EFATO
Engine Failure After Takeoff
An engine failure on takeoff is a serious situation! Okay, an engine failure any time is quite serious, but on takeoff and climb out it is even more so. We are low and slow. We are usually heavy- we haven't had time to burn off fuel. But even though it is a very bad time to have an emergency, it is still something that we can safely plan for with a little thought and training.
Preparation for this emergency starts before we even takeoff. The takeoff briefing card reminds us to assess things like wind, slope, and obstacles and/or terrain at the end of the runway. So before we even takeoff we've considered what the obstacles are, what kind of land is at the end of the runway, and what is available for landing sites. This is important because if the engine quits down low we don't have much time.
The general procedure in the event of an engine failure on climb out:
1. Lower the nose! This is critical. The pitch was in a nose high climb attitude before the failure, but our glide attitude is nose low! So immediately, we need to lower the nose to keep our glide speed. Airspeed is so crucial, we can't stress this enough. If you lower the nose you will have glide speed, enough speed to maneuver to the best landing site, and enough speed to flare into your field. People who don't lower the nose end up with no speed and a very high sink rate- the airplane stalls 50 or 100 feet up, and now their airplane is just a chunk of metal falling to the ground with no control. Airspeed is the difference- it gives you control. So please, if this unhappy event every happens, drop the nose and keep your airspeed!
2. Now that you've lowered the nose, you can see what's out there and can pick a spot. There's not enough time or altitude to make any major maneuvers, simply pick the most wide open spot within about 45 degrees or so of your heading. To determine if you will make the field, use the landing/aim point technique: In your glide attitude, your desired landing point should appear just a few inches above the cowling and should remain steady there- just like the numbers do on your landing approach.
3. When you are confident that you will make your landing site, add flaps. This will allow you to touch down at the lowest possible speed. However, remember how much drag we get by adding flaps- be careful not to add full flaps too soon and then find out that you will not make your landing point!
4. With flaps set we can secure and prepare the airplane. Shut the master off and turn fuel off- we don't want an electric or fuel fire if we damage the airplane. Open your door so that it is unlatched- if the airplane gets bent we want the door already open.
5. Land the plane! I hope you found a nice, wide open field. Maneuver as necessary to avoid any obstacles.
6. Attempting a restart, making radio calls, briefing your passengers- these are all important things to do in any emergency. But in an engine failure after takeoff, there may not be time to do them. The most important thing is to land the airplane in control. Anything that detracts from the landing task is non-essential and therefore should not be bothered with. You and you're passengers safety ultimately depends on how and where you land the airplane, not what you tell air traffic control. If you do have sufficient altitude and time, by all means check your carb heat, fuel, mixture and mags, and make a radio call.
A wide open field would be the best thing to find in this situation. If we don't have a good landing site, a little thought about energy management will greatly increase our chances of making a safe emergency landing. "Energy management" is a fancy way of saying speed control. Like any landing, we want to touch down as slowly as possible to decrease our stopping distance. Touching down with full flaps in a nose-high attitude will ensure that we are landing slow. At touchdown, we will obviously maneuver to avoid hitting anything, and apply heavy braking to decelerate quickly (try not to lock the brakes). If we must hit something, we want to be going as slowly as possible. Energy increases with the square of our speed- in other words, if we double our speed we increase our energy 4 times. So the difference between hitting something at 15 knots and 30 knots is substantial- the impact at 30knots will cause 4 times the damage, and possible injury, than the 15 knot impact!
Another strategy for reducing injury potential is to spread out the deceleration over a greater distance. Slowing from 30 knots to 0 abruptly, as in hitting a solid wall, will expose you to tremendous forces and will likely cause injury. Slowing from 30 to 0 over even just a short distance- say 30 feet, as in rolling into bushes or very small trees- will greatly reduce the force the body withstands.
On a positive note, the 172 touches down at a very low speed - 40 knots or so. If we can manage to slow down to even 20 knots without hitting anything, we have greatly reduced our impact energy. If what we hit at 20 knots doesn't stop us immediately, like going through a hedge or a fence, we will likely walk away from this shaken but completely uninjured. So, an emergency landing in a Cessna can be a very safe event, IF the pilot continues to fly the airplane. If the pilot stalls, or gives up, the results may not be so good.
So, our strategy is to touch down slowly, avoid hitting anything, and if we must hit something hit small, light, soft objects. It also must be stressed that we land IN CONTROL, that we do not stall the airplane 10 or 20 feet up, and that we don't quit once we're on the ground. Controlling the airplane until it is stopped could make a big difference in whether we hit something or what we hit.
It is important that we keep the airplane upright throughout this process. This means landing on a firm surface- swamps are not good. Landing in a swamp means the wheels could sink into the mud, causing them to rapidly decelerate and possibly flip the airplane. So, if at all possible, find a dry surface. Landing on the dry surface, try to remember to keep the stick back on the rollout (just like any landing!) This will help keep the weight off the nosewheel and prevent it from sinking into any holes or soft dirt.
Turnbacks are not good!
Many people think they should turn around to land back on the runway they just departed from. This is usually a bad idea. Most pilots do not make the runway in this scenario. The reason is that it takes too much distance to complete the turn- it is more than 180 degrees to get back to the runway, and the airplane is descending in the turn. The pilot then either stalls the airplane in the turn, or lands short of the runway into whatever terrain happens to be there. Better to find a decent landing site ahead, than to hit the ground out of control trying to make it back to the runway!
The only time you might consider going back is if you have already turned crosswind- that way you don't have as far to turn to make the runway. Altitude also helps, if you are over a 1000 feet you might be able to make it back.
Vx/Vy
Climbing at the appropriate speeds will give us more altitude to work with if we have an emergency. Vx is the best angle of climb- it gives us the steepest climb gradient. This is good if we have obstacles to clear at the end of the runway. Because it gives us the most altitude in a given distance, it is good speed to use any time there are few landing sites available. Vy gives us the most altitude in a given time, so when there are no obstacles we should climb at Vy until reaching pattern altitude (1000 feet). Climbing at a higher speed than Vy (a lower pitch attitude) gives us a flatter climb gradient and therefore less altitude to work with in emergency. The only time we might climb at a higher speed than Vy is when there is significant turbulence, in this case we may increase our speed by a few knots for more control. Upon reaching 1000 feet, we have many more options available. At this point we can ease the nose down into a "cruise climb" of 80-85 knots for better forward visibility and engine cooling.
Closing points
So, brief yourself for the potential engine failure prior to takeoff. Keep an eye out for potential landing sites on climb out. If it happens, drop the nose to keep your speed and turn towards the best available spot. Fly the airplane all the way down to the ground, don't ever lose control!
For more on engine failures- see the "articles" section of this disk for articles on ditching. Also see the "Aviation Safety" magazine, available in our lobby and also online.