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Altinator failure

bret

Well Known Member
So there I was 30 miles to go navigating through the rain and wind trying to get home, then a battery warning light comes on, O **** I knew instantly I had to take action and start load shedding electricity to keep the computer alive to fire the sparkplugs to keep the engine running, as the battery is on a limited life and draining quick, if the battery dies, the engine dies! I needed to decide what goes off NOW, all lights off, It was getting dark and could barley see, all fans and heat OFF, windscreen started fogging up and it was getting cold, then the engine rpm started fluctuating unexpectedly, WHAT THE!, more warning lights started coming on the panel and then the most scary, the engine started to miss and started shaking bad, then no power, them more power and stumbling, very worried I was not going to make it home, it then started slowing down and I got real scared! then I touched on the brakes and those lights brought the computer operational voltage below operational threshold and the engine Died! I used the very last amount of velocity to make the final turn.............into the driveway. WHEW! yes this was in my car tonight, but it was good practice for my all electric Fuel and IGN powered RV! my goodness I hope I never have to experience this in the air.
 
This had me worried for you! Which makes me wonder, why would anyone want 100% electronic ignition and fuel in an airplane? Do the advantages out weigh my perceived negatives to this system? Unless my understanding of the system is wrong, like you said when the battery dies so does the engine. Even in airliners, if all the electrical power is lost, you will still have the engines. Why would anyone chance an electrical failure making your engine quit?
 
Bret, You had us there for a while. I had that same feeling when I was on the way home in my daughter's TOTALLY electric car ....and a message came on the car's info screen, (YOU MAY WANT TO TURN OFF THE RADIO TO EXTEND YOUR MILAGE!) I didn't think a radio was going to make all that much difference. I made it home with fifteen minutes to spare. No total electric car for me.
 
Well, just sharing an experience driving home that was related to my emergency procedures as far as load shedding, in the plane, I do have an Earth X battery that will run the essentials for an hour, then a backup battery comes online for another 2 hours, two fuel pumps, two IGN systems, two computer ECMs. In the car it was just amazing how fast things started failing, transmission OD, ABS, timing, no windows up down, wipers, radio, blinkers, horn, lights, shifting, defroster, heater......radar detector :rolleyes:
 
Well, just sharing an experience driving home that was related to my emergency procedures as far as load shedding, in the plane, I do have an Earth X battery that will run the essentials for an hour, then a backup battery comes online for another 2 hours, two fuel pumps, two IGN systems, two computer ECMs. In the car it was just amazing how fast things started failing, transmission OD, ABS, timing, no windows up down, wipers, radio, blinkers, horn, lights, shifting, defroster, heater......radar detector :rolleyes:


Makes complete sense! It never dawned on me that an all electric system would have more than one battery/ source of power. That shows my ignorance on how these systems are set up! I think the airlines have me thinking old school when it comes to system design.
 
Makes complete sense! It never dawned on me that an all electric system would have more than one battery/ source of power. That shows my ignorance on how these systems are set up! I think the airlines have me thinking old school when it comes to system design.

How many aircraft out there are flying IFR with reliance on electricity for operations? How do you think they do it? Backup systems - that's how - and if you're going to have backup systems that are good enough to save your rear end in the weather for nav, there's not much difference from there to saving your rear end for power too. You just have to have backups that you have faith in.

If your night IMC, it doesn't matter if the screens go dark or the engine goes quiet - either way your done. In for a penny, in for a pound.
 
How many aircraft out there are flying IFR with reliance on electricity for operations? How do you think they do it? Backup systems - that's how - and if you're going to have backup systems that are good enough to save your rear end in the weather for nav, there's not much difference from there to saving your rear end for power too. You just have to have backups that you have faith in.

If your night IMC, it doesn't matter if the screens go dark or the engine goes quiet - either way your done. In for a penny, in for a pound.

I agree 100%, but most planes don't rely completely on electricity to keep the engine running. That was my only point, an airliner can go completely dark with all back ups failed, but the engines will run, as well as every plane I have ever flown. I know there is some improved technology out there that ill need to research when it comes time to design systems.
 
Most impressive tale!

You got me, I was in the cockpit with you imagining how to shed power to conserve juice.......... and then the driveway showed up!

Have you ever thought of writing thrillers for a living?

When desining my panel with a mission of Day / Night VFR I thought of that very thing and that is why my plane has old school MAgnetos, although sometime in future i might swap out one.

Maintained they will always work!

The panel has a centrally mounted 10 Skyview but I have a portable Bendix AV8OR to help navigagte and I always carry maps.

The Airspeed is pitot supplied and non electric as the Steam gauge RPM is connected via cable. So this thing should fly and well with no power....

Still that little tale sure had me thinking, thanks for that

DAve
 
{snip} that is why my plane has old school MAgnetos, although sometime in future i might swap out one.

Maintained they will always work!

{snip}
DAve

There have been dual mags on a/c engines since long before the cyl bores got big enough to need two igniters. If you haven't had a properly maintained mag fail, you haven't flown enough. ;-)

Do a little homework on magneto ADs, & ask yourself why they exist.

Charlie
 
You just have to have backups that you have faith in.

If your night IMC, it doesn't matter if the screens go dark or the engine goes quiet - either way your done. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Ideal scenario for BRS. Weighs a bit less than that third and fourth battery.
 
I kept waiting for the American Transience thread to break out into a Lee Child/Jack Reacher novella. Got the same thought in your one post.
 
49clipper

There have been dual mags on a/c engines since long before the cyl bores got big enough to need two igniters. If you haven't had a properly maintained mag fail, you haven't flown enough. ;-)

Do a little homework on magneto ADs, & ask yourself why they exist.

Charlie

44 years flying and one mag failure and that was back when I did not maintain them enough. I do now. Stone simple and few parts. I WILL NEVER BE WITHOUT ONE MAGNETO, EVER!
 
44 years flying and one mag failure and that was back when I did not maintain them enough. I do now. Stone simple and few parts. I WILL NEVER BE WITHOUT ONE MAGNETO, EVER!

Over 50 years flying. One mag failure. Hindsight showed several months of warning.
 
I guess it?s a good thing that we don?t have brake lights on our all-electric airplanes!

Bevan.
 
I guess it?s a good thing that we don?t have brake lights on our all-electric airplanes!

Bevan.

Good catch, but I still needed to keep the facts in place to accurately describe the chain of events as they unfolded. I originally posted this on FB for family and they thought the same thing, Airplane? then I thought it would be fun to share here, maybe I should have submitted it for off topic :rolleyes:
 
Mo Power...

Bret,
Having had Alt failure and a fan belt break in my RV4 twice, plus numerous other adventures professionally (3 engine failures, engine fire in the F16) I'm with you on worst case thinking. My best advice relates directly to your post and the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared"
In my 2 RV's and my HR2 I made sure my total electrical power draw inflight was less than 5 amps. Despite what was said above, I have more magneto failures over the years than I can count. My Electroair IGN and P-Mag have been bulletproof, the EI for over 25 years. By design the Electroair draws, 0.5, P-Mag generates it own juice when 12V is removed. The highest draw is the radio when transmitting. Everything else uses .5 or less and can be shed.
Do the math, with an Odyssey PC680 the draw is 17 AH (20Hr rate) With my panel I figured 1 hour with a full charge with everything on. Most modern Jets (737/F16 etc) have about the same battery life with total electrical failure. So, if you like to fly in IMC install a B&C backup alt on the vacuum pump pad, or just buy a ticket on SW. :)

So if you lose your alternator, use your 1 hour wisely.

V/R
Smokey
 
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