Engine Failure in a Caravan - CADORS Oct 2 2020

[trey kule]

If we are talking about the Same PC12 in Nfld, the rather poor out come was a result of extremely poor PDM.

IIRC..

1. Pilot got a chip warning light.....carried on.
2. Finally decided to turn around and descended while the engine was still running.exact opposite of what you should do
3. Set route, not for the nearest airport, but one more convenient for maintenance.

Engine calved... and still he might have made an airport if he had not descended when he got a chip light.

Lots of lessons were learned from this.
It was luck. Plane (plain). And simple that no one was hurt.

But no credit should be given for superb flying skill making up for dreadful pilot decision making.


On the other hand, an RCMP PC blewan engine coming out of yellowknife at 1400 feet AGL, in hard IFR. The pilot did an impossible 180 plus and landed without incident. That is real pilot skill. And the fault was the result of a manufacturer’s error (engine parts installed improperly...at the factory)

As to Caravans, more than one or two. I recall the very tragic one from Sonic Air some time back.
Caravans are unfortunately flown at lower altitudes, and in many cases by inexperienced pilots who do not understand the role ice plays in aircraft performance. The combination of spending more time in an icing environment and low experience is a bad one. Fedex, on the other hand, has an excellent safety record with the Caravan.

[Scudrunner]

The nose of that one is in Florida at Simcom training pilots to fly the PC12. I did my initial in it many moons ago.

To Simcoms credit they talk about all the issues with that flight and use it as a reminder that this ain't nothing to be taken lightly.
(at least my instructor did)