This is Cessna 208 Caravan that was upgraded from the stock PT-6 to the PT-6A, which adds an additional 75hp. Upon factory analysis of the engine, it was concluded that the problem started in the accessory drive gearbox. Metal from the gearbox passed through the compressor and free turbines, destroying several of the blades and ultimately causing catastrophic engine failure. So much metal shot through this engine that even the exhaust was beat all to hell and had to be replaced. I landed the plane with over 450 lbs of fuel and the oil level was within normal operating range. This wasn't the only PT-6A engine failure this year. There were at least five others. As pilots, we were always taught that the Pratt & Whitney turbines are bullet-proof. This video is evidence that they are not. But, in the defense of the reliability of the these engines, they probably take more abuse in skydiving aircraft than any other application imaginable. Maximum performance take-offs, climbs, and descents every 20 minutes, along with numerous daily starts, can't be conducive to a long life for any engine. I am going to keep flying, though, because that's what I love. Every emergency we have in the air just gets us further prepared for the next one, because the next one is eventually coming. Flying is definitely worth any risk attached to it.
