Had a bad day
Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 3:11 pm
So halfway through a 2-hr X/C jaunt from the Dayton, OH area to Evansville, IN yesterday with my wife and young daughter along, I began noticing a strong exhaust-type smell. I shut off the heater and things seemed to get better, reinforcing my suspicion that I must have a small exhaust leak someplace in the heating system. As it began to get really cold in the cabin, my wife and I experimented with applying a small amount of heat only, while admitting fresh air from the wing root vents and for a time, it seemed tolerable. She closed her eyes and tried to resume her nap (my 4-yr old was already sound asleep in back).
As we continued, and only a few minutes later I noticed that the view ahead was looking hazier than expected. I took off my sunglasses and immediately realized that the haze wasn't outside the plane, it was in the cabin! HEATER OFF, WINDOW AND CABIN VENTS OPEN! I turned north towards KBAK (Columbus, IN) which I knew was nearby, though not exactly where. We quickly found the airport and were cleared to land.
The engine still seemed to make good power, oil pressure and temps OK, just a ghastly and noxious smoke in the cabin. We landed safely and taxied to an empty ramp. During the taxi, I attempted to open the cabin air vent but noted that the smoke immediately poured in, regardless of whether I used heat or cabin air settings. This can't be good.
With my family safely inside the FBO, I started inspection. Immediately I could see that the smoke was not exhaust, it was from oil burning off of the hot muffler. Some kind of major oil leak had sprung, spewing lube all over the passenger side of the engine. It continued running out of the lower cowl, pooling on the ground along with my hopes of a minor repair.
As it was a Saturday, the on-field service center was closed. There was a helpful pilot on the field, however, that offered some tools and his time to help me de-cowl and further inspect. About 10 or 15 hrs ago, we replaced the #1 and #5 cylinders with overhauled units, so my thoughts immediately centered on the #5. After cleaning, we could see no obvious oil source, however. Cautiously, we re-started the engine to run at 1000 rpm for a minute or so. I noted that the battery acted like it was nearly drained... very strange. After the brief running, we still saw nothing. We cleaned it up a little better and decided we would run for a couple of minutes longer, at a slightly higher RPM. Again, it struggled to start, but it did. When I ran it up to about 1500 RPM, it started to shake, so I shut it down. Now we could see that the oil was centering around the #3 cylinder (which we never touched at annual/top overhaul). We pulled the spark plugs on the odd-numbered cylinders and the #3 was soaking with oil. Oil both inside and outside? No way this will end good.
The helpful pilot gave me the number of a local mechanic he would recommend, but when I called, the gentlemen said he wouldn't be able to do anything since the plane wasn't at his field. I was able to contact the service manager of the service center on-site and he'll have a mechanic looking at it on Monday morning. I can only imagine what their labor rate will be.
I know things could have been a lot worse. I was able to land on an airport instead of some farmer's field (or worse). We were on the ground and shut down before an engine fire occurred. My plane is at an airport with a Cessna service and parts center on-site. My parents' house was only a hour away and they were able to come pick us up. My plane is within a few hours driving distance from my home. Our troubles at this point will be financial rather than physical, we are all physically unscathed.
As I walked away from my plane, tied down on a lonely ramp, a still-growing puddle of oil dripping beneath as dusk settled and the snow began falling... it's the sickest feeling I've had in a long time.
As we continued, and only a few minutes later I noticed that the view ahead was looking hazier than expected. I took off my sunglasses and immediately realized that the haze wasn't outside the plane, it was in the cabin! HEATER OFF, WINDOW AND CABIN VENTS OPEN! I turned north towards KBAK (Columbus, IN) which I knew was nearby, though not exactly where. We quickly found the airport and were cleared to land.
The engine still seemed to make good power, oil pressure and temps OK, just a ghastly and noxious smoke in the cabin. We landed safely and taxied to an empty ramp. During the taxi, I attempted to open the cabin air vent but noted that the smoke immediately poured in, regardless of whether I used heat or cabin air settings. This can't be good.
With my family safely inside the FBO, I started inspection. Immediately I could see that the smoke was not exhaust, it was from oil burning off of the hot muffler. Some kind of major oil leak had sprung, spewing lube all over the passenger side of the engine. It continued running out of the lower cowl, pooling on the ground along with my hopes of a minor repair.
As it was a Saturday, the on-field service center was closed. There was a helpful pilot on the field, however, that offered some tools and his time to help me de-cowl and further inspect. About 10 or 15 hrs ago, we replaced the #1 and #5 cylinders with overhauled units, so my thoughts immediately centered on the #5. After cleaning, we could see no obvious oil source, however. Cautiously, we re-started the engine to run at 1000 rpm for a minute or so. I noted that the battery acted like it was nearly drained... very strange. After the brief running, we still saw nothing. We cleaned it up a little better and decided we would run for a couple of minutes longer, at a slightly higher RPM. Again, it struggled to start, but it did. When I ran it up to about 1500 RPM, it started to shake, so I shut it down. Now we could see that the oil was centering around the #3 cylinder (which we never touched at annual/top overhaul). We pulled the spark plugs on the odd-numbered cylinders and the #3 was soaking with oil. Oil both inside and outside? No way this will end good.
The helpful pilot gave me the number of a local mechanic he would recommend, but when I called, the gentlemen said he wouldn't be able to do anything since the plane wasn't at his field. I was able to contact the service manager of the service center on-site and he'll have a mechanic looking at it on Monday morning. I can only imagine what their labor rate will be.
I know things could have been a lot worse. I was able to land on an airport instead of some farmer's field (or worse). We were on the ground and shut down before an engine fire occurred. My plane is at an airport with a Cessna service and parts center on-site. My parents' house was only a hour away and they were able to come pick us up. My plane is within a few hours driving distance from my home. Our troubles at this point will be financial rather than physical, we are all physically unscathed.
As I walked away from my plane, tied down on a lonely ramp, a still-growing puddle of oil dripping beneath as dusk settled and the snow began falling... it's the sickest feeling I've had in a long time.
Congratulations on handling an in-flight emergency as well as you did! Ending a flight short of a destination is a normal thing in all my X-C flying experience, and sometimes it leads to an unforgettable adventure. It's all part of the fun of flying -- as are the unexpected expenses, I'm afraid. I hope it doesn't work out too badly for you. 
That doesn't leave much material holding it together. I'm very glad we were able to land as soon as we did!
. If or when you go to aircraft (parts) auctions, it is amazing to see the price that scrap aluminum goes for.