ENGINE FAILURE AFTER TAKE-OFF: SINGLE-ENGINED AIRCRAFT (PART 2)

ENGINE FAILURE AFTER TAKE-OFF: SINGLE-ENGINED AIRCRAFT (PART 2)

Acknowledged Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau

Ed.Note: Extracted from the excellent booklet on the subject published by the ATSB

1.    Forced and precautionary landings within the aerodrome immediately after take-off:

·       There were 22 partial engine power loss occurrences after take-off where a forced landing was conducted within the aerodrome boundary by landing either straight ahead or slightly off the runway heading. These occurrences were from a typical height of 25 feet, although some were above 150 feet

·       There were five occurrences where the aircraft was either at circuit altitude or beyond the perimeter fence but was able to land on another runway.

·       Of the 27 forced and precautionary landings within the aerodrome, there were no fatal injuries. In most of these immediate forced landings, the pilot landed the aircraft on the remaining runway, half of which involved an overrun. Many of the runway overruns resulted in collisions with objects such as fences, shrubs and drainage ditches. However, most collisions with objects did not result in serious injury. So, apart from large drainage ditches running perpendicular to the direction of flight (which can cause rapid deceleration), you can use many of these features to decelerate the aircraft without undue risk of injury.

Case Study: Turning at very low height resulting in a wing tip strike, the engine of the F-206 lost power shortly after the pilot had retracted the landing gear during the initial climb. The pilot entered a glide with the intention of landing straight ahead on runway 29C. At about 75 feet AGL, the pilot partially closed the throttle, and the engine briefly regained power. This caused the nose of the aircraft to pitch up and roll to the left. The pilot lowered the nose again, and with very little runway remaining ahead, elected to turn to the right to land the aircraft on runway 36. The engine lost power again during the turn. The pilot then elected to roll the aircraft to the left and land straight ahead. However, insufficient time remained to roll the wings completely level. The aircraft impacted the ground with the landing gear retracted in a right-wing low attitude just past the intersection of runway 29C and runway 36. During the impact sequence, the aircraft spun through 180 degrees to the left as it slid along runway 29C. The aircraft was substantially damaged, and the pilot sustained serious injuries.

2.     Completely pull the power to land on the remaining runway (or aerodrome):

In some cases, power has reportedly fluctuated unpredictably with the movement of the engine throttle. One technique that has been employed by pilots has been to completely pull the throttle once a landing point is assured, rather than partially reducing the throttle.

3.    Conducting the forced/precautionary landing on the aerodrome:

The following factors were identified as being influential in reducing the potential for injury following a partial power loss after take-off when landing immediately on the aerodrome without turning. The sooner engine power is cut, the greater is the landing distance available. Unwanted airspeed, aircraft pitching and additional height have been reported to the ATSB as effects of not cutting the engine throttle completely. These may result from some power being restored and are likely to reduce the landing distance available. 

4.     Forced and precautionary landings after take-off beyond the aerodrome:

·     Turns after take-off increase the possibility of stalling and wingtip strikes at low level.

·     The immediate deployment of full flaps is recommended if time permits, as this will also help to reduce the aircraft groundspeed prior to ground contact. However, this may result in reduced braking effectiveness on the ground and ‘float’ due to increased lift, especially in low-wing aircraft.

·     If a partial power loss is detected once airborne and within the aerodrome confines, there may be some situations where it seems appropriate for flight to be continued beyond the perimeter fence. For example, if there is no over-run area, or the over-run area is unsuitable and there are suitable emergency landing areas or fields beyond the aerodrome, continuing flight with partial engine power available may be appropriate. Such situations should be part of the pre-flight briefing.

·     Once the aircraft is airborne and beyond the point where a landing straight ahead or slightly off the runway direction within the aerodrome boundary is no longer possible, there are only two main options available to a pilot:

·     Conducting a forced or precautionary landing on or off the aerodrome once beyond the perimeter fence

·     Commencing a turn with the intent of landing at the departure aerodrome on the same or another runway (discussed in the next section), or within the aerodrome grounds.

·     Only 21 occurrences involved the pilot conducting a forced or precautionary landing after take-off after crossing the aerodrome boundary. There was one fatal accident and three accidents where minor injuries were incurred. The fatal accident involved a successful ditching into a body of water resulting in minimal damage to the aircraft, but one of the passengers drowned after leaving the aircraft.

·     For off-aerodrome landings, the typical height from which pilots conducted forced or precautionary landings after detecting a partial power loss was 200 feet AGL.

·     Case Study: Maintaining control, The PA-32 aircraft took off with the pilot and four passengers on board. Upon passing 400 ft after take-off, the aircraft’s engine suffered a significant reduction in power, although the engine did not cut out straight away. The aircraft was gently banked to be close to the shore; a turn back was ruled out as an option. The pilot landed on the water and his head impacted the instrument glare-shield. One passenger suffered fractures to fingers, and the pilot sustained soft tissue damage to one eye; however the remaining passengers were uninjured.

Incident reports received indicate that pilots sometimes use residual power to set up an approach, however, you should plan as if an engine failure is imminent because the engine may not be relied on to continue to provide any level of power. Therefore, it may be advantageous to conduct a forced or precautionary landing, particularly where there are suitable landing options available.

5.      Pilots are s trained to deal with a complete engine failure after take-off:

·       Use the aircraft structure and your surroundings to minimise injury In the event of a forced landing away from the aerodrome.

·       A pilot faced with an unsuitable area in which to stop should attempt to slow the aircraft as much as possible.

·       Protecting the occupants should be your highest priority, rather than preventing damage to the aircraft. Using the landing gear or the aircraft structure, such as the wings, to absorb energy on impact with obstacles, are methods successfully employed to decelerate an aircraft in these circumstances. Avoiding direct contact of the fuselage with solid objects reduces the risk of serious injury.

FLY SAFE!