A twin engine aircraft with the loss of an engine can be a dangerous machine. We again lost a Piper Navajo with six people on board recently. It left eleven children without parents. Even though the NTSB report is not out it looks like it may be an engine failure or problem. As previously reported I have a lot of time in these aircraft and they will fly on one engine.
Steve Benedict, our Director of Training, was recently working with a multi engine pilot who is preparing for his multi engine ride. Due to the shortage of examiners created by the FAA attempting to “sterilize” the great DPE’s that have made pilot licensing successful, this pilot is having to wait for an available slot.
Steve believes in drilling these candidates on single engine operation. He will fail an engine in the sim at anytime and in any condition. His goal is conditioning the pilots to respond smoothly and correctly. This one student got caught in a climbing turn when one engine failed and the pilot failed to get the nose down and the wings level to establish a recovery. The result was that they “stalled the sim.” Our sim really lets you know you just stalled with noise and the buffet. The great part about doing it in the sim is that you walk away.
Complacency in training is what hurts people flying complicated aircraft. If these articles don’t get anything else over to you it is train, train, train. Our sims can create any situation and when you work with us you are at the top of your game.
We don’t need anymore family members who leave children behind because they were not prepared to fly a twin engine, or any single engine aircraft, in an emergency situation. Contact us today and we will put a plan together just for you.
Update
The NTSB just released the preliminary version of the accident. According to ATC the pilot reported the loss of the fuel pumps on both engines. The Navajo’s are equipped with multiple fuel pumps and this is just about impossible to lose all of the fuel pumps. Needless to say both engines quit producing power so this was either a fuel mismanagement problem or the aircraft ran out of fuel.
Again, knowing your aircraft and training in the sim would have been to the pilots advantage. We will wait for the final report to see what actually caused the dual engine failure.