2008 Woodie Awards
Fatal Turn Backs
Jimmy Owenby
Issue date: 3/10/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Imagine this scenario, you just took off and you are about 500 feet above the ground on upwind, suddenly without any warning your engine loses power. What do you do? This scenario is one of the most frightening for any pilot to think about. Your main decision to make is whether to turn back to the runway or look for some place straight ahead to land. So what should you do? Many factors play a role in whether the aircraft would make it back to the runway or not. Altitude, airspeed, wind, and the pilot's flying ability seem to be the leading factors of whether a safe 180-degree turn back to the runway is possible.
A study completed in a flight simulator representing the characteristics of a light single-engine aircraft showed that only 62 percent of 180-degree turn backs were successful from the scenario that was described above. Many of the 38 percent failed turn back attempts resulted in stall/spin accidents, which are usually fatal. On the other hand, those pilots who chose to land straight ahead and not turn back towards the runway resulted in a survivable accident 100 percent of the time. The high survivability rates were due to the increase in a controlled impact with terrain as opposed to an uncontrolled stall/spin impact that occurred with the group that attempted the 180-degree turn back.
Why do so many pilots attempt the turn around? The main reason seems to be to minimize the damage of the aircraft. The aerodynamic best way to make the turnaround is at a bank angle of 45 degrees and airspeed just above the stall speed. But this leaves little room for error and this is what accounts for many stall/spin accidents when an engine fails on upwind.
So what is a good altitude to think about turning back toward the runway? One exercise that can be practiced is to try 180-degree turns at altitude in the practice area with different bank angles and airspeed and see which one looses the least amount of altitude. Then add a safety margin and figure in the altitude necessary to glide back to the runway. Figure in ambient conditions and use this altitude in your pre-takeoff brief. Although the above is not required, it can increase your situational awareness and make you think about this possibly hazardous situation before it occurs.
A study completed in a flight simulator representing the characteristics of a light single-engine aircraft showed that only 62 percent of 180-degree turn backs were successful from the scenario that was described above. Many of the 38 percent failed turn back attempts resulted in stall/spin accidents, which are usually fatal. On the other hand, those pilots who chose to land straight ahead and not turn back towards the runway resulted in a survivable accident 100 percent of the time. The high survivability rates were due to the increase in a controlled impact with terrain as opposed to an uncontrolled stall/spin impact that occurred with the group that attempted the 180-degree turn back.
Why do so many pilots attempt the turn around? The main reason seems to be to minimize the damage of the aircraft. The aerodynamic best way to make the turnaround is at a bank angle of 45 degrees and airspeed just above the stall speed. But this leaves little room for error and this is what accounts for many stall/spin accidents when an engine fails on upwind.
So what is a good altitude to think about turning back toward the runway? One exercise that can be practiced is to try 180-degree turns at altitude in the practice area with different bank angles and airspeed and see which one looses the least amount of altitude. Then add a safety margin and figure in the altitude necessary to glide back to the runway. Figure in ambient conditions and use this altitude in your pre-takeoff brief. Although the above is not required, it can increase your situational awareness and make you think about this possibly hazardous situation before it occurs.