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Feature Article: Engine Failure Accidents
- 22% of all accidents
- 4% only partial failure
- 30% undetermined reasons
Probable
causes
- Carburetor icing
- 30% of which occurred during T/O or cruise
- Pilot corrected cause after crash
- Mysterious event
Engine Failure Statistics
- 28 percent of engine failures are for unknown reasons where
fuel, air or spark are responsible.
- 2 percent are internal failures sometimes detectable by oil
analysis
- 2 percent are oil problems related to pumps, filters or lines.
- 3 percent are induction problems related to hoses, clogging
or alternate air doors
- 5 percent are spark problems related to spark plugs, magnetos,
wiring harness, or switches.
- 6 percent are related to poor maintenance
- 7 percent are due to cylinder/valve problems due to improper
leaning
- 8 percent are fuel related problems of selectors, carburetors,
primers, or pumps.
- 8 percent are carburetor ice related where application of heat
occurs too late to be effective.
- 11 percent are from contaminated fuel
- 20 percent are from starvation, exhaustion or other failure
to deliver problems.
- Pilots are in the main most likely to be responsible for an
engine failure.
Engine
component failure accidents:
1.Lycoming engines fail twice as often as Continental
2. Engine size has no effect of frequency of failure
3. 43% mechanical
4. 1 in 5 accidents during cruise. Cruise flight accidents due
to weather and fuel.
5. 1 in 3 engine/prop
6. 1 in 4 due to gear or brakes
7. 1 in 6 due to fuel- Fuel exhaustion is most common factor.
8. 18% of engine type accidents caused by engine failure unrelated
to pilot induced failure.
9. 1.296 per 100,000 flight hours
10. Pneumatic system is 1:40,000 IFR flight plans filed.
11. 25% of all accident occur after partial or total loss of
engine power.
12. When planes switched from piston-powered engines to jet engines
in the 1960s, they immediately became more reliable by a factor
of 10.
Last Modified November 27, ©2025 TAGE.COM
