Sundowner Crash  
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Sundowner Crash - 2/25/2008 11:49:03 AM   
kid chuckles


 

Posts: 773
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Granbury, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Crashed my 80" Sundowner yesterday. Had something fall off the plane just before the motor quit. (SAITO 125) inspected the plane and found that it was mainly fuselage and about everything else was fine. Looked at the motor and the 90deg. adapter you have to use to keep muffler inside cowl was broken just off the motor. The muffler and the elbow that comes with it were gone and not to be found. I had the week before had a dead stick as the muffler vibrated off. Before i flew it again i removed Cowl and reinstalled the muffler it had came out of the 90. I tighted the fire out of everything and put thread locker on every part of it that had threads. The motor had always ran great. When whatever fell off and the only part we could not fine (muffler) the plane instantly started to miss. I turned it back towads the landing site and you have way enough landing area to land in any direction. The wind caught it and turned it back away. I had time to dive it just a tad and turned it back again the wind did the same turned it back away from the site.

Has anyone else had the 90deg. adapter brake on them? As i could not find the muffler and the flying site is huge and mowed very low it would seem that being as about 5 or 6 guys seen whatever fall we could still not find the muffler. I don't know if it flew off when it hit or if it was what we seen fall off. It would be very very hard for it to be able to come out of cowl as it is designed to be inside and there is a small hole for the exhaust to escape. But it did start to miss as soon as this piece fell. The plane or parts of it will fly again as everything except fuse was ok. I think lol. Have not gotten the courage to check it all yet. I do know the wings and tail section are fine and have no holes or anything. A batting cage net caught it and would have saved it but one pipe ran across the top of netting and man it was like and exposion sound when it hit that pipe. And it was a trip trying to get it off the top of the netting also. Will go look again this afternoon for the muff. but like i said 5-6 guys seen whatever fall off and we could not find it. I looked in a big circle around where the plane hit and could not find it either.
       Post #: 1

RE: Sundowner Crash - 2/25/2008 9:17:15 PM   
bpoates25


 

Posts: 19
Joined: 4/24/2007
From: karnack, TX, USA
Status: online 		Kid Chuckles,

I have a Saito 56 on my 4 * 40. On it's fourth flight, it sputtered a while then dead sticked it back to the runway for a safe landing. On inspection, I found the muffler, and the manifold missing. The manifold threads along with the locking nut were still in the head of the engine. On closer inspection, it revealed an old crack, and a new shiney crack. I think it was bad casting at the factory. I just bought a new manifold, and muffler. Now that I've heard of your problem, makes me think Saito may have a problem. Maybe they should have paid for mine. I've had no problems since, and it's still my favorite engine. Hate to hear of your crash, but glad it can be repaired.

Ben

(in reply to kid chuckles)
       Post #: 2

RE: Sundowner Crash - 2/26/2008 12:40:48 PM   
kid chuckles


 

Posts: 773
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Granbury, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Yes my adapter is what was broken. Just wish i could find the muffler at least i would not have to buy a new one. This was only the fourth flight on this plane. And the one before this was a dead stick but luckily i got it back. Man i had just gorilla tightend everything with thread locke and this happened within 1min. of it being up. I could never keep a muffler ext. on this motor no matter what i did. Mine had alot of fuel ran thru it on the ground as i was not ready to fly such a plane when i built it. I would take it to the fields and show it off maybe start it and then load it up. Anyway I was just wondering if there was any other folks that had had a problem with the adapter breaking. Heck i had to wait a month to get it. They were backorederd then.
To me there are to many pieces there to try to keep tightened on a 4-Stroke especially as large as the 180. The vibration is pretty awsume on them. Thanks for the reply.

(in reply to bpoates25)
       Post #: 3

RE: Sundowner Crash - 2/27/2008 2:08:38 AM   
FlyerInOKC


 

Posts: 388
Joined: 11/17/2004
From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Status: offline 		Was this the little 90 degree Saito puts on their in-lone twins or another type?

(in reply to kid chuckles)
       Post #: 4

RE: Sundowner Crash - 2/28/2008 4:10:13 AM   
kid chuckles


 

Posts: 773
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Granbury, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Flyer that is correct the 90deg. adapter. It broke behing the big nut and before the bend, just outside the motor. Man i hated that. I sent Horizon an E-Mail as i have heard a couple others having problems with this adapter not alot of people but a couple. Don't really expect much from them but with the service they give you can never tell. They are outstanding with there customer sevice program. I have had only great service from them and they do stand behing there products very well they could teach alot of other companies something about customer service. The may not do anything for me. But hopefully they might. As I said this was only the fourth flight on this plane and 4 times i had trouble with this adapter coming lose. Maybe is should have left it so it would come loose instead of breaking lol . Clean break all the way around. What i could hardly belive was that the muffler fell out of the cowl. But for sure it did at least 5 guys were watching just this plane. I was big headed at the time as they were talking about how fast it was and i had not even gone past 1/2 throttle. When i did hit the gas is when the muffler fell out and it went bum rum di dot de do uggggh. lol And i went OH MAN not again.
Started out

(in reply to FlyerInOKC)
       Post #: 5

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