HighFlyingA380
Cleared for Takeoff
A few days ago I was doing a ferry of a 1961 172B with a Continental O-300. Unfamiliar airframe and power-plant; I guess I've been a bit jaded flying mid-2000s throughout my career, with the exception of a couple here and there...
So I depart AMA towards ABQ, climbing up to 10,500. During the climb, there was a temperature inversion, and I remember it still being quite warm, around 65-70, through about 8.5-9. I level-off and set cruise power doing a rough lean, and check all engine gauges. Carb. temp. is good. During that scan, departure hands me off to ZAB. After check-in, I fine-tune the mixture. Engine starts to cough; OK, a bit too lean, no big deal, just richen some. No joy. Richen more, and she stops.
Tell ZAB I lost engine power, stop the prop and trim best glide, then turn back towards AMA. I switch to the individual mags and try a restart. No joy. Glance at the carb. temp. and ****! it's at the bottom and OAT is 42. I yank the carb. heat out, but without airflow, that doesn't do much. ZAB switches me back to approach and he asks which runway I want with the winds (<10 so strait-in to whichever runway is my plan) to have the trucks rolled and ready.
Through about 7.5-8 I remember the higher OAT and sure enough, the carb. temp. is a bit higher. Bump the starter to try to get some of the warmer air pulled through, and sure enough she coughs once or twice and roars back to life.
I begin a climb and tell approach that I regained power and am climbing but still heading towards AMA. Level-off at 10.5 again, and set up for cruise with some carb. heat, and it's just fine. Just to confirm that the problem was indeed carb. ice, I turn off the heat and closely watch the carb. temp; Sure enough it starts decreasing and at the first cough, add the heat. Now no doubt in my mind that it was preventable carb. ice, so I tell approach that I am no longer an emergency and turning back towards ABQ. At every hand-off (3 more ZAB controllers, approach, and tower) I get asked if everything was OK and if I needed any assistance...
Lessons learned:
1- Macho-ism. This was a last-minute ferry so I didn't have time to really do some research on the unfamiliar engine, or talk to an instructor to refresh my carb. knowledge. But oh well, I'm a professional flying turbine-powered aircraft, I can handle a dainty little 172...
2- In training with the Lycoming, about all that was taught was 'power below the green arc, carb. heat full'. Well, in climb and cruise, the power was above the green arc, so I didn't touch the carb. heat. In doing some research now, apparently the Continentals are also a bit more susceptible due to the placement of the carburetor. More reading/research is on my to-do list.
3- Impulsivity. I was just touching the mixture, therefore that had to be the problem and I focused on that until after it completely quit. Wasn't until a bit after that I thought of the carb. heat, and not until later still that I checked the fuel selector and confirmed the primer was locked. All of which are listed on the emergency placard directly above the throttle.
Final question: I'm assuming there is nothing required on my part since the emergency was cancelled and I wasn't given a number to call? I do figure an ASRS report would still be beneficial though...
So I depart AMA towards ABQ, climbing up to 10,500. During the climb, there was a temperature inversion, and I remember it still being quite warm, around 65-70, through about 8.5-9. I level-off and set cruise power doing a rough lean, and check all engine gauges. Carb. temp. is good. During that scan, departure hands me off to ZAB. After check-in, I fine-tune the mixture. Engine starts to cough; OK, a bit too lean, no big deal, just richen some. No joy. Richen more, and she stops.
Tell ZAB I lost engine power, stop the prop and trim best glide, then turn back towards AMA. I switch to the individual mags and try a restart. No joy. Glance at the carb. temp. and ****! it's at the bottom and OAT is 42. I yank the carb. heat out, but without airflow, that doesn't do much. ZAB switches me back to approach and he asks which runway I want with the winds (<10 so strait-in to whichever runway is my plan) to have the trucks rolled and ready.
Through about 7.5-8 I remember the higher OAT and sure enough, the carb. temp. is a bit higher. Bump the starter to try to get some of the warmer air pulled through, and sure enough she coughs once or twice and roars back to life.
I begin a climb and tell approach that I regained power and am climbing but still heading towards AMA. Level-off at 10.5 again, and set up for cruise with some carb. heat, and it's just fine. Just to confirm that the problem was indeed carb. ice, I turn off the heat and closely watch the carb. temp; Sure enough it starts decreasing and at the first cough, add the heat. Now no doubt in my mind that it was preventable carb. ice, so I tell approach that I am no longer an emergency and turning back towards ABQ. At every hand-off (3 more ZAB controllers, approach, and tower) I get asked if everything was OK and if I needed any assistance...
Lessons learned:
1- Macho-ism. This was a last-minute ferry so I didn't have time to really do some research on the unfamiliar engine, or talk to an instructor to refresh my carb. knowledge. But oh well, I'm a professional flying turbine-powered aircraft, I can handle a dainty little 172...
2- In training with the Lycoming, about all that was taught was 'power below the green arc, carb. heat full'. Well, in climb and cruise, the power was above the green arc, so I didn't touch the carb. heat. In doing some research now, apparently the Continentals are also a bit more susceptible due to the placement of the carburetor. More reading/research is on my to-do list.
3- Impulsivity. I was just touching the mixture, therefore that had to be the problem and I focused on that until after it completely quit. Wasn't until a bit after that I thought of the carb. heat, and not until later still that I checked the fuel selector and confirmed the primer was locked. All of which are listed on the emergency placard directly above the throttle.
Final question: I'm assuming there is nothing required on my part since the emergency was cancelled and I wasn't given a number to call? I do figure an ASRS report would still be beneficial though...
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