Photography by Chris Rose
Compared to our early aviation pioneers, we enjoy highly reliable engines. This is a good thing. But the downside is that this reliability can create a false sense of security that is shattered when an engine suddenly begins to sputter. As wonderful as our modern-day systems are, they are not perfect. Preparedness for an unexpected forced landing is an essential piloting skill that must be maintained.
When was the last time you practiced your engine-failure procedures? Fact: Very few student and private pilots ever attempt to practice simulated engine-out procedures on their own, possibly believing this practice too risky without CFI oversight. And there would be truth to this notion if the pilot did not adhere to a few basic safety precautions and guidelines while practicing simulated engine-out procedures.
How to practice safely. Before beginning any simulated engine-out practice, consider what you are flying over. Initiating the procedure directly over or near a large city, tall antennas, obstructions, or nearly invisible power lines would not be wise. Once you’ve located a suitable practice area, before pulling back the power, take a close and unhurried look for the “perfect” off-airport landing site. Ideally, you’re looking for the longest available open field with an obstruction-free approach end, fairly flat, and smooth, with grass, short vegetation, or—in the winter—even a frozen lake will do (see “Land Here, Not There,”).
Admittedly, this is a fairly lengthy and possibly unobtainable “wish list,” but with practice, you’ll become better at recognizing and selecting your best options quickly and effectively. If you haven’t practiced these field-selection skills in a while, do not rush this terrain-analysis step. What might appear long and invitingly smooth from a few thousand feet can often take on quite a different, more realistically uninviting appearance by the time you’re ready to turn final approach. But you will gradually become better at analyzing and selecting, from altitude, the better, more-suitable landing sites. This step requires practice, too.
So until you gain more speed and confidence at this field-selection step, begin your initial attempts by choosing a good landing site first, within easy gliding distance, prior to reducing power to initiate the simulated emergency. Later, after gaining more competence selecting suitable landing sites, you can advance to initiating the power reduction before actually selecting a field, thereby increasing the realism of your simulations.
Next, be gentle to your engine in the process. Do not suddenly cut the power to initiate the procedure. Instead, slowly and smoothly reduce the throttle to idle. And don’t forget to periodically (about once per minute) clear and warm your engine by smoothly advancing power briefly to cruise power before again reducing it to idle.
And finally, while remaining alert for conflicting traffic and obstructions throughout the procedure, do not lose altitude awareness and descend below your minimum altitude limit—usually around 500 feet above ground level (agl)—before initiating a go-around. Be sure to keep that minimum altitude in mind for your practice sessions, and honor it. Don’t forget, for aircraft with a constant-speed propeller, on the go-around push the prop control fully forward before adding power!
A thorough review of the emergency section in your aircraft’s operating handbook and the FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook procedure is a good way to begin any practice session. Follow this with an understanding that where time and altitude permit, emergency engine-out procedures can generally be broken into six separate but time-critical steps.
Step one:
Aircraft control—fly the airplane. Sudden engine failure—oh, no! Now what? The complete answer to this question often depends on altitude available. The less altitude, the more critical this first step becomes. With engine failures on takeoff, where extra time or maneuverability are not available, you must lower the nose attitude immediately (within three seconds) to maintain a safe glide speed. Then begin maneuvering to the safest touchdown possible while maintaining control all the way down, resisting any urges to increase pitch in an attempt to stretch the glide or to make impossible (back to the runway) turns—don’t stop flying the airplane! Crash survivability is drastically reduced if control of the airplane is lost during the approach. Speed and controllability are life!
No matter how much altitude you have available, avoid the common error of denial: frantically attempting to restart an engine that may never restart, all while losing precious altitude and airspeed. Instead, immediately adjust pitch attitude to obtain the best/recommended glide speed (don’t forget to trim as you slow down) while simultaneously scanning for your best landing site option.
Step two:
Landing site selection. For emergency landing site selection, time is of the essence. Get in the excellent habit of scanning the area immediately ahead of the aircraft during every takeoff and throughout the initial climb, so you’ll have a maneuvering plan in mind should the engine fail right after any takeoff. Doing this helps eliminate the deer-in-the-headlights reaction should the engine fail at a critically low altitude.
When selecting a field from higher altitudes, if you have a map display in your aircraft, a quick scan for nearby airports or selecting the “nearest airport” function of a GPS would be a great way to begin your search. If an off-airport landing is required, consider the fields nearest the aircraft first, widening your scan as necessary until your best/nearest option is determined. Plan to land aligned with (parallel to) any plowed furrows (if present) but as much into the wind as possible, and preferably near a house or farm so you could get help more quickly after landing. A cross-furrow landing will increase the chances of flipping the airplane over onto its back after touchdown, so for retractable-gear aircraft, a gear-up landing might be preferable if a cross-furrow landing becomes your only option (see “Hold ’Em, or Drop ’Em?”).
Step three:
Glide/maneuver to a key position.
To a large extent, the altitude you have available when the engine fails will determine your maneuvering options. If the engine fails with only 500 feet available, you’re already on base or short final to whatever fields you see. A 180-degree turn from 500 feet is not advisable, or even possible in many GA aircraft. Above 1,000 feet, once a landing site has been selected, you should immediately visualize a plan that enables you to reach a point approximately abeam of the landing site at about 1,000 feet above the ground. This position, known as the “key position,” is where your final approach to a safe landing begins. Think of being abeam the numbers on the downwind leg of an airport traffic pattern.
With plenty of excess altitude, reaching this key position might require one or more 360-degree turns over your landing site while descending to the 1,000-foot target. Be prepared to adjust your final turn radius to ensure reaching 1,000 feet agl at the same time you arrive at the key position. While gliding at best-recommended glide speed, maximize the time you have by reducing all drag as much as possible: landing gear—Up; flaps—Up; propeller control—Low rpm.
Avoid a plan that includes simply flying a straight line to the planned runway without any maneuvering; if you misjudge you could easily fall short of your selected field. The ability to consistently “connect the dots” by maneuvering from the point of the engine failure to arrive at the key position at the correct altitude requires excellent skill and judgment and is the most challenging aspect to master, but it is absolutely essential to a consistently safe and effective completion of the engine-out emergency procedure.
Step four:
Engine restart flow. Once you are established in your maneuvering plan to reach the key position, you can begin to confirm whether you truly need to be making an emergency landing at all. Statistically, most engines fail because of pilot-induced fuel mismanagement. Begin your engine restart attempts by adjusting (enrich and/or lean) the fuel mixture, turning on the fuel boost pump (if installed), and selecting a different fuel tank.
This leaves only a few other corrections that might possibly bring life back to your engine: carburetor heat or engine alternate air—On; ignition switches checked—On; fuel primer—In and locked; magneto—Both. Outside of pumping the throttle to obtain momentary power (carbureted engines), there usually is little else you can do from inside the cockpit to restart an ailing engine. However, having made your adjustments, don’t give up yet. Allow enough time (if available) for any corrective actions to take hold before securing the engine. As you descend into warmer air, for example, the melting of carburetor ice, if present, might restore your engine.
Step five:
Communicate. After completing the restart flow pattern, consider communicating your predicament by squawking 7700 on your transponder. Time/altitude permitting, contact any known nearby ATC facility and begin with the “M-word”—Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! If you don’t know the frequency of the nearest facility, call out on 121.5 MHz (the international emergency frequency). Even a nearby unicom or CTAF frequency could be helpful if you have that frequency handy. But remember, discontinue any communication efforts if they begin to interfere with your ability to fly the airplane toward the key position. The old adage—aviate, navigate, communicate—applies mightily to this procedure. Steps four and five are important, but they can never overshadow the primary goal of maintaining a good maneuvering profile toward the key position. When engines fail at lower altitudes, engine restart and communication attempts can—and should—be eliminated completely if necessary to ensure that a safe glide speed and positive aircraft control are maintained at all times.
Step six:
Final approach maneuvering and engine shutdown. Successfully reaching the key position at around 1,000 feet agl, you must now concentrate your attention on making a safe and survivable landing. This means no more communication or engine restart attempts—if it ain’t restarted yet, it ain’t gonna restart. And if you’ve contacted ATC during your glide and they are still talking or asking you questions once you reach the key position, it’s time to begin ignoring them completely and just fly the airplane. Similarly, if ATC asks you to do something you either can’t or don’t want to do, remember Capt. Chesley Sullenberger’s use of the “U-word.” Just say “unable" and fly your airplane.
At the key position, begin making immediate and continuous assessments of whether you are in a desired position to glide to the touchdown point. It’s all about energy management. Whether high or low, make immediate corrective actions, as appropriate. Too high is easy to fix: lower landing gear (retractable); extend (slightly) the downwind leg; widen the base leg heading; square the turn to final; overshoot the final and S-turn; or even forward slip on final approach. Simply adding a bit of flaps can also fix a too-high problem, but it’s usually better to delay any flaps on the approach until you are sure you will make the field successfully.
During this final maneuvering, don’t forget to run through your engine shut-down flow. But again, these less-essential items can also be abbreviated or even eliminated altogether if time or workload do not permit. Flying the airplane is still—and always—job number one. Per your pilot’s operating handbook, typical shutdown steps include: fuel selector—Off; mixture control—Lean; ignition switches—Off; cabin door/s—Unlatch; master electrical switch (after electric gear and/or landing flaps have been selected)—Off. You may also want to activate your emergency locator transmitter (ELT), if possible, before touchdown. Now all that remains is to increase drag/flaps to ensure a touchdown on your target spot at minimum forward speed and under complete control.
Continuing to practice engine-out procedures can be accomplished safely after your checkride, or even without your instructor. And although your first few attempts may not produce the greatest results, you’ll be highly rewarded by not giving up. Just like improving your takeoffs, landings, and crosswind-handling skills, the often-neglected engine-out practice will also go a long way toward making you a better and safer pilot.
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