As I've read the posts about MG magic I've thought "Gee nobody's ever left me
a shop manual, or a napkin with lipstick on it." Then I remembered the time
that I was the recipient of what can only be called MG magic or perhaps it
was the Dark Lord Lucas looking out for me.
What happened you ask? MY MG saved my life, not in the safety fast way you
might think, but in another way.
Here's the story.
It was the mid 70's and I had just retired my 67 B from daily driver status
to evening and weekend duty. (I had gotten a new Mercury Debris for a daily
driver.) My wife and I had another couple over for dinner one Friday night.
Now I have to tell you about Mike. This guy at the time had what can only be
called the worst luck when it came to transportation devices. He got into
accidents, lots of accidents, usually not his fault, and usually little or no
damage to him. Healy's, a B or two and more Sprigets than I can count went
to the wrecking yard after being driven by Mike. After an accident someone
would say "Gee Mike your lucky that you weren't hurt" We got to referring to
this as "Lee's Luck" A totaled car and he is "Lucky" BTW Lee's Luck
extended to other forms of transportation as well. Once my father took Mike
and I on a deep sea fishing charter trip. The captain fell asleep and ran
the boat aground. Nobody hurt, but no fishing that day - Lee's Luck.
So Mike and Joann come over for dinner, and Mike mentions that he is buying
into an airplane (he had just gotten his pilots license) and on Saturday he
and the other owner were going to have the plane serviced and then do a
little flying. He invited me along for the ride. I told him that I would
love to go but I needed to tune up the MG first. I got the details on where
the hanger was and told him I would try to make it, but if they got done to
go ahead and have a good time.
On Saturday when the parts house opened I went in and got all the stuff for a
tune up. Came home and did the basic major service, oil, plugs points,
valves the works. After doing that I ran down an open circuit on the tail
lights, and gave her a bath and wax all told it about 1 PM when I got done.
Went and got cleaned up and went for a test drive with the top down.
After a short wide open run on the freeway, I pulled off to turn around. As
the car slowed down I could hear the radio again. (very loud exhaust) The
news was on and leading the news was a report about a plane crash. The
pilot's name was mentioned with his injuries (broken hip) I remember thinking
"boy that guy is hurting for certain" the report said "and his passenger Mr.
Mike Lee of Long Beach suffered..." When I head that I set the world land
speed record back to the house and called the radio station. When I got the
DJ on the phone I had him reread the news report to me. He then read the
full wire service copy and it mentioned the street that Mike lived on, and
what hospital he was in.
Called the wife told her I had no clue when I would be home and I took off
for the hospital. When I got there Mike had been moved out of ER and into a
room for observation. He was beat up missing a couple of teeth, his head had
hit the instrument panel, causing a blood vessel to rupture in one eye
turning the white blood red, but basicaly OK I called his SO and told her
the news.
"Hi Joann, it's Rick"
"Hi Rick"
"Joann are you sitting down?"
"No"
"Sit down"
"OK, I'm sitting down"
"Mike has been in a plane crash"
"WHAT!!!"
So after getting done at the hospital I had to go baby sit the airplane until
the wrecker got there and took the hulk away. That plane was FUBAR, there
was not a single piece that I thought could be reused, everything was bent,
broken, twisted or just plain screwed up. So what happened to the plane?
Draining the engine oil on a plane is a PITA so often times a valve called a
quick drain is installed on the sump. When pushed up the quick drain opens,
when pulled down it closes. On the plane in Question (Piper Arrow 200) they
had one installed when the plane was serviced that morning. Apparently they
make different lengths of these valves and the mechanic put a long one in
when the book called for (or should have) a short valve.
After the service Mike and the Pilot got in and took off from Torrance
Airport for a little sight seeing. At 5000 feet over Marineland they ran out
of oil pressure! This is a bit of a problem as they can't pull over at the
nearest cloud to add more oil. They declared an emergency and headed back
over the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the airport. PV is all hills, trees, and
houses, no open spaces anywhere. About half way back the engine quit and
they found out a very interesting design feature of this plane, when the
engine quits, the landing gear goes down. This is the same as if you engine
stalls the brakes are applied. Not good if you are trying to extend your
glide to make the airport. As they came over the last part of PV ahead of
them was the Torrance dump and then the airport. They did not quite make the
airport, they crashed into the dump.
So why did the engine lose pressure? When the landing gear came up the nose
gear hit the quick drain and the oil started to drain. (Too long a valve)
So why do I say my MG saved my life? If I had blown off that tune up I would
have been in the back seat of that airplane. With an extra 200 lbs on board,
the glide ratio would have been less and the plane would not have made the
dump. It would have come down in the middle of hills, trees, or somebody's
house, probably killing all three of us.
Call it Lee's Luck or MG magic my number wasn't up that day.
When I got home that night I gave my MG an extra pat as I zipped up the
tonneau.
Rick Ewald
67 MGB (same one)
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