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When I bought my Coupe, it had been in and out of the shop all fall getting extensive work. On the first day, I did three takeoffs and landings. On the second day, I sumped my tanks then went for a two hour cross country flight. Near the end of the two hour flight, I lost power then it came back. Then I lost power again and it came back again. This went on for a few minutes with the quiet getting longer and the loud getting shorter till I was gliding. I picked a snow packed farm field and landed without damage. I knocked on the farmhouse door and asked to call the mechanic at my home field about 7-10 miles away. Have you ever knocked on a farmer's door to ask to use the phone to call your mechanic - for an airplane? It was hilarious!!! So was the response on the FBO's phone with his wife, then my instructor then the mechanic! :) Ice had been frozen in the bottom of the tanks and it melted during the long cross country. The water slowly re-froze in the gascolator and in the metal fitting where the fuel line goes through the firewall. There was an inch thick disk of ice in the gascolator. The firewall metal fitting was frozen solid. Putting some gas-line deicer in the nose tank cleaned out the firewall fitting in about 7-15 seconds. We reattached the fuel line and the alcohol dissolved the ice in the gascolator in about a minute or two. After lots of draining, we towed the Coupe to the highway (200 yards), did another careful check and extensive runup and I took off from the highway and flew back to the home airport. (This was my fourth takeoff in the Coupe with a 30 mph direct crosswind for the takeoff and the tail drooped a lot back then so it was extra exciting.) Getting ready to take off, my idling plane in the farmer's driveway. The last vehicle to go by on the highway was a garbage truck and the driver watched me in his rearview mirror as I pulled onto the highway and took off. He started taking flying lessons the next week. It IS a good idea to watch for frozen water at the bottom of the tanks in the winter. Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: Andy Anderson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, December 09, 2002 3:40 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Ercoupe 415-CD Registration C-FXJK Nonfatal ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- The accident information from the web page below verifies that one should always sump the tanks after refueling. http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20021206X05573&key=1 NTSB Identification: NYC03LA028 Accident occurred Wednesday, December 04, 2002 at Dalton, MA Aircraft:Ercoupe 415-CD, registration: C-FXJK Injuries: 1 Uninjured. -------------- Examination of the wreckage revealed that the fluid inside the gascolator had frozen. The FAA inspector added that although the pilot added 5 gallons of 100LL at GFL, he originally departed Canada with automobile gasoline. The reported temperature at an airport approximately 5 miles west of the accident site, at 1254, was 22 degrees F. ----------------- My question is,,, does Canadian automobile gasoline normally freeze,,, or is the examiner just trying to blow some smoke.- Andy ========================================================================== == == To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm ========================================================================== ==== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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