By the fall of 1978 I’d worked for Piper Aircraft in Lakeland, Florida, for three years. I was the assistant chief engineer-technical, which meant I had the people in the structures, aerodynamics, power plants, systems, electrical/avionics and flight-test groups all working for me. At the time, we were working extremely hard to certify the new Piper Cheyenne III. I was, however, also responsible for support of the twin-engine Navajo Chieftain assembled at Lakeland.
ILAFFT: When Paying Attention Pays Off
Key Takeaways:
- During a routine single-engine test flight, the operating engine's alternator failed, resulting in a dead battery, loss of electrical power, and an inability to restart the intentionally feathered second engine.
- Faced with a high-risk, no-radio, single-engine landing, the pilot remembered a technical detail about propeller feathering at high airspeeds and successfully restarted the dormant engine by performing a controlled high-speed dive.
- The incident underscored the importance of listening to expert technical discussions and led to a design change for future aircraft, improving the placement of critical warning lights.
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