Planes in Film - What scenario is more plausible?

Since we’re on unlikely scenarios, would it be possible for water in the fuel to freeze and float to the top of the tank, then when the plane enters warmer air, the water melts and stops the engine?

My guess would be yes it could freeze and float and no it wouldn’t stop the engine because the water would be mixed with enough fuel to burn.
 
Carb ice is the biggest single cause of engine failures, by a wide margin. Only in carbureted engines, of course, and it's mostly due to poor training.

Next is running out of fuel. Or switching to an empty tank or something.

Then it's running out of oil. Big leak, or an old hose finally let go, or the pilot never checked it in the last 100 hours.

Catastrophic, structural engine failure is a long ways down the list. Broken crankshaft or something.
 
With oil pressure loss from a hose that's been severed, disconnected, whatever.

While the engine will eventually cut out, is there still a chance because of rising engine heat, oil getting on to the engine that you might see at least smoke?
 
skipone said:
With oil pressure loss from a hose that's been severed, disconnected, whatever.

While the engine will eventually cut out, is there still a chance because of rising engine heat, oil getting on to the engine that you might see at least smoke?
Click to expand...
Oh yes. Especially with a severed hose in the right spot. Oil on the exhaust will make smoke for sure.
 
Water in the fuel! Sugar won't do squat.
 
skipone said:
Often we watch films or read books where we see an exciting, action-packed scenario and we say, that wouldn't happen.

So, If you were watching a film or reading a novel where a bush plane runs into an issue and has to do an emergency landing because the engine craps out on them, which out of these three would be the most plausible?

A. Dual magneto failure
B. Oil pressure drops to zero
C. Water in the fuel tanks
Click to expand...
I vote for option D, although its still unlikely.
Newish pilot gets busy and forgets to switch tanks. All is well as they come in for a landing but they decide to execute a go around and somewhere between 50-200 ft AGL the fuel runs dry on the tank selected. They freak and don't respond fast enough resulting in a forced landing or worse, brush with the trees at the departure end of whatever piece of earth they were hoping to land at.
 
skipone said:
With oil pressure loss from a hose that's been severed, disconnected, whatever.

While the engine will eventually cut out, is there still a chance because of rising engine heat, oil getting on to the engine that you might see at least smoke?
Click to expand...

Oh yes, as I mentioned above the oil dripping from a loose fitting onto my exhaust made a large amount of smoke. Any other part of the engine, it won't be hot enough to smoke. If the engine overheats due to lack of oil, there won't be any oil left to smoke by the time the engine itself gets hot enough to smoke it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top