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2 Answers

What could cause an engine to “skip” momentarily?

Asked by: 1488 views Aircraft Systems, General Aviation

And how much of a concern would it be if it just happened once during a flight for less than a second, but otherwise the engine was running fine?

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2 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Jun 25, 2020

    A momentary miss is not totally uncommon. The engine needs fuel, air, and a spark. Of these, the most common reason for a solitary miss in the engine is the spark. This can be from a fouled plug or a bad electrical lead or a magneto. If the magneto’s haven’t been overhauled in 500 hours, then it is a good idea to have them inspected and the plugs cleaned and gapped.

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  2. KDS on Jun 26, 2020

    My personal experience involved a bit of water.

    Of course, there is also a gremlin who lives in aircraft engines and he will do things like that when you\’re flying at night, over water, over mountains, or even over the wrong place in a combat zone.

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