First 500 Feet, Part I: Engine Failure!

Panic leads pilots to do stupid things because, in an emergency, we all want to be on the ground in the worst possible way. People get hurt because they do things with airplanes that they know full well not to do in any other situation. Usually, these things include either losing speed (trying to stretch a glide or reefing it around in a hard turn trying for the runway) or diving for the first visible open spot, runway or not, and floating into obstacles on the other side. Self-control leads to speed control, and that's essential.

When talking about emergency procedures, it's important for pilots to realize that every engine failure (assuming total power loss) is unique because every airplane and every circumstance is different. One thing, however, is absolutely the same: In entirely too many cases, the difference between survival and tragedy are the aforementioned important words: mental preparation and training/practice.

If there's one thing that can be guaranteed when an engine quits, it's that, as one of my friends says, "Your brain instantly dries up to the size of a pea and then rolls out your nose." Initially, your usually quick mind goes through denial ("That didn't really happen, did it?"), and then is suddenly awash in adrenaline, which makes thinking clearly a real chore. It's at that point that procedures and training come to your rescue. If you've thought about this eventuality and planned hard for it, then when it finally happens, you'll just have to apply all your practice to the situation. This doesn't guarantee success; thinking that you'll be able to instantaneously react correctly with no forethought, however, will almost always guarantee failure.

The instant you leave the ground, part of your mind should be thinking, "What if the engine quits right now?" Then, a few seconds later, when you're higher and faster, you should ask yourself the same question again, but this time, the answer will be different. At that point, you may not be able to land on the few feet of remaining runway and you may need off-airport landing options. When the engine quits, every single one of those landing places should already be in mind because you aren't going to have time to look for them. A little higher, and the same question again yields different answers because the altitude gives more options. This cycle of seeking out different landing places repeats itself every three to five seconds until you're at cruise altitude and en route. Then the "Where do I put it if!" cycles continue, but are much more spread out.

Speed and altitude change your "energy footprint" drastically throughout the takeoff and climb. At first, your energy (altitude and speed) make "straight ahead" the only option. A few seconds later, you're higher and you have enough energy to support a 30-degree turn in either direction. As you climb higher, the turn options work their way around to 90 degrees and, finally, you're high enough to actually make a 180-degree turn. Assuming the runway is within reach, you can go for it, which, by the way, is the very last thing you want to be thinking about.

In nearly all situations, trying to turn back to the runway is the wrong maneuver, if nothing else, because very few pilots actually know for sure how much altitude it takes for the airplane to do a power-off 180 in takeoff configuration. And you don't want to try anything in this situation that you "think" will work. If you aren't absolutely positive it will work, then don't try it---you're only going to get one shot. A pristine golf course you "think" you can make is no good if you try to stretch the glide and stall into houses/wires/canyon, etc. It's even worse if you passed up a not-so-big parking lot on the way. Pick something you know you can reach with just enough maneuvering margin to set up the approach as well as you can.

The landing spot doesn't have to be long enough for a regular landing. The goal is to have enough room to touch down at landing speed---generally 45 to 55 mph---then stand on the brakes and, if necessary, lock up one brake and ground-loop it. All you need is an obstacle-free touchdown area. If you touch down at a normal speed, you can run into a lot of stuff and still survive.

And on the subject of making a 180, we should all go up and play the "Can I or can't I make it?" game. Climb up to 2,000 feet AGL and make-believe that's your runway altitude. Initiate a full-power, best-rate climb. Then, at 2,500 feet, kill the power, pitch the nose down into a glide and start a turn back toward where your runway would have been. You want to maximize your gliding distance and efficiency, so work hard to hold the POH best glide speed and keep the ball centered. Don't make the turn so extreme it'll kill altitude. Depending on the plane, 45 degrees is probably too much. Now wait and see if you make the 180 degrees before you hit 2,000 feet again. If you do, try the turn at 2,400 feet. If not, try it at 2,600 feet and so on. You'll learn a lot about your airplane doing this exercise.

Next, to convince yourself that the POH glide speed is the right number, try the same thing 5 mph faster---then 5 mph slower. You'll see that it takes more altitude to make the turn if you're on either side of the POH speed.

Once you decide how much altitude it takes to get turned around, promise yourself two things: First, you're not going to try it unless you have at least twice that altitude to make up for adrenaline-induced flying errors; second, you're not going to try it regardless.

Also, don't forget the distance to the runway---you may get turned around and still not be able to reach it. The more wind there is on takeoff, the better your chances, but it's a gamble you probably shouldn't take.

I've said that part of planning is to make it a habit to look for landing spots as you take off. As soon as you're high enough, seek out fields/streets straight ahead, then look off to the sides, continually changing your selection as the altitude increases. At your home airport, however, you should have already developed an entire menu of roads, streets and fields encircling the airport (each one should be perfect for an engine failure at different points in your climb out). Once you have them picked out, hop in your car and drive around each looking for wires, unseen obstacles and generally getting a feeling for what you'll see if you ever have to land there. You'll be surprised how much different things look from the air once you've inspected them on the ground.

In urban areas, notice the way housing developments are designed. As a normal rule, developments are built in big squares with lines of houses within the square facing one another. Those houses are on interior roads and have a lot of cars parked in front of them. The individual developments are bordered by low-traffic connecting roads that seldom have cars parked on them, making them preferable for emergency landings.

If the engine actually quits, the first few seconds are critical: You're nose-high in the climb and will burn speed immediately, so get the nose down. At the same time, hit the boost pump and change tanks. The yoke is going forward while you're preparing to get the pump and change tanks. Changing tanks has priority, but not by much. In some airplanes, you have to change hands on the yoke to get the fuel pump; if that's the case, get the selector first, as that's most often the problem, then hit the pump.

As the nose is going down, start picking out your landing options. If there's any runway in front of you, go for it! It's much better to roll off the end of the runway at 20 mph than to try landing off-airport. Slip hard, get flaps down and maintain speed, but don't push so hard that you get too much speed and float. Also, don't pull and kill speed. Fly the airplane! This is where practicing nose-attitude control counts. Fly the windshield, not the panel.

If you're going off-airport, do as little maneuvering as possible because every turn costs altitude. Pick out the least cluttered spot ahead, paying particular attention to wires, trees, etc., in your way. Look for the lowest spot in the obstacles, plan on going through the notch and maintain a normal approach speed! If there's time, shut the fuel off and unlock the door, but don't take your attention off the approach. And don't be afraid to duck under wires. As you clear the obstacles, slip it hard and pop the flaps up just before you touch to deposit the airplane firmly. Then steer around obstacles, if possible. When the plane comes to a halt, bail out immediately. If it's upside down, don't automatically release your seat belt. Put a hand on the ceiling to cushion your fall, then let the belt go and get out.

The most important aspect of this discussion is to agree that procedures won't go smoothly without practice. If an engine actually quits, you won't be able to think, so practice on the ground and run drills until your legs are shaking from adrenaline.

The primary action items (which pretty much happen simultaneously) are:
• Pitch---Put the nose down ASAP.
• Look---Select a landing place.
• Switch---Change fuel tanks ASAP.
• Pump---Switch on the fuel pump, if it's not already on.

Most of all, assume the engine may quit on every takeoff, and be prepared to fly the airplane in a normal manner until you're on the ground, one way or the other. As the saying goes, "Fly the airplane all the way into the crash." It's a cliché, but a true one.

[Stay tuned! In a future issue, Budd Davisson will deliver his next installment of "The First 500 Feet."]