If you fly a single engine airplane you need to have a strategy to handle an engine failure right after takeoff. What are you going to do? What are your decision points?

I filmed this in a Bonanza, but it is equally applicable to any airplane with one engine. My advice is to try the profile out at altitude, not next to the ground. Don't do what I did at home. I tested the Turnback altitudes of 500', 700' and 1,000' at Vy and and Cruise Climb. I'm here to tell you the issue isn't actually how many degrees you have to turn. Check it out, tell me what strategy you are using!

gunny

Very good video lesson Gunny. I have always found kinetic energy and wind management to be the major factors in any low altitude maneuvering. Good points.

Very informative, thanks.

I think the biggest thing that I took away was that simply achieving a 180 degree turn means nothing if you have a high descent rate, no altitude left and no energy for a flare. A less attractive surface that you could arrive at slowly would probably be more survivable.

Made me think about climbing faster too.

contact and daedalus-

Spot on observations! Thanks for the comments!

Very instructive, thanks. Not only do you know the information you are sharing, the filming and editing were excellent.

Great video. I dunno how many engine fails occur on takeoff or initial climb, but stuff happens. Enough show up in accident reports to make pre-briefed takeoffs a really good idea. Thanks for the recommends and caveats.

Great video. I dunno how many engine fails occur on takeoff or initial climb, but stuff happens. Enough show up in accident reports to make pre-briefed takeoffs a really good idea. Thanks for the recommends and caveats.

Great video. Most pilots who do takeoff briefings are using someone else's turnback altitude. No better data than the stuff you develop yourself, in your own airplane.

Good video. Good start to an important and valuable discussion of the Critical Decision Making process around EFATO. It's an especially tough decision tree to try to map out in advance due to the many and difficult-to-predict variables. Every second that ticks by, the scenario shifts and the "right" decision can change.

Whenever the question of if/when to attempt the "impossible turn" is discussed, the focus is often on "from what altitude" can I make it? There are several other factors contributing to "where are you in relation to a runway" when you reach that magic altitude AGL that you know you can make it from.

1. Runway length and surrounding obstacles. Departing from nearby Reno, with it's 9,000' GA runway parallel to an 11.000' airline runway, in a high performance plane, you'll likely still be over the runway when you climb through your magic altitude. Departing from the 800' sheep pasture in front of my house, it's well behind you.with challenges to getting back, but a big flat cattle pasture in front of you.

2. Climb performance in feet per mile (more relevant than FPM). This in turn being of course a function of
A. Aircraft performance for given configuration and weight. My 300HP 182 climbs like a homesick angel on wheels. Less so on the big amphibs.with a full load.
B. Density altitude.
C. Presence of updrafts or downdrafts.

3. Wind. Particularly in a mountainous area, wind velocity and direction can change just a few hundred feet above the runway.

4. No matter who you are, even Bob Hoover or Cool Hand Luke will experience a "WTF" moment when the big fan stops turning shortly after takeoff. How long your personal WTF moment is on that particular day will drive the decision-making process early on.

Point is, saying "I can make that turn back from "X" altitude doesn't matter if you're now already a mile and a half away from the runway with obstacles in between and your turn cost you a lot of altitude and you're facing much worse LZ choices than if you had kept the spinner pointed more or less straight ahead.

Great thing to think about every time from your home field and places you frequent. Google Earth or Foreflight and other tools can help plan in advance at unfamiliar fields.

Pierre

Gunny's three second delay is probably accurate in most cases. However, it is possible to develop a failure mode mindset. Crop dusters usually make it down without damage and certainly without injury in a six second total from engine failure to touchdown situation. 12 personally. From 200'AGL or lower, it is a no brainer because there are so few choices. Going back to the field just left is never a consideration, but always (mine anyway) something workable.

If the decision is not to attempt turn back, two thing: by allowing the nose to go down naturally in the bank anything in the near hemisphere is doable, and we are usually high and fast approaching anything doable.

Up high, say 1,000' where the turn back is a consideration, lots of LZs are doable with good wind energy management.

Mark and Jason did a great piece here:

https://youtu.be/08LlVNphg2o

AKT


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, Kevin, Mark and Jason presented a good lesson.

The keys were immediate response (spring loaded to the failure), steep banked turns while allowing the nose to go down naturally, and wings level before touchdown regardless of where we get to.

Slower airplanes are much safer maneuvering near the ground because the turn diameter is so much less and the touchdown speed is so much less. Because of the Cobra's weight, 9600 or more gross, 180 degree autorotations were gripping, but airspeed could be zeroed at touchdown. Gunny's Bonanza is going to mow some mesquite, but he has a good strong low wing to absorb the energy. He also could bank steeper and let the nose go down naturally, but that slick airplane doesn't slow down quickly like a light, high lift winged airplane.

aktahoe1 wrote:Mark and Jason did a great piece here:

https://youtu.be/08LlVNphg2o

AKT


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Kevin, a good video and a perfect example that there are no blanket answers for all airplanes and pilots.

Good discussion!

Gunny

A point we didn't bring out in Gunny's great demonstration is that we can very often benefit from turning rather than just landing straight ahead. Of my many engine failures, most were considerable heading change but few 180 or 270 (p turn necessary to get back unless we laid off downwind.) I did have one straight ahead because I was six inches over a long runway at cruise (my default low ground effect takeoff.) Piece of cake.

https://www.patreon.com/FlyWire

This FlyWire video backs up what Gunny has demonstrated about having quite a bit of money in pocket and money in bank when attempting the impossible turn with a heavy airplane.

Sorry, I did the copy and paste thing but got the ad rather than the video. Help!

I was after the one in Florida takeoff on 10 and attempt to return to 10.