Shirl:
Hi Jay -- last October 18th (2006), my airplane was totaled in an
emergency landing in the desert due to a complete engine failure (oil
cooler split on start-up, engine seized about 6 minutes into the
flight). We thankfully walked away with minor cuts/bruises, thanks in
large part to some luck in that we got far enough to be away from
houses/buildings and were over the desert when it quit (although the
desert is NOT as flat as it looks from 50 feet up!), and that I was with
my CFIG who made a great landing on some rough desert floor and kept
"flying" till the gear snapped off and it abruptly went down on its
chin. Our biggest scars are internal, but we are flying again, having
learned a lot from the experience.

It was obvious that the oil cooler split at one of the bottom fins, but
the NTSB removed the cooler and the thermo-coupler for further testing.
As of a few days ago, there still has been no final report issued, and
we too are awaiting that for various reasons. I've been told it usually
takes around 10 months, give or take, for a final report to be issued,
and that obviously, accidents involving fatalities take priority.

As for the comparison with other more recent accidents that have been
laid to rest, the investigation and results of those other accidents may
simply be more black-and-white and therefore easier/faster to resolve
and close.

I'm about to call the NTSB and ask if/when we can expect a final report.
I'll let you know if I find out anything that may be helpful.

"Matt Barrow" wrote:
What were you flying?, certified, or home-built?

A 1961 Shinn, predecessor to the Varga. They are certified, but they
only made less than 200 of them, there are probably around 150 still
flying. It was supposed to be competition for the C-150 as a primary
trainer, but it never really caught on. It's an O-320, 2-seat,
tandem-with-canopy, tricycle that flies with a stick. Great, fun little
airplane. The FAA was there less than 30 minutes after it happened.
After making sure our injuries were minor, the first thing they said
they were going to need were the aircraft logbooks, which I am
meticulous about, thank goodness.

At least you walked away with the only personal damage being
to your ego. :~)

It wasn't pilot error, so the damage wasn't to ego, in fact the FAA
investigator said the other two oil-loss, engine failures he had
investigated were both fatal, so he was complimentary on how we handled
it. The worst part was going through the scary experience, the
apprehension you feel afterward, and realizing how QUICKLY everything
happens after the engine fails and quits -- you don't have much time to
make those critical decisions. We walked away with some valuable
experience in addition to our minor injuries. We do many things
differently now. I guess we must have been fairly well prepared or we
wouldn't have walked away, but we're even moreso now.