[@mjudec]

This was pretty obvious from the start as he is alive, but what a nice change to see someone realise "this is wrong" and call an emergency!! So many of these are fatal accidents where people delayed and delayed, refusing to realise the trouble they're in.

[@petermendoza1170]

Great job! Under the circumstances and stress you may have forgotten that by raising flaps immediately upon touchdown would have kept her on the ground and shorten the roll with more effective breaking. But you made it.God bless you.

[@ashsmitty2244]

Wow. What a total anticlimax! After getting out of the aircraft alive, id be expecting champagne and a big trophy. Where was everyone?! Lol. The guy on the phone made it all to funny.

[@drumdude46]

Biggest lesson Learned: don't be the guy to fly an aircraft that..."just finished having some work done on it', less than 200hrs before". huge statistical curve with that, shows that there is a sharp upward 'failure or problem' trend likely, right after those maintenance intervals. guy was lucky.

[@ladyscarfaceangel4616]

Would you rather fly the plane that never had any maintenance or the one that has had recent maintenance? The million dollar ?! LOL :)

[@ladyscarfaceangel4616]

If that were ever the situation. You have the choice to fly one that was recently worked on or this other plane that for some strange reason has never been worked on but is still available to fly? I know that kinda sounds stupid but I'm not being serious anyway :) Happy Flying

[@SGTSnakeUSMC]

Engines are usually broke in after 25 to 50 hours. 200 is enough for most to feel pretty confident in the work. Hell, some planes and pilots fly less than 200 hour per year. My 182 gets a check every 100hour, so if I waited until after 200 to fly, I'd never get to fly. The rentals, in my opinion, are scariest since nobody leans for taxi anymore and lead fouling becomes a frequent issue.

[@CFITOMAHAWK2]

@@SGTSnakeUSMC- Right on...

[@marlinweekley51]

“The outcome would have been a little better”??? The outcome was fantastic- no injuries and minor scratches on the aircraft! Super outcome 👍

[@brabhamfreaman166]

Seems another case of every little bit of power wrung from the engine was vital - provided options for the pilot. Totality of pilot’s aviation experience (ie. rotary wing expertise) really informed his calm decision making and clarity of thought. Thanks for another excellent video, highlighting as much the sheer force of will to survive amongst pilots and reconfirmation of the idiom “aviate, navigate, communicate”, use of the E-word and most made of ATC to simulate CRM.

[@bboystance1670]

Well Robert, glad you're still with us!

[@sreetips]

This happened to me over CHS during instrument training. My instructor and I had just finished the ILS to 15 and did a touch and go to do another approach. The ceiling was 900 overcast. As we claimed into imc conditions and arriving at 1600 feet the engine began to caugh and sputter with backfiring. Adding power made it worse. I was terrified. I wanted to land at Charleston and get on the ground! My instructor Chris was as calm as a cucumber. He just said, "we're maintaining altitude so just fly the airplane.." in imc, back to DYB (Dorchester County Airport) about 30 miles north of Charleston. When we got to DYB which was VFR and with the runway in sight I told Chris to take the landing. He said, "are you sure?" I was too shook up and was worried about the engine, still misfiring. The next day the mechanic found that the intake manifold has come loose and was sucking unmetered air into the engine. Almost as bad as the time I jumped out of a Cessna 182 only to have my reserve deploy inside the airplane. It hit the tail of the airplane and torn three of the cells and I was in a spiral. Grabbed a bunch of toggle on the opposite steering line and got it to fly straight and made a hard landing but no broken bones!

[@CreepyCharlie]

Oh man. So similar to my experience. My radar altimeter was set to 1000', and it was still IMC with 3 miles to go to the airport. I had to put it in an a farmers field a couple miles from the airport.

[@jesseperez7253]

I'm just a ground school student, but another lesson to learn that pops in my mind is, if I was flying to practice my ifr approach in imc, I would only do it if the cloud/fog ceilings were higher, I would certainly do it in imc but would check weather and make sure I have higher ceilings so that in an emergency when I pop out of clouds I have vfr capability.

[@JoshuaTootell]

Man, they put the spoiler right at the beginning of the video 😂 Nice to see a positive outcome.

[@SuperSnallygaster]

Shocked that so many commenters have experienced engine failures. I'm only a few hours into my PPL training - might have to reconsider!

[@kealilasok14]

Good clear, assertive communication with ATC!

[@robertmcmillan8645]

Good job! We can all find things to pick at, and the points are probably valid, but in the end you are alive, nobody on the ground was injured. And the airplane suffered only minor damage, other than the engine.

[@UnusualAttitudes]

This guy is a solid pilot- esp being primarily a hello pilot in a fixed wing. He immediately declared an emergency & was assertive with his comms. Good job. Oh- and IFR cancellation received. Lol

[@billbrisson9927]

had a similar failure with a 172, on take-off, just as I was about to rotate, the engine began to miss and run rough, with lots of runway left ahead, I aborted the take off and with a sick engine, taxied off the active and parked. First thing I noticed when I got out was a small puddle of oil forming under the engine. A valve had stuck, and the pushrod bent, breaking the pushrod tube just as it showed in your video. An instructor once told me "If its running rough on the ground, it wont get better in the air!".....its funny how those words immediately came to mind on the take-off roll!

[@derekrohan9619]

“ may not be able to tell by my voice but I thought I wasn’t gonna see the ground alive “No I think I could tell by your voice you were freaked haha

[@dc4334]

Yeah. That was pretty douchey for him to say.

[@lizettewanzer8650]

Same! It was pretty obvious from his tone.

[@duckslayer92]

I kinda disagree with you guys, not knowing his calm voice I thought he handled it very calmly

[@keyweststeve3509]

Actually his voice was a little tense but clear and in control. I think the 3 of you were just projecting the complete meltdowns you would have been having.

[@GlennHamblin]

Great to see an emergency go so well, after seeing many failures from pride and the embarrassment not allowing the safe choice. Congratulations on your safe return to tera firma!

[@avi7278]

It's funny the pilot expected a welcoming party, "oh my god, thank god you did it! you're alive! GREAT JOB!" and he go "IFR cancellation received, thank you." LMFAO...

[@radioace318la]

Good call. Great airmanship young man. That interstate must have looked so very tempting. Cheers from Louisiana.

[@ChrisCoombes]

Well done - always things one might have done differently but you kept your head.

[@paulsuprono7225]

Remaining calm, cool & collective . . . saved this young pilots life. He acted as an experienced, matured should. He may have not met those last two categories . . . however, he kept his COOL. THAT, made the difference. 🇺🇸

[@oldcat3439]

Excellent job, Robert .. under very pressing circumstances .. we can't always take the 'most perfect' action in subsequent analysis ..👍

[@gnypp45]

I was relieved to learn that you survived the crash landing.

[@NaomiCurtis]

PS thanks to all the pilots and others who put some of their most difficult experience out the for others to learn from.

[@solomonpilot2510]

IT WAS A PARTIAL ENGINE FAILURE ,BUT I AM GLAD U MADE IT !

[@jaydee5447]

This dude is a straight up bad ass pilot. Never panicked and did what he had to do

[@stealhty1]

Excellent,not only you save your live but also you get to save the plane too

[@michaelengland7228]

You did well with the narration too. So pleased you were so calm best wishes to you and mom, dad and family.

[@ryany4326]

Aopa did statistics in when engines catastrophically fail and it’s almost ALWAYS in the first 400 Hours. The most realizable engines were in the middle of their TBO and the older timed our engines usually wore out slowly enough that it was obviously time to repalce it before a mid air failure occurred

[@ianwood1157]

Well done Robert! Any time that an engine failure IMC in a single-engined aircraft finishes this well is good! However (and not just for Robert), is my observation that American pilots are reluctant to declare an emergency by using the internationally recognised radio call MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY. I am at a loss to explain why this simple procedure is not used. Especially when dealing with people whose first language is not English (I speak from experience of flying through out South East Asia and flying with pilots from India, China, and Europe) it makes it clear to all concerned, whether they are controllers or other pilots on the frequency, that it is time to limit transmissions and demands so the pilot with the emergency can be given the best assistance. Take a moment to look up the ICAO definition of Distress and Mayday. It can mean the difference between life or death.

[@bluehornet6752]

Another strong argument for not practicing IFR in a single-engine aircraft, when the weather is close to minimums. Shit happens, and when that shit happens to your one and only engine, you're the shit that's about to happen. Great job to this pilot though for keeping it together and taking the more available runway. Had he performed a forward slip to lose some altitude, he might have gotten it stopped on the runway. But even still, it was a very good outcome because he flew the aircraft first and foremost. I wouldn't call a 200 SMOH engine "just overhauled" though. I would like to hear more as to 1) who majored the engine, 2) how it was operated for those 200 hours since the overhaul, and 3) what the inspections (and any oil analysis performed) found in the interim. Good that the engine was still under warranty though--that makes me think that the overhaul shop was at somewhat reputable.

[@maxbootstrap7397]

Lesson Learned: Never trust any A&P. Lesson Learned: Declare the emergency... get as much information from others as possible... but *make your own decisions* and don't be swayed by others.

[@MyTube4Utoo]

Yep! No one can fly the airplane for you, and they'll be going home either way. I'm sure we all watch the 'Case Studies' that don't turn-out so well, and we often see the same things; pilots reluctant to declare an emergency, and often not prepared to *TELL ATC WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO!* Sure, take all information being offered, but *MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS.* If I make it home I couldn't care less who second guesses my actions.

[@andrewbeech2199]

Fantastic story, I think you handled it as a professional , well done sir.

[@jayc4283]

Good to learn and be comfortable with a cross control forward slip, knowing what it feels and looks like, and how the airspeed indication might be incorrect during the maneuver is good to know. If you can do it comfortable, you would be stunned how much altitude you can lose compared to just flaps and power reduction.

[@broface301]

Few things that should have been done differently IMO...1) For single engine malfunction, land as soon as possible. Don't overfly a perfectly good runway..also what's up with asking how long the runway is? You're in a 172, you can land soft field/short field all day.. it's not the space shuttle 2) Don't dump flaps in an attempt to slow down on short final and introduce an unexpected flight control issue coupled with the helmet fire already going on... slip early once you saw you were high, 3) On the runway, push down with the yoke to increase ground traction/friction with max breaking if you're going to hit something off the departure end.... Hind sight: 20/20. Good work, glad you're ok!

[@FarmerTed]

I had this happen to me. 1984 Cessna 172rg (brand new aircraft) I was shooting approaches and using carb heat as prescribed by operation manual and engine cut out inside outer maker. We glided in and bounced up on the runway without hitting the approach lights. Came to find out new employees at Cessna connected the carb heat incorrectly.

[@RMSchapiro]

That's amazing you were able to glide that length down the glideslope. Was it a total loss of power or a partial loss of power?

[@DonTruman]

Impressive. Started flying at 22, and by 27 has all of those certifications. And kept his cool during a deadly dangerous situation requiring quick decision making. One question though: atc said to maintain 3000' and pilot didn't say anything about loss of power and losing altitude. I'm not a pilot, but that seemed like a crucial omission atc needed to know.

[@johnmeye]

Amazing story. Great job retelling it.

[@willieb6993]

The 200 hundred hour engine rebuild curse. Thank goodness it all worked out.

[@jeremiahjordan8764]

when asked what was the nature of your emergency, you said you were getting a horrible shake I thought atc would ask if it was chocolate or vanilla

[@lizettewanzer8650]

LOLOL!!!

[@motoxcarbon9891]

Rule number one: When the engine starts to have non-electrical problems, automatically treat it likes it's going to have a complete failure with fire, any second. In other words, the best thing to do in a situation like this is to get the aircraft on the ground as soon as possible. It would have been better for him to set-up a landing on the freeway than attempt any airport. If your engine is going out and you have a decent place to land, set-up for it and take it. You may lose many safe landing options trying to get to the airport. This engine could have completely stopped and it could have also produced a massive fire over an area between the freeway and airport with nowhere to land. Remember the engine out story in the P51? Thinking "I can make it" is a state of panic and the fastest way to get yourself killed.

[@TerribleFire]

That freeway is littered with power lines and gantries. It would be a death sentence. The pilot made the right call.

[@dasnvps]

I would pay this guy to instruct me. Sharp mind and he gave up in a seriously bad situation. Thanks for this video.

[@lightotw]

I wouldn't have him instruct. His experience is mainly heli. Evidence? He was suggested an alternate airport and his only question was how long is the runway. To his mind, fixed wing have this problem heli don't. That is a weird way to look at it and screams inexperience. I'd be shocked to learn of an airport on charts with a runway too short for a C-172. The question wasn't worthwhile asking, and if you listen to any other accident story on youtube, you'll never hear a pilot of a small plane ask about runway length in an emergency. My Dad used to put his down on logging roads during bad thunderstorms. He would take off again from the logging road once the storm passed. The other part is his inexperience with engines. Young people are used to electronics and don't understand mechanical issues very well. He admitted as much at the end of the video. If he understood it better he would have looked at oil temperature and pressure when the engine shake began. No word on that at all.

[@n124lp]

Thank you for sharing this story with the rest of us. I am glad that the pilot is ok. One thing I take away from watching these very informative safety videos is that it is difficult when in the middle of a crisis situation to know what information you need to get from ATC and how to get that information. For example, in this situation, it would have been very helpful for the pilot to have known that the ceiling at Gaithersburg was only 100 ft. higher than at Frederick. But how could he have known to ask that? Perhaps it would be a good idea whenever weather is a factor for deciding where to go in an emergency to get the full observation for the candidate airports? Anyone have suggestions about communicating with ATC during an emergency?

[@funshootin1]

hey at least you didnt totally fertilize your fruit of the looms and got the plane down in one piece .. check that box and learn from it.

[@foxyroxstar]

ah right around the corner's end of Hawkins Creamery Road! glad you made it down. Damascus..Mt Airy..Frederick..Gaithersburg..(I think that we would'ave known of this crash as I do now of a 12/08/14 "crash" near Montgomery County Airpark) oooh.

[@cpy]

Pretty savage ATC on that phone call. "IFR cancellation received"!? How about something like "Are you ok? Do you need help? Can I call emergency services for you?"

[@deanfowlkes]

Yes, that “IFR cancelled” was sooooo, unsatisfying. I would have had to go full Samual L on that controller. I SAID I’M ALIVE, MFer!!

[@pushing2throttles]

First off all, great job staying alive. Secondly I think your takeaways that you stated we're prudent. I think another point to make is stay calm, as you also stated, ought to be over emphasized. There's 18000 public use airports in the USA. ATC is your support system. Use all available resources! Good job not dying!

[@raidazz1]

Great job to get on the ground in one piece.. A bit of luck that the weather was good enough to land safely. In a single engine aircraft anytime you have engine problems and are unable to maintain alt its always a MAYDAY with a requirement to track to the nearest SUITABLE runway available.

[@tazzertime]

Glad you survived to share your experience. I am not a pilot but if you learn there has been recent engine service to the aircraft, your pre-flight checks should also include checking under the hood as best you can. With all due respect to mechanics, mistakes happen and you might have had a big warning with an engine check before flight.

[@foxkilo9909]

Unlike other models like the Piper28 or the Beech Bonanze, the Cowling of the C172 is fixed with screws. One can only see the engine trough air inlets and the oil dipstick latch.

[@depotshredder6938]

Not completely true. I fly a 172L, and there's a nice, relatively large panel you can open to look inside the cowling. However, if you're talking about a newer model like the one in this video, then there isn't any such panel.

[@foxkilo9909]

Depot Shredder Thanks for the hint. I am flying a 2002 C172S. All I can open without a screwdriver is the oil filler panel.

[@depotshredder6938]

Piper Pilot Yeah- I'm really not a fan of the newer 172s. Sure, the L I fly is slower and has a mediocre panel (the plastic keeps coming off), but it's just a much better plane to me as far as preflighting goes. Only 1 fuel sump on each side and 1 on the bottom is definitely a perk, you have all these ways to look inside the plane. If your flight school has an older model (not an R, that's cheating :p), you should really fly it sometime. They're so much cheaper, and a lot quicker to preflight (and start, if it's carbeureted like N242AV), so you can actually get in the air.

[@foxkilo9909]

I already got my license. My flight club has 1 C172S and 2 PA28-181. I like the pipers more but for rides with passengers, the Cessna just beats the view. And speed is really not a factor for me. Today I cruised at 43%BHP/89KTS :) Unfortunately I've never flown any other 172 models but I would really love to!

[@brentdykgraaf184]

Great job...never gave up...and walked away. Like Bob hover said.... fly the s.o.b.all the way to the crash site. Congratulations on avoiding the tremendous desire to pull back on yolk and stall/ spin/ die.

[@allenkey9892]

I learned to fly in N116SV in 2005 when the plane was in Arkansas! It was brand new. G1000 was nice...

[@muimasmacho]

They don't make mechanics like they used to. And no matter how skilled a pilot is, an engine coming apart in midair is a very dangerous situation. Those who experience it and survive, often embolden themselves as invincible, until they become invinced. And that challenge often plays out just above our homes!!! This has been an exceptionally dangerous year for flying. Lots of factors, too little corrections.

[@RMSchapiro]

If I may self reflect - I would hardly say I'm "emboldened as invincible". If anything, I would say I have become considerably more conservative since the engine failure. Also, this event took place in 2011.

[@muimasmacho]

Robert Schapiro, You handled your incident very well, under unfortunate circumstances. Congratulations. But these types of incidents don't always work out that way... which was the point of my earlier comment. Some of the very best pilots, and their passengers, are routinely checkmated by the master champion assassination prowess of incompetant A&P mechanics.

[@tbas8741]

Another Lesson - Retract Flaps After Such a Landing to give max Braking effort and also Reduced the Chance or completely Make it impossible for it to lift off again when trying to pull back on stick for aero braking.

[@StevenSwaks]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@therockindoc5453]

Great job, Boychik!

[@richardmathies7302]

A well handled emergency but one action that should have been considered is an aggressive slip on final to correct for high and fast. This is what glider guys teach (where its always a power off landing) although they also have the advantage of air breaks assuming they deploy. This action might have avoided going off the end of runway.

[@j.settle6448]

I am not a pilot or anything but that was an awesome job dude! Amazing!

[@nightwaves3203]

"Nearest airport please. Engine failing." Then if whomever you are under control of at the time asks if you are declaring an emergency laugh at him. I landed on a NG heliport in OK one day when the mechanics trick of unfreezing stuck valves with a metal hammer had my right side rocker arms fall off when skud running. Geniuses.

[@luvisuzu]

excellent job. great attitude- never be afraid to ask for help.

[@joro18d93]

That controller had no concern about this pilot. It must've been quitting time.

[@duckslayer92]

He double checked with him on which field he really wanted 🤷‍♂️

[@psjasker]

Kept his head … flew the aircraft. Great job!

[@joshthemediocre7824]

I wouldn't be able to hear ATT over the sound of me shitting myself.

[@jonathanmoore9661]

Nice work man. I’m glad you are ok.

[@edsal26]

Sounds like to me your engine might have locked up just before arrival at Frederick. Good job landing with that much stress.

[@vmgaspar]

Very well made and explained. Thank you for making these videos which have interestint 'lessons learned' outcomes. Lucky to be able to make it in this case. I liked it!

[@CFITOMAHAWK2]

Stuck valves is mostly valves that with too rich mixture they start getting contaminants and soot on the stem to the point that gets caked due the innate high temperatures of the valve and start not letting the valve close and compression to be kept. No compression, no ignition. No compression on that or those cylinders means the other cylinders are pulling most of the mixture from the carb set at rich mixture, that mixture will get richer due is going to only a few working cylinders, if mixture is not leaned and kept rich the other cylinders will get flooded too and fail too eventually. I lost a cylinder at 100 feet on take off C-150-no place to land ahead, leaned mixture, slowly climbed at about 200 feet per minute until I got to 350 feet and did a partial power turnback to opposite runway with stall warning slightly on at end of turn, dropped the nose to Vgl, dropped flaps and landed tailwind. I found out other CFI's never wanted to lean the mixture under 4,000 feet, (Dam Chicken CFI's almost killed me and my passenger). I had to get them together and teach them they can lean under 70% power-at least CHT is on the green. But some i learned latter on, were too chicken to touch that red knob unless very high and kept rich mixture even when no good for engine. Dam Chicken CFI's are the root of USA GA decay with their shitty training. Avoid any coward CFI that can't teach all kinds of emergencies, including the ones on take off (I'm used to them). He will make you a coward pilot too that will lose control of engine or plane later on. Most Pilot errors are lost of control of the engine/or the speed (stalls). Even 20,000 hour former airline Captains on easy to fly jets (yes they are easy to fly) are been killed via losing control on smaller, "non-everything automatic" lightplanes that require good troubleshooting practice and deep understanding of piston engines. Jet engines are simpler to handle and MUCH MORE reliable. Dont support CFI's that avoid you learning partial power troubleshooting methods very well.

[@FlightChops]

awesome reply! I just made a video about leaning and this reply is an amazing source of info as to WHY leaning is so important - I briefly touched on the idea of fouled plugs and engine components when running rich all the time, but nothing says it as clearly as this does! Do you mind if I copy / paste this (credit given of course) over to that video? I will post a link to the video in another reply here, but the KZbin spam filter may stop it from showing

[@FlightChops]

Here's the link to my recently made video regarding leaning: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqmni4Z8rcx_rpY

[@CFITOMAHAWK2]

***** Go ahead and use the post. Sorry I didn't get to see your post until august 24. First time I see you responded to it. Glad they like it. Fail to control engine mixture is called also Poor Engine Management and should fail the CFI's if they fail to do it. Many CFI's are too chicken to touch that red knob unless they are too high.

[@CFITOMAHAWK2]

***** Subscribed. You Canadians are more honest about learning to fly well than the wimpy training that is allowed in this USA. I'm Puerto Rican and in PR we can't stand bad or BS CFI's. I have seen them been hit by the family of pilot hurt on an accident. On the contrary, the "Crooked CFI's" are praised as "nice CFI's" in USA. Crooks like other Crooks. In USA the Crook CFI's are more busy due they are easy to push around and they sell out licenses and Biannuals like for 20 dollars and hour. They are killing GA in USA. Can you believe emergency landings are not actually required in USA? Only an APPROACH.= At 1,000 feet I can add power and say I did an emergency landing procedure. Which is BS. BS Pilot Training is the root of the big USA GA LOC's 5 a day accidents. Canadian training is better. Keep it up Canada.

[@CFITOMAHAWK2]

​@Copter Cop- Im a car mechanic mostly for 30 years now and CFI last 20 years Im fixing lately mostly fuel injection systems that get the intake valves stuck first due gas injected on top of it produces a lot of deposits on the stem- which can make it not let it close well, leak compression and eventually make the cylinder not fire due too low compression on it. Anyway who cares which valve got stuck when you lose one cylinder, when you fly in an emergency partial power situation you dont thing about which valve is stuck out. You fly with precision the airplane first, nurse it to a landing then on the ground see which valve was stuck out. Any way I have to check if that engine is port or direct injection. If port injected then IM ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. If direct it will be the exhaust valve first to get stuck if mixture not leaned well due carbon on it. If carbureted if will be the exhaust valve first too. Anyway-Who cares which valve is stuck when you are short on power or rpm and busy about flying partial power. Leave that for later. Fly now, repair it later. The rest of the post I can debate you is all true due I myself had engine fails due that and MYSELF had to help repair the cylinders on those planes. (Im a Master Mechanic in the much more complicated car engines). My A & P thrust my work more than anyone he knows he says. Airplane engines are a piece of cake to repair compared to the European cars Im a master on (BMW's specialist). Never wanted the A&P. I make more money than any airplane mechanic in my co owned auto shop and dont have to see so many accidents and destruction of irreplaceable airplanes via pilot error. Dont like handling mostly 30 to 40 year old machines in the hand of rich clods that will fuck them up via half training from Crooked CFI's. There are too many Chicken CFI's that dont care for anything and anybody due they will leave in a few months to fly easier and safer to fly all automatic jetliners. FAA dont enforce CFI half trained errors at all due weak regulations in training since the millennium. Only Mild Maneuvering and mild emergency training is required in USA since the millennium. I write for an European mag in Spanish/English. I have been investigating accidents for over 25 years now as a hobby. I teach 10 kinds of engine fails on the traffic pattern 5 legs, plus aerobatic upset training, I know what im talking about. In 3 languages. Lets debate if you want.