Engine quit
in General Tech Discussion
5 years ago
We are located in South Texas. Today the temperature was around 85 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit. The aircraft is an RV-12 with a 912 ULS engine.
Our RV-12 had just completed about 1.7 hours of an uneventful flight. During the 1.7 hour flight the pilot made one stop mid-morning for breakfast. The plane started and flew after the first stop with no problems. The second stop was around Noon. After the second stop, the plane sat out in the sun for about an hour before it was started again. During run up at 3900 rpm the engine quit. It did this 2 more times. On the 4th attempt, the engine started and keep running at 3900 rpm. The pilot felt comfortable taking off and the airplane flew another .7 hours with no problems.
We burn Shell 93 octane.
The fuel was not fresh but it may have been 6 weeks old. It is hard to say because we would add fuel as needed. The last fuel was added about 2 weeks ago. In Texas they sell a winter blend and a summer blend. It is our understanding that the refineries are just switching over to a summer blend due to the rising average temperatures in our area.
The fuel shutoff was checked to make sure it was firmly in the on position. The electric fuel pump is working.
He confirmed that the choke was closed.
The pilot did not check the fuel pressure when this was happening.
This is my aircraft but I was not flying it today. I have put over 400 hours on it over a 5 year period in all types of weather and I have never had this problem.
I would appreciate any insight to this problem.
Thank you,
Bob
Our RV-12 had just completed about 1.7 hours of an uneventful flight. During the 1.7 hour flight the pilot made one stop mid-morning for breakfast. The plane started and flew after the first stop with no problems. The second stop was around Noon. After the second stop, the plane sat out in the sun for about an hour before it was started again. During run up at 3900 rpm the engine quit. It did this 2 more times. On the 4th attempt, the engine started and keep running at 3900 rpm. The pilot felt comfortable taking off and the airplane flew another .7 hours with no problems.
We burn Shell 93 octane.
The fuel was not fresh but it may have been 6 weeks old. It is hard to say because we would add fuel as needed. The last fuel was added about 2 weeks ago. In Texas they sell a winter blend and a summer blend. It is our understanding that the refineries are just switching over to a summer blend due to the rising average temperatures in our area.
The fuel shutoff was checked to make sure it was firmly in the on position. The electric fuel pump is working.
He confirmed that the choke was closed.
The pilot did not check the fuel pressure when this was happening.
This is my aircraft but I was not flying it today. I have put over 400 hours on it over a 5 year period in all types of weather and I have never had this problem.
I would appreciate any insight to this problem.
Thank you,
Bob
