No Oil!!!

[Jerry De Santis]

Just got my plane out of Annual. Test flight BTL to JXN yesterday.
Half way there dumped all oil out of Front engine. New gasket blew. Caught it in time and secured the engine. Replaced gasket and just got back from extended maint. flight. Everything is OK. Lesson learned... stay sharp and keep eye on the gauges. If its going to happen it will after annual!! I instructed my mechanic to install low oil pressure alarms via 337 form. Anybody every have that done to their skymasters before? By the way, I flew 366 hours between annuals and used some 9,000 gallons of fuel. Think I'm hooked on flying?
Jerry

[SkyKing]

Jerry,

Curious to know what year and model type Skymaster you had the maintenance performed on... and which particular gasket failed?

Any idea if your mechanic did a POST MAINTENANCE RUN-UP and LEAK CHECK after completing the annual? That might have at least prevented your ensuing oil loss event.

SkyKing

[Kevin McDole]

Jerry, Glad to hear that had a happy ending.

I don't know if you have or even want engine monitoring (GEM, JPI, EI, etc). But I thought I'd mention that EI & some models of JPI have Oil Pressure probes and alarms. Just something to consider.

[Jerry De Santis]

Hello SkyKing,
My plane is a 1975 P337G N34EC.
Gasket that failed is a high pressure oil gasket that seals the oil filter adpt. to the back of the front engine. Yes! We ran ground run test looking for leaks and none were observed. We also did a flight around the patch before heading out and all gauges were in the green. On the maint. check flight to JXN, I had a friend as a second set of eyes on the gauges. First indication I got was loss of front engine turbo power and almost at same time loss of pressure on the gauge. It took only about 30 seconds to secure engine which saved the day. Fokes, it pays to practice emergency procedures and I really do a lot of single engine practice. You have to react quickly to save an engine and all that practive paid off. Funny, Most of my friends have single engine airplanes and from time to time I get a lot of kidding. You know the type,---"Second engine flies you to the secene of the accident etc." Now they know that the second engine got me home safe and sound.

[Bob Cook]

FYI

The JPI has an alarm output that can be connected to a lamp and aural signal to intercom. Worthwhile connecting.

Good reason to remain attentive when coming out of an annual. I lost my pitot and all went haywire after pressurizing cabin. Lots of reason to "run around the patch" to make sure things are back together.

Jerry, you must be an expert by now with that kind of flying.

Bob

[Jerry De Santis]

Bob, never an expert!!! The more I fly the more I realize I still have a lot to learn. Oh yea! I can handle the Skymaster, it is my second. But once you think you know it all, bang--a curve ball is sent your way to bring you back to the fact you can never know enough.

[Eustacio-Chachi]

Jerry, I had the same problem once, after a 50 hours inspection, the mechanic just forgot to put the gasket on the new oil filter and on the first take off the fuselage got a beautifull oil paint job. Keep on flying.

[kevin]

Although I have never lost oil pressure to the extent you did, the vernitherm valve on my rear engine was not safetied by Continental, and the valve worked its way loose, causing an "oil paint job" as Chachi put it. I had oil pressure the whole time though. I have EI voice annunciator system connected to oil pressure probes (as well as other things). They are checked every time I shut down, when Stephanie (name of woman who recorded the messages) says "Check oil pressure".

Kevin

[Bob Cook]

As a matter of interest.

When we had our rear engine replaced two years ago, the first flight was about 30 min. When we landed there was NO oil in the engine. The spoiler power pack clamp gouged a whole in the oil filter and the oil evacuated the filter in a hurry.

We were perhaps less than 5 minutes from having a seized engine and no feathering ability!

Did an overhaul in a Bell 206 (helicopter) transmission. Lost the oil out of the top oil seal and did a forced landing when the oil alarm light went on. Exactly 5 minutes after an overhaul. If I had not caught it then the main rotor would have seized.

That is (1982) when I started to invite the mechanics for a trip around the block so to speak. Next flight the mechanic assured me everything was okay as well flew together for 30 minutes.

My mechanic was with me when we lost the filter on the 337. Same flight they left a bolt in the undercarriage and that put a ding in a BRAND NEW rear PROP!........ Should have know better.

Well the moral of the story is ................... yep! your right.

Trust no one and do a triple inspection even if the cowls need to be removed. If air france can wire the joy stick backwards on a 310 airbus and miss in on takeoff then we really need to be prudent!

fyi

Bob

I go away on vacation for a couple of weeks and Jerry picks up a new hobby of oil painting scenery below him. I guess I gotta do more single engine practice than I'm doing now!!!

Glad all ended well for you Jerry.

Keven
________
MERCEDES-BENZ W110

[Jerry De Santis]

Thanks Keven! As Chachi said, I got " An Oil Paint Job".
New gasket started dripping oil too! Found a burr on the flange face. So far it is holding. I'll find out on Thursday. Got a day trip from BTL to BHM, about 3 hours and 15 minutes each way. Unless of course, I get my normal head winds each way. You said you went on a vacation. What is a vacation? Oh yea, Your a lawyer! Oh well, with you on vacation some lucky guy got a break and wasn't sued!!!
Welcome back to the Rat Race. Cheers
Jerry