Neal Stevens
(607) 748-9865
Dear Carlos,
I couldn't agree with you more that safety is of prime importance and I speak
from experience as I had a serious accident with my craft on its third
flight. I have just completed the rebuilding of the craft and it is now ready
for flight again.
I feel that it is important to pass on what I "believe" happened and the
corrections taken to prevent it in the future. The engine lost power just
after takeoff and I "spun in" from about 200 ft. I was lucky enough to hit in
a swampy area and survived with only some minor lingering effects.
The cause appears to have been vapor lock within the fuel pump/carburetor. As
you may have noticed, in the Moni installation, the exhaust pipes run
dangerously close to the fuel pump/carb unit. I was told by the previous
importer of the KFM engine that the temperature of the pipes at the bend near
the carb has been measured at nearly 1200 degrees during climb-out. Gas
vaporizes somewhere just over 100 degrees. On both previous flight prior to
the accident, I had had engine trouble but was able to return to the field
safely. In both cases, we "thought" it was an adjustment problem.
To make a long story short, the following items are some "safety" tips that I
would like to pass on to others even if they are not currently having any
problems.
1. Don't be afraid to "open up" the carb intake opening to allow sufficient
air passage past the intake and around the carb for cooling. Looks isn't
everything.
2. Take the time to construct some shielding between the exhaust pipes and
carburetor. I used a double layer of .040 stainless (pop riveted
together) with some washers as spacers (1/8") between the two layers.
3. Consider shielding the coil from the pipes as well. I used the same
concept as I did for the carburetor.
4. Purchase an air filter unit from Wicks Aircraft. It's less that $10 and
is much safer than the "screen" that Monnet used. (Note: for ease of
access to the cowlings bottom hinge pin, I drilled a hole in the air
cleaner housing and ran the wire right through it.)
5. Don't be over cautious about running your engine prior to your first
flight. KFM says that you don't get maximum power from the engines until
you have some 20+ hours of running on it.
6. Always, always use your shoulder harness. Keep it on and keep it snug.
It saved my life.
Sincerely,
Neal Stevens
"Live long and fly safe ..."
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