I Learned About Flying From That: Breaking In a New Airplane

Roy Clennan

Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at 09:17 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A pilot purchased an old, poorly maintained 1970 B58 Baron, and on its first flight to an inspection facility, immediately encountered a series of critical in-flight emergencies.
The initial problem was a landing gear failure, complicated by a jammed manual extension crank and a subsequent mid-air engine failure due to fuel sludge.
Despite these escalating challenges, the pilot skillfully managed the situation, restarted the engine, and executed a safe landing, with the partially extended gear holding up.
The experience reinforced the importance of thorough pre-flight checks, reviewing emergency procedures, and consistent flight training, while also highlighting lessons learned such as flying with a second pilot and more rigorous fuel system maintenance for dormant aircraft.

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I was in the grocery store picking up some food for Super Bowl Sunday when I got the call. The offer I made on the 1970 B58 Baron had been accepted. A quick look online showed that there was one flight leaving that afternoon for Arkansas, and in three hours I was on my way.

The airplane was old and tired and had been ridden hard and put to bed wet. The logbooks were missing prior to 1980, and maintenance in the last five years was questionable. However, the engines were almost new and the aircraft served my purpose well. I live on St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands, and was looking for an island hopper. I just wanted enough airplane to be able to feel safe and secure as I explored the Caribbean. My plan was to do a compression check and a thorough inspection of the airplane. If it looked good, I was going to fly it out to Colorado for an annual inspection.