RV-6 Prop Failure - Landed

[LifeofReiley]

N65MK shows up as an RV6, prop failure 03/28/2008

It appears the plane belongs to http://www.variprop.com

[rv6ejguy]

R&D has its risks and failures and propellers may be one of the most difficult things to develop. Many others have had problems and many are not publicized that I know of.

Hope they keep trying. This is a cool concept.

[rtry9a]

I wonder if this was the prototype Elippse style C/S propeller that Variprop was working with?

[airguy]

I like the idea of someone putting out a "new" type of CS prop for the experimental market - especially a lightweight one such as this. I have to admit I'm ignorant of this particular product - what is there in-use track record? The website is a little slim on details...

[Rocketboy]

Props are deadly serious business and absolutley NO place to take chances. Lots of pilots have died over the years due to prop failures. Stick to what is known, proven and then inspect/maintain your prop properly.

Let some other fool test new prop designs.

Bob

[Ron Lee]

I agree with Bob. I thought that losing a blade may result in the quick loss of the engine. If that happens you are dead.

People need to be cautious about being early adopters of new components. Just because your plane is experimental and you have wide latitude does not make it safe.

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by Ron Lee

I agree with Bob. I thought that losing a blade may result in the quick loss of the engine. If that happens you are dead.

People need to be cautious about being early adopters of new components. Just because your plane is experimental and you have wide latitude does not make it safe.

Not always.

This is a picture of a good friend's Waco UPF-7 sitting in NY's Staten Island Ferry parking lot:

The prop lost 17" off of one side. The NTSB took what remained of the prop for analysis. Their conclusion, the failure was due to intergranular corrosion, not a nick. In other words, there were no visible signs of an impending failure. In this case the prop was a certified all aluminum Curtis Reed fixed pitch prop.

Note the weeds in the right landing gear, he bounced it off the berm in the background to make the parking lot and then swerved between the light poles missing everything. Eddie is one heck of a good pilot!

His only comment to me after the incident was, "I felt s a small vibration, pulled the throttle back, looked up and realized the engine was gone, it happened that quickly. That Old Bird is a little draggy with the engine hanging down there like that."

[rv6ejguy]

I know of several incidents where blades have been lost and guys have made it down in one piece but this is not something you want to try for kicks as the results are often fatal, especially in the case of heavy metal props. As I said, several well known names have had failures in the last few years but these incidents tend not to be well publicized. Might be bad for future sales.

[airguy]

How many RV builders (or certified for that matter) use a retaining strap to keep the engine attached to the front of the airplane if it should rip out of the engine mount? If you lose the engine off the aircraft, the CG shift is so extreme you're done - no maybes. If you keep it hanging there the airplane is still a controllable glider.

[robertahegy]

One person I know of that comletely lost an engine and survived. He was Dale Crites of Wisconsin Aviation fame. He told me how he immediately put the plane into a dive while he still had substantial forward speed, then flared just before nearing the ground. He admitted it was luck that he did not hit anything hard after the flare, but he did survive the ordeal. Not something he would want to ever try again, though. I don't remember what plane it was. Both the Crites twins (Dale and Dean) are gone now. They lived long and happy lives. Dale built the Curtiss Pusher that hangs in the MKE terminal. Dean built a 1980s Waco. They founded the Waukesha County airport (UES) back in the thirties. Both had pilot licenses signed by Orville Wright.

Roberta