EAA Sport Aviation

off all the fuel valves, mags, avionics, and master and tossed the keys on top of the panel, as is my wont.

It was a smooth ‘dead-stick’ landing, not a crash. Leon and I were shaken from the experience but absolutely physically unharmed. Nothing was bent on the airplane. Elapsed time from initial vibration to wheels stopped? No more than 90 seconds, probably closer to 60. After the event, I shook. During the event, Leon and I were too busy evaluating options and maneuvering for landing to be afraid.

After we got out of the airplane and shared a ‘Did we just do what I think we did?’ look, I removed the cowling expecting to see a gaping hole in the case, but found nothing out of the ordinary. I pulled the prop through four cycles and noted virtually no compression on one of the cylinders; [there was] a bit more end play than normal, but it was the lateral play that gave me pause.

We walked back to the ag strip and set about gathering tools and equipment to transport ol’ No. 404 back home. It wasn’t until Monday evening that I could start investigat-

ing the cause further. I found that the crankshaft had broken cleanly between the number one and number two connecting rods.

The good news: nobody got hurt. The airplane was not bent. We landed on private property. (The road belonged to Leon’s cousin.)

I train hard, and it paid off. I firmly believe in a truism I once heard from a ‘jet jock:’ ‘When the BBs start flying, you will not rise to the occasion. You will default to your level of training.’

The good news again: nobody got hurt. And my very best friend Leon remains my very best friend.

So what does Ward do after all that? He builds another Ercoupe, NC93337, in award-winning style. What else? When his EAA chapter gives Young Eagles flights, Ward photographs each Young Eagle by the aircraft they flew in and then hands them the picture to take home. You want more? A new engine is being built for ol’ No. 404, and it should be back in the air by the time you read this.