SonexBuilders.net

Walk away and plane intact to dismantle and move back to hangar to try again.

https://www.wlfi.com/content/news/Aircr ... 29961.html

Well done David for getting it down safe after an engine failure. From the article it sounds like you made the right choices after the engine died and executed a safe landing in difficult territory.

The focus will probably become how the engine died in the first place (rightfully so) but I just wanted to mention how the post-engine-failure aspect has a very positive outcome thanks to the pilot.

Nicely done David. Calm cool and collected.

However...it appears you overshot the main local attraction...

This plane has a UL Power engine installed, and as we know, those engines are electrically dependent. Without a reliable source of electricity the fuel pump, fuel injection and electronic ignition will not operate. This reinforces the need for us as builders to really work through the design of our electrical systems, ensure we have adequate redundancy built in, and understand the operational limitations of our planes.

We don't yet know why the engine quit (other than the few remarks in the article about the loss of electrical power and battery not charging), but it's essential to have active warning of low bus voltage and a clear understanding of how long we can fly on whatever power is stored in the battery. When the battery is full this is pretty easy, but when the battery is already in a partially-discharged state before we realize what's happened, we're set up for a nasty surprise.

To be clear, I'm not against electrically dependent engines, but we need to go in with a full understanding of what they need.

Jeff

sonex1374 wrote:This plane has a UL Power engine installed, and as we know, those engines are electrically dependent. Without a reliable source of electricity the fuel pump, fuel injection and electronic ignition will not operate. This reinforces the need for us as builders to really work through the design of our electrical systems, ensure we have adequate redundancy built in, and understand the operational limitations of our planes.

We don't yet know why the engine quit (other than the few remarks in the article about the loss of electrical power and battery not charging), but it's essential to have active warning of low bus voltage and a clear understanding of how long we can fly on whatever power is stored in the battery. When the battery is full this is pretty easy, but when the battery is already in a partially-discharged state before we realize what's happened, we're set up for a nasty surprise.

To be clear, I'm not against electrically dependent engines, but we need to go in with a full understanding of what they need.

Jeff

Fully agree.
In the 150 hours I’ve been flying my aircraft I’ve had the voltage regulator fail and some time later the alternator relay.
Both times I ended up with an empty battery and thus no avionics.
Luckily, my engine is not electrically dependant.

Hi david, all,
posted on kathrynsreport today 24oct2020.N599YX , incident 22 oct. UL260is.
keep us informed what happened.
Glad you got it down , no damage, no injuries.

WaiexN143NM
Michael