Unit # 15

Propulsion Plant Investigation I

Aircraft Accident
Investigation &
Management

Instructor:
Daniel Cutrer, Ph. D.

November 6, 2019 1
 Question?
Have aircraft engines Textbook -
been involved in Chapts 10 & 11
many of the
fatal accidents
during the past
few years?

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 So. . . .
 Today’s aircraft engines are
safe, efficient, and highly
reliable
 However, powerplant
accidents and incidents
can and do still happen
 Investigating them can
still lead to improvements
in engine design and
operating procedures
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5
 Goals of Any
Powerplant Investigation
1. Determine the level of engine
performance at the time of impact
• Was engine able to operate at full capacity
• Was engine operating at reduced capacity
• Was there a complete in-flight failure
2. Determine if the level of engine
performance at the time of impact was
consistent with what the crew selected
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Recip Engines

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Power Means
Safety

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 Which Are Easier
to Investigate?
 Reciprocating
Engines

 Turbine
Engines

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One of Three Scenarios
1. Engine stopped in-flight
(internal failure)

2. Engine was shut down by pilot

3. Engine was not making full

power
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 Basic Steps
 Gather all known information regarding accident
 Assemble everything
• Witness statements
• Radio transmissions
• CVR / FDR
 Do circumstances fit the common scenarios?
 Determine what you really need to know
• Engine completely stopped
• Turning less than full power
• Turning close to full power

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 Complete Engine Failure or
In-flight Shutdown
 Questions to ask:
• Fuel on board?
• Correct type of fuel?
• Fuel contaminated?
• Could fuel get to engine
• Did fuel actually get to engine?
• Was engine getting sufficient air?
• Was engine getting ignition?
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 Two Important Terms
 Fuel Starvation . . .
• Running one tank dry
due to improper
management, or fuel
system malfunction.
• Still some fuel aboard.
 Fuel Exhaustion . . .
• Burning (or leaking) all
of the fuel down to flame-out
• No fuel left onboard

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Was There Fuel On Board?
 Compute fuel consumption
• Receipts, fuel logs
 Examine the tanks
 Check vegetation
(post-crash fire)
 First responder
reports

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Was Fuel Correct Type?
 Turbine fuel in recip. aircraft is a
common producer of power loss on
takeoff
 Turbine fuel has
higher specific gravity
 Paper test. . .

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Was Fuel Contaminated?
 Check for water
and gross
sediments

 Accurate eval
takes place in
the lab

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Could Fuel Get To Engine?
 Fuel selector => full tank
 Obstructions in tanks
 Fuel pumps
(quantity / rotation)
 Check CBs
 Fuel filters
(cleanliness / bypass)
 Engine fuel lines
and carburetor
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Notable Fuel-Related Crashes
 John Denver
October 1997, singer John Denver was killed in
a crash of his Long-EZ while trying to switch
fuel tanks, after his plane crashed into the
Pacific Ocean
 Avianca # 52
January 1990, Boeing 707 ran out of fuel and
crashed in the woods of Cove Neck, New York when
the crew failed to declare an emergency after
running low on fuel. Seventy-three of the 158
aboard were killed
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 Was Engine Getting Air?

 Clear induction system

• Trace from
the air filter
through to
the throat of
the carburetor
• Obstructions?

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Was Engine Getting Ignition?
 Loss of total ignition is rare – why?
 Check position of magneto switch
• Could have moved during impact
• Pilot may have used mag switch
to shut down engine deliberately
 Check integrity of
magneto parts
• Shaft, points,
rotors, etc

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Internal Engine Failure?

 Massive internal damage possible,

but rare
 Try to turn over
by hand
 Recip engines are
rugged and can
survive impact
and still turn
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Engine Did
Not Fail,
But Was Not
Producing
Full Power . . .
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 Why Wasn’t Engine
Producing Full Power?

 Induction system ice

 Ignition system failure
 Spark plug failure
 Cylinder failure
 Lube system failure
 Timing failure

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 Induction System Ice
 Positive evidence rarely found – why?
 Induction system icing process:
• Venturi effect causes air temp
to lower about 5OC
• Fuel evaporation drops it another 40OC
• If there is water vapor in the F/A mixture
 Check carb heat control lever
 “Conducive to Carb Ice”

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Carb Icing Probability Chart

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 Spark Plug Failure
 Loss of power from one plug is
barely noticeable
 Trained mechanic
can gather good info
 Always use plug rack
with numbered holes
or simply tag
each plug - why?

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 Cylinder Failure
 If engine can still be rotated, remove
one plug and perform a “Field
Compression Test”

 Cylinders and valve

faces can be
examined with
a borescope
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 Lubrication System Failure?
 Total or partial loss of oil can cause
engine shut down or power loss
 Check for oil in the system: oil tank, oil
lines, & oil pump
 Check filters and
sumps for
contaminates
 Finally remove
rockerbox cover
and inspect for oil
 Send oil sample
to lab for SOAP
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 Still No Answer…
 Look at other signs of obvious
mechanical damage
 Exhaust manifold overheating
(brittle or ductile failure)
 Signs of fire? (pre- or post-crash)
 Last step - remove the engine from
the wreckage and take to a certified
engine tear down facility
 Don’t destroy any evidence during
the removal and shipping!
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Questions So Far?

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Next . . . .

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Propeller Investigation

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The First Fatal Crash
Sept 1908

Ft Meyers,
VA

Orville
Wright
and
LT Thomas
Selfridge

Prop
failure

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 Evidence of Prop Rotation
 Blades bent opposite
of rotation
 Chordwise scratches
on blade front
 Curling or bending of
all blade tips
 Dings / dents to blade
leading edges
 Torsional damage to
prop shaft

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Example of Propeller Marks
Shattered Ends, Slightly Bent Forward

Trailing Edge
Compression
Chord-wise Striations

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Turning or Not Turning?

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Investigating Propellers
 What four things can we learn from
examining props at the crash site?
• Tell if the prop
was rotating at
impact
• Determine the
blade pitch
• Tell whether prop
was feathered
• Maybe calculate
either prop RPM or
aircraft’s velocity
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 Investigating Props
 True or False: It is always possible to
determine engine power output by
examining the appearance of the
propeller after the crash.

 False: There are too many variables

such as RPM, airspeed, attitude, and site
surface composition to positively say in
all cases.

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 Prop Slash Marks
If you can measure the distance between
prop slash marks, you can compute the
RPM of the prop:

RPM = (V) 101.3

(D) (N) (G)

Where “V” = ground speed of the aircraft, in knots

“D” = distance in feet between slash marks
“N” = number of blades on propeller
“G” = prop gear reduction ratio (if any)
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 Prop Slash Marks (2)
Or, if you know the RPM of the prop, you can
calculate the aircraft’s Ground Speed.

GS = (R) (D) (N) (G)

101.3

Where “R” = prop RPM

“D” = distance in feet between slash marks
“N” = number of blades on propeller
“G” = prop gear reduction ratio (if any)
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 Example
 Cessna 172 crashed after take-off
 Distance between first 2 sets of prop
slash marks = 24 inches
 3-bladed, fixed pitch prop
 Prop turns 2,400 PRM @ T.O.
 What was the aircraft’s approximate
groundspeed (GS) @ impact?
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 Solution

GS = (R) (D) (N) (G) ÷ 101.3

= 2400 (2.0) (3) ÷ 101.3
= 14,400 ÷ 101.3
= 142 kts
Is this a reasonable takeoff speed for a C-172?
If not, what could be the problem?

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 Alternate Solution

RPM = (V) 101.3 ÷ (D) (N) (G)

= (60) 101.3 ÷ 2.0 (3)
= 1,013 RPM

So what probably happened?

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 Prop RPM Clues
 If the prop RPM was high, and the Forward
Velocity was low, the blade tips will tend to
bend forward

 If the RPM was low and the Forward

Velocity was high, the blade tips will tend
to bend backward

 If only one blade is bent, it was not caused

by rotational damage

 If the impact angle was high, then the blade

(tips and all) will bend backward,
regardless of RPM
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 Broken prop
shaft connected
to engine

Front of prop

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Front of Prop

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 Gear Up Landing
Making power
@ impact.
Low RPM
compared to
fwd velocity

Front of Prop

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 Propeller Investigation
 At the scene:
• Account for all parts:
 Blades
 Blade tips
 Spinners
• Examine the blades:
 Bends
 Twists
 Scratches/gouges/nicks

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 Propeller Investigation

 At the scene:
• Look for evidence
of pre-impact failure:
 Fatigue
 Tips
 Internal failure (Tech Rep)
 Before moving the propeller blades,
make witness marks (scribe) to mark
alignment with hub

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Questions?

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