Kirch-Blogger

The reason for the title is based on the saying among aviators that flying is “hours and hours of boredom punctuated by stark terror”.

My flying experience consists of approximately 100 hours in the Cessna 172, 200 hours in the Cessna T-37B, 200 hours in the T-33, and 2000 hours in the C-123B aircraft. Most of the 2500 hours of flight time came as a Lieutenant and Captain in the United States Air Force during the 1961 to 1966 time frame. These were interesting times in the Air Force. Primarily it was the beginning of Vietnam conflict (I can’t call it a war because the United States never really committed to winning it.); but there were a few other interesting things that happened during this time frame such as: 1) the integration of the University of Oxford in Mississippi (my first “combat” mission); 2) the Cuban Missile Crisis (which I missed because I was in Saigon at the time); 3) the assignation of JFK; 4) the Alaskan earthquake of 1964; 5) and assisting the Dominican Republic repulse a Cuban-backed coup attempt in 1966.

This incidence of Stark Terror deals with my experience with a double-engine failure similar to the experience that is currently in the news. Mine was not nearly as spectacular and heroic as Captain Sullenberger’s, but it did have a similar outcome and it was just as terrifying at the time.

At the time, fall of 1962, I was a copilot flying C-123B Provider cargo aircraft out of Tan Son Nhat Airport at Saigon, Vietnam. I had been checked out on the C-123 for less than six months and had been in-country for about three months. We were flying an out-and-back mission delivering personnel and supplies to various airfields in southern and central Vietnam. We made a routine takeoff from Tan Son Nhat and were climbing out to the northeast over Bien Hoa Air Base, at the time a sod-covered strip used by the South Vietnam Air Force. We had completed the takeoff and climb checklists and were climbing through 3000 feet at METO (Maximum Except Takeoff) power when both engines just quit simultaneously! From a noise level of around 100 db it became totally quiet. There was stunned silence for about 5 seconds. The moment of Stark Terror. Then the engines restarted and we completed the mission without further incident. More hours of boredom.

So, what happened and why didn’t we make an emergency landing? A little background is needed to answer that question.

The C-123B is a propeller-driven aircraft powered by two Pratt and Whitney R2800 radial engines. The P&W R2800 is a turbo-charged, carbureted, high-octane gasoline engine rated at 2500 Hp with water injection and 2300 Hp without water injection at 2500 rpm. Most takeoffs are routinely made at maximum power with water injection on for maximum performance and safety. Water injection is turned on and off by two toggle switches on the instrument panel immediately forward of the throttles. Activation of the water injection system is indicated by two yellow lights above the water injection switches. Each engine has a tank of 50-50 water/alcohol mixture that provides about 10 minutes of run time at maximum power, enough for 7 or 8 normal takeoffs . After takeoff climb is established, water injection is turned off and METO power is applied during climb to cruise altitude. (more photos)

This moment of Stark Terror was caused by my not turning off the water injection system during the after takeoff checklist. As a result, the engines burned up all the water injection fluid at about 10 minutes after takeoff. When the water injection fluid ran out the engines quit because the fuel mixture became too lean to burn. In essence they ran out of fuel. Fortunately, as soon as the deafening silence got our attention, the pilot and I immediately saw the (very bright) yellow lights of the water injection system. I immediately switched off the system and the engines restarted and ran normally. We checked all engine instruments for normal operation and everything was normal. We discussed the engine failure with the flight engineer and debated aborting the mission. We all agreed that the reason for the engines quitting was that the mixture became too lean to burn without the water/alcohol fluid. The only impact to the mission would be that we would have to make the rest of our takeoffs with dry power because the only place to replenish our water/alcohol tanks was at Tan Son Nhat. Since none of our takeoffs were expected to actually require water injection power, we continued the mission without incident. We did make sure to write up that the water injection system needed servicing.

Needless to say, after this incident I always double-checked the water injection switches in the after takeoff checklist. I also had to buy the crew a round of drinks when we returned to Tan Son Nhat!

More Moments of Stark Terror to come. I had at least 20 that I remember. That’s probably why I decided to build airplanes as a career rather than fly them. It’s also why I prefer to fly with a spare engine, since I have more than 10 hours of single-engine time in twin-engine aircraft, most of it over water.

Louis Kirchdorfer
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