...firewall. Diamond and Thielert's impressive success with the TAE Centurion 1.7 diesel represents the high water mark for FADEC, since the 135-HP turbodiesel relies entirely on electronic control, with no mechanical backup of any kind.

But a recent incident in which both engines on a DA42 Twin Star failed simultaneously vividly illustrate that the road to the era of electronic engine management is likely to have some bumps. Whether it will be turbulent enough to make us all want to clutch our magnetos to our chests and curl up in a fetal position is an unknown at present. But the Diamond incident shines a harsh light on one fact: Don't count on the government regulators to detect and correct every potential fatal flaw.

DEAD BATTERY

The accident occurred in Speyer, Germany in March. The pilot was scheduled to fly a DA42, but on arriving at...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.




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