by Ferris Pfeiffer
Originally posted on the Facebook Group "AQP and Coffee". Re-published here with permission of the author.
I was flying along on Wednesday in my 310 when my left engine suddenly and unexpectedly self-destructed. While I have never had any formal AQP training, I watch Dan's and Blanco's videos (among others) religiously, and am constantly thinking through AQP scenarios in my head when I fly.
So, when the engine let go unexpectedly, because of AQP thinking, I was "expecting" it. And I could hear the faint voices of so many in my head "maintain DMMS" "pitch for blue line" "keep it flying".
Now, I had the luxury of altitude when it happened, but still in just over a minute, I had the plane configured, the dead engine stowed, and a plan of where to go. The plane was flying fine on one engine. I very briefly considered continuing to my destination. The plane was fine on one engine and it was only 30 minutes away.
I could hear the faint voices of so many in my head "maintain DMMS" "pitch for blue line" "keep it flying".
But, whatever just caused the left engine to fail could possibly cause the right engine to fail and I'm not certified to fly a glider. And, as much as I like Dan and Blanco, I don't want either one of them to mention my name or feature me on their channels.
So, I flew directly to the nearest airport, circled the airport while losing altitude, kept my airspeed at or above blue line, and made a textbook single-engine landing. Opened the door and walked away with a story to tell and some bills to pay.
I hope this is an example of AQP through osmosis. Where the efforts of those in the air safety community are having a significant positive influence on GA pilots, but it doesn't always show up in the statistics because we don't always report on crashes that don't happen.
It's not just Dan and Blanco, there are dozens Mike Patey, Aviation101, and many others who contribute to aviation safety through their work. I'm sure my story isn't unique, and may not even be worth telling, but I hope everyone out there finds some way to continually improve their skills and safety.
I hope someday soon Dan has nothing to post except videos of his banjo playing and Blanco can only post videos flying Harvey or the "Mighty Luscombe" and Mike has time to build yet another 1000mph airplane, because there are no more fatal GA accidents.
Fly safe everyone and be prepared for the "unexpected" failure.
NOTE FROM PUBLISHER:
Thank you Ferris for sharing this experience with us! And I concur with your hope that someday (soon) Dan and Juan no longer have so many GA accidents to make videos about. That's what this website is all about. Let's all take Ferris' advice - "fly safe everyone!"
