Former FAA aviation safety inspector thoughts

Michael wrote:
On Mar 28, 12:42 pm, "Mike Isaksen" wrote:

vacuum failure was in a twin (as was one of the electricals), and was
the result of two independent point failures. First the vacuum pump
on the left engine quit - but since I was on top, still had one good
one on the right engine, and was going home anyway, I elected to
continue. Then the right engine quit for unrelated reasons. That put
me in a single-engine, partial panel situation. Also, tops were above
my single engine service ceiling. And there was icing in the clouds.
And there I was, single engine, partial panel, shooting an ILS while
ice was building.


Sounds to me like you need to be spending a bit more on aircraft
maintenance.

On Apr 4, 12:27*pm, Ray Andraka wrote:
* Sounds to me like you need to be spending a bit more on aircraft
maintenance.

You might think so, but the reality is that both electricals were on
planes I had just bought (lots of prior neglect), the vacuum failures
were both dry pumps failing without warning (I suppose you could argue
that they should be replaced prophylactically, but they have an infant
mortality rate, and I do have two), and the engine failures were one
on a plane I didn't own and two due to fuel contamination. No
maintenance related failures ever.

Michael

Wow Ray, bad "snip effort". I definitely didn't write that.

"Ray Andraka" wrote ...

On Mar 28, 12:42 pm, "Mike Isaksen" wrote:

vacuum failure was in a twin (as was one of the electricals), and was
the result of two independent point failures. First the vacuum pump
on the left engine quit - but since I was on top, still had one good
one on the right engine, and was going home anyway, I elected to
continue. Then the right engine quit for unrelated reasons. That put
me in a single-engine, partial panel situation. Also, tops were above
my single engine service ceiling. And there was icing in the clouds.
And there I was, single engine, partial panel, shooting an ILS while
ice was building.


Sounds to me like you need to be spending a bit more on aircraft
maintenance.