Choosing an Emergency Landing Spot when Engine Fails: A Guide
In the event of an engine failure or other emergency, finding a safe place to land is crucial. While fields and roads may seem like common options, they come with their own set of challenges. Here are some tips for choosing a safe landing spot and preparing for a power-off landing.
Road Landings: Risks and Precautions
Landing on a road presents challenges such as traffic, power lines, and signs. To mitigate these risks, it's important to set up like a traffic pattern. Enter on a downwind leg, turn base when abeam the touchdown point, and add flaps on final only when certain of the landing spot. If the road has high traffic, it's best to avoid landing due to the risk of hitting a car and causing damage.
Field Landings: Aim for a Straight Ahead, Nose-High Landing
For a field landing, aim for a straight ahead, nose-high landing into the wind for a slow groundspeed and to use the airplane for protection. When landing off-airport, it's crucial to control aircraft attitude and sink rate to prevent nose-low or level landings that could cause flipping or excessive deceleration. Adding flaps too early in an off-field landing setup can lead to undesirable landing locations.
Choosing a Safe Landing Spot
To choose a safe landing spot for an off-field emergency landing in a general aviation aircraft, you should prioritize finding an area that allows for rapid deceleration while maintaining aircraft structural integrity and occupant safety. Look for a site where the terrain is smooth and level to minimize risk of rollover or damage on touchdown. Avoid areas with obstacles such as trees, power lines, fences, or large rocks. Fields, roads with low traffic, or clearings are preferable as off-field landing sites.
Estimate your stopping distance based on your speed: for example, at 50 MPH, a stopping distance of approximately 9 feet (roughly the length of the aircraft fuselage) is survivable given the structural design of typical GA airplanes. Plan to use parts of the airplane that can absorb impact (wings, landing gear, fuselage bottom) to protect the cockpit and cabin. Ensure your seatbelt is tight to prevent your body from striking the interior during touchdown.
Landing in Forested Areas and Confined Spaces
When landing in a forested area, it's recommended to use a normal landing configuration with full flaps, land into the wind, and aim for low and closely spaced trees. In a confined area like mountains, rivers or creeks can be good options for landing as they tend to be fairly flat and provide a uniform deceleration.
The Importance of Keeping the Cockpit and Cabin Intact
Most General Aviation (GA) airplanes are designed to protect occupants at up to 9Gs of forward acceleration. In a power-off landing, it's crucial to keep the cockpit and cabin intact to ensure the safety of the occupants. When landing on a hard surface with a retractable gear plane, lowering the landing gear helps cushion the touchdown and decelerate the plane. In a retractable gear plane landing on a soft field, it's safer to intentionally land with gear up to avoid digging into the dirt and flipping the plane.
In summary, the safest off-field landing spot is a flat, obstacle-free area large enough to stop your aircraft within a short distance, such as a pasture or empty field, with minimal hazards for both the aircraft and occupants during a power-off landing. By following these tips, you can increase your chances of a successful emergency landing and ensure the safety of yourself and your passengers.
[1] Source: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airplane Flying Handbook, Chapter 16 - Emergency Procedures.
- In an emergency, navigating to a safe landing spot is essential, and while roads and fields may appear viable options, they pose unique challenges.
- Landing on a road entails risks such as traffic, power lines, and signs, but these can be mitigated by adopting a traffic pattern and carefully choosing the landing spot.
- For a field landing, aim for a straight ahead, nose-high maneuver into the wind to facilitate a slow groundspeed and use the aircraft for protection.
- In an off-field emergency landing, prioritize finding a smooth and level area with minimal obstacles to ensure rapid deceleration, aircraft structural integrity, and occupant safety.
- When landing in forested areas or confined spaces, employ a normal landing configuration, land into the wind, and aim for low and closely spaced objects.
- In nose-low or level landings, controlling aircraft attitude and sink rate is crucial to prevent flipping or excessive deceleration, and adding flaps too early can lead to undesirable landing locations.
- To protect occupants in a power-off landing, it's imperative to keep the cockpit and cabin intact, and this can be achieved by lowering the landing gear on hard surfaces or intentionally landing with gear up on soft fields.
