Engine Failure on Take-off and in Flight

Three engine failures need three different answers, and what separates them is only where you are when it happens. Learn which drill belongs to which moment before you line up, because none of the three leaves time to choose.

At a glance

• Airspeed after failure immediately after take-off, wing flaps retracted65 KIAS / 75 mph
• Airspeed after failure immediately after take-off, wing flaps extended60 KIAS / 69 mph

Engine malfunction during take-off, with sufficient runway ahead

1. Thrust Lever — IDLE

2. Brakes — APPLY

3. Wing flaps, if extended — RETRACT, to increase braking effect on the runway

4. Engine Master — OFF

5. Alternator, Main Bus and Battery switch — OFF

Engine malfunction immediately after take-off

1. Airspeed — 65 KIAS / 75 mph with wing flaps retracted, or 60 KIAS / 69 mph with wing flaps extended

2. Fuel Shut-off Valve — CLOSED

3. Engine Master — OFF

4. Wing flaps — as required (full down recommended)

5. Alternator, Main Bus and Battery switch — OFF

WARNING — Turning back 180° to the airfield in a glide is rarely something the height and the speed you have will support.

Engine malfunction during flight after one tank was flown empty

1. Fuel Shut-off Valve — OPEN (push full in)

2. Fuel Selector — switch immediately to the BOTH position

3. Electric Fuel Pump — ON

4. Engine — CHECK

5. If the engine acts normally, continue the flight and land as soon as possible

NOTE — A tank taken to dry sets both FADEC warning lights flashing.

WARNING — Once a tank has been taken to dry, an authorized service center has to inspect the high-pressure pump before the aeroplane flies again.

Why the third drill exists at all

The first two drills shut the engine down. The third tries to get it back, because a tank flown empty is the one engine failure with a known cause and a known cure — and the fix is fuel from the other side, with the pump on.

Check yourself

• What is the first action if the engine fails during take-off with runway ahead?

• What airspeed do you fly after a failure immediately after take-off, with the flaps retracted and with them extended?

• What does the warning say about turning back to the airfield?

• What indication accompanies a tank being run dry?

• What must be done before the next flight after a tank has been run dry?

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