blown up 912 ??

[Dorsal]

I also find the tenor of this thread inconsistent with the norms of the group.

[DesertFox6]

I agree with you Dorsal; let's see if we can't turn this thing back onto its original heading before the crosswinds started.

This entire situation is all academic at this point anyway, but after considerable cranium-scratching since my original nose-high pitch analysis, and then pondering N276KM's eye-opening input, a plumbing configuration I'd not heard of before, (but it would probably do the trick!) I'm left with two conclusions.

First, assuming the oil tank wasn't in the trunk/boot area as N276KM described, the sustained-climb scenario may still hold true if the pitch was held somewhere in excess of (??) degrees positive pitch for a sufficient period of time to allow CHTs to cross the critical point and fry the heads and/or internal components, to the point of seizure, but prior to fuel starvation. Frankly, I don't see how this could happen to a 912 with its liquid-cooled heads, but a Cessna 182 can be held in a nose-high (usually >20-25 degrees pitch) power-on stall position, without stalling, until the CHT and oil temp start impinging their red zones. With a light-weight sport plane, I'm willing to bet this situation could be even more easily attained and the safety parameters exceeded prior to carburetor starvation. But you REALLY gotta have your "head up and locked" to let it go that far!

The second scenario, which would lead to the same end result, would start with an engine over-speed, from a dive perhaps, and the seizure (for the sake of argument) resulting while in the nose-high recovery phase pulling around 4-5 Gs. We really don't know what the original pilot did to blow the engine but this diving-to-overspeed scenario seems more likely to me barring a more forthcoming testimony from the ersatz "Climb King."

Desert Fox 5 had such an engine in his shop many years back: Several of we Phoenix-local guys used it as a temporary dummy-mount to allow cowl-fitting/trimming/plumbing-routing while awaiting arrival of our own 912s. That engine sent a rod and remnants of the piston through the case, ventilating the No.1 head quite nicely; the result of an unfamiliar pilot flying aerobatics without understanding the need for power control on a fixed-pitch prop unlike the constant-speed propeller which his competition-aerobatic Glassair had! Nice.

Regardless of how the engine "got blown" this situation gives each of us a chance to stretch our "what-if" curves a bit and wind up adding to our collective knowledge of how our engines work...or won't...based on OUR actions. We need to engage each such opportunity earnestly to learn from the mistakes of others, 'cuz we sure as heck won't live long enough to make them all ourselves!

"E.T."

Oh, and one more thing...I'll bet GASSITT will wind up fixing the dang thing just because somebody said it wasn't worth it!