Video of 337H engine out test

Dale Campbell · #1 02-29-12, 10:35 AM

I just put a video on U-Tube of my test flight shutting down first rear engine and then the front engine under differant conditions. We had 3 men on board total weight 620 pounds.
With tanks near full, 138 gallons total 828 pounds. We had no trouble maintaining level flight and could even climb after feathering prop. This is with I/O 360 engines normally asperated and near gross weight. We were at 6,000 feet over our airport with temp. 55 degree F. We did this for a test, to prove for a mechanic, that was getting suided by someone. They said
a 337 would not fly on one engine. They had a supper charger fail that the mechanic worked on, therefore they had to shut down the rear engine. After passing 2 airports they tried to fly back to were they came from and crashed some miles short of that airport. Look at my video on U-Tube http://youtu.be/tAB486BKI10

hharney · #2 02-29-12, 01:11 PM

Dale
Was this for the trial in Pennsylvania? Do you mean the Turbo failed?

Dale Campbell · #3 02-29-12, 06:01 PM

Yes Herb,
It was a turbo that failed from what I heard and they could not keep the 337 flying.

wfreestone · #4 03-02-12, 12:41 AM

Excellent video.

edasmus · #5 03-02-12, 01:16 AM

Can you report what the cylinder head temps were during the test just out of curiosity and did you ever get the front engine started.

Very informative video.

Thanks,

Ed

Jerry De Santis · #6 03-02-12, 06:50 PM

Hello Dale,

Just want to make sure that the lawyers that wanted you to do the test were involved in the defense of an FBO and maintenance center in OHIO and Penn. The count case I refer to was in Federal Court in Phil., Pa. If that is indeed the case, The crashed airplane was a Riley 1975 T337G fitted out the same as my plane and the crash site was in Atl Ga. The pilot that was flying the plane was a commerical airline pilot and she has more than 4,000 hours of flight experience and slightly over, if I recall correctly, 140 hours in the Skymaster.

The plaintiff's attorney also did a flight test flying the exact final 20 minutes that she flew right to the crash site. All was filmed and viewed in court. In that test, the T337G also was able to climb on just the front engine at blue line speed operating at 2600 RPM and 33 MP. That was the entire plaintiff's view point and strategy.

That is, if the plane can fly and climb on one engine, then the mechanic charged with the maintenance of her plane, In this case the FBO, must have done such a poor job mantaining the plane because the front engine did not produce the power required to keep the plane in the air back to the airport she took off from, that was only 10 miles away. Long story short, she won over 12 million dollars. She just had better lawyers. BTW, the options she had were very little as there was no suitable place to put the plane down safely. She picked the only clear spot that was available, a water treatment plant. On impact the plane burst into flames both she and her friend had lots of broken bones and burns...but luckly for them,they both were able to get out of the plane.

Jerry