Engine Failure and the Forced Landing

Three separate procedures cover an engine that stops, and which one you fly is decided by where you are when it happens: still on the runway, just off it, or high enough to think. The chapter's own commentary tells you what the first action is in each case, and those three sentences are worth as much as the checklists.

At a glance

• Engine failure after takeoff, airspeed60 KIAS
• Engine failure during flight, airspeed60 KIAS
• Emergency landing without power, flaps up65 KIAS
• Emergency landing without power, flaps down60 KIAS
• Recommended flap setting for a forced landing30 degrees
• Precautionary landing, initial airspeed60 KIAS
• Precautionary landing, final approach airspeed55 KIAS
• Maximum glide chart conditions60 KIAS, propeller windmilling, flaps up

What matters first, in each case

The chapter's three governing statements

• During the takeoff run — nothing matters more than bringing the aeroplane to a halt on the runway that is left.

• After takeoff — get the nose down at once: that is what holds the airspeed and settles the aeroplane into a glide.

• Where to land after takeoff — in most cases straight ahead, with only small changes in direction to avoid obstructions, because there is rarely enough height or speed in hand for the 180 degree gliding turn a return to the runway would take.

Engine failure during the takeoff run

Engine Failure During Takeoff Run

1. Throttle — IDLE

2. Brakes — APPLY

3. Wing flaps — RETRACT

4. Mixture — IDLE CUT-OFF

5. Ignition switch — OFF

6. Master switch — OFF

Engine failure immediately after takeoff

Engine Failure Immediately After Takeoff

1. Airspeed — 60 KIAS

2. Mixture — IDLE CUT-OFF

3. Fuel shutoff valve — OFF

4. Ignition switch — OFF

5. Wing flaps — AS REQUIRED

6. Master switch — OFF

Airspeed comes first, and everything after it is shutting the aeroplane down for the arrival. There is no attempt to restart, because there is no height in which to attempt one.

Engine failure during flight

Engine Failure During Flight

1. Airspeed — 60 KIAS

2. Carburetor heat — ON

3. Primer — IN and LOCKED

4. Fuel shutoff valve — ON

5. Mixture — RICH

6. Ignition switch — BOTH, or START if the propeller is stopped

Compare this against the previous list. Same first step, and then every subsequent step is the opposite: fuel on rather than off, mixture rich rather than cut off, ignition on rather than off. With height available the procedure is a restart attempt, not a shutdown.

Emergency landing without engine power

Emergency Landing Without Engine Power

1. Airspeed — 65 KIAS with flaps up, 60 KIAS with flaps down

2. Mixture — IDLE CUT-OFF

3. Fuel shutoff valve — OFF

4. Ignition switch — OFF

5. Wing flaps — AS REQUIRED, 30 degrees recommended

6. Master switch — OFF

7. Doors — UNLATCH PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN

8. Touchdown — SLIGHTLY TAIL LOW

9. Brakes — APPLY HEAVILY

Precautionary landing with engine power

A precautionary landing is the one you choose. The engine still runs, so the procedure includes an inspection pass over the field before committing to it.

Precautionary Landing With Engine Power

1. Airspeed — 60 KIAS

2. Wing flaps — 20 degrees

3. Selected field — FLY OVER, noting terrain and obstructions, then retract flaps on reaching a safe altitude and airspeed

4. Radio and electrical switches — OFF

5. Wing flaps — 30 degrees on final approach

6. Airspeed — 55 KIAS

7. Master switch — OFF

8. Doors — UNLATCH PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN

9. Ignition switch — OFF

10. Brakes — APPLY HEAVILY

The flaps are used twice — 20 degrees to fly the inspection pass slowly, retracted for the climb away, then 30 degrees for the approach itself. Both power-off and precautionary landings end with the doors unlatched before touchdown.

The maximum glide chart

The chapter's glide chart is drawn for one set of conditions and one only: 60 KIAS, propeller windmilling, flaps up. Any other configuration is off the chart.

Check yourself

• What is the single most important action after an engine failure during the takeoff run?

• Name the one step that is identical between the after-takeoff and in-flight engine failure procedures, and say how the rest differ.

• What flap setting is recommended for an emergency landing without engine power?

• At what point in both landing procedures are the doors unlatched?

• State the three conditions the maximum glide chart is drawn for.

Study aid — always fly your aircraft's current AFM/POH.