Emergency Landing Guidelines
Posted by Jeffrey on August 18th, 2009
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So what would you do if you couldn’t glide to an airport and and land if you engine quits?
Personally, when I fly, I am always looking for landing spots. Even in my CRJ-200, I am looking for places to go.
I am always asking myself:
+ Could I land there?
+ Is that airport’s runway long enough?
+ Are there any obstacles? Trees? Powerlines?
+ Could I glide my airplane to that point from 30,000 feet? From 5,000 feet?
Basically any clear area without obstructions, obstacles, or hazards would be a good place to land. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be good enough. Too often, pilots make a bad situation worse by setting their sights on a landing area, only to change their mind at the last moment. Unless you have a really good reason to change to that “new” landing area, stick with the one you have.
So, where should you land?
It is impossible to have a hard, fast rule. Every situation is different. Roads have power lines and traffic but if it is either the road or some trees, maybe the road would be better. But, if the road is full of travelers, maybe the trees would be better. You have to weigh the benefits and risks. You certainly don’t want to endanger other people. We don’t want to make our emergency their emergency.
What about that parking lot over there? Or maybe the golf course? Again, review the situation. Too many people or obstructions could cause more damage.
What about landing on water versus trees? Again, only you can decide. If you have retractable gear, you may decide to land in the water. Personally, in my CRJ-200, if it is the choice between trees and a body of water, I will pick the water. Statically speaking, more people have survived water landings than tree landings. You should review your ditching procedures if you think that that could be an option.
Trees though may offer a slower deceleration but they pose other risks. If the tree is very high, it is possible to survive the “landing” only to fall to the ground. Also, trees have branches and these branches can become deadly spears if they penetrate the cabin.
So, you see, only you can decide which is best for you based on your circumstances at the time. And the best way to be prepared for an engine failure and the subsequent emergency landing is to inspect the area around you while you are flying (at a safe altitude) and play the “what-if” game. Ask yourself, “What if I had an engine failure right now, what would I do?”
The other thing you can do is practice engine out maneuvers with an instructor. Learn how to judge the wind and your airplane’s performance when it glides.
Finally, do a thorough pre-flight every time you fly to make sure that your airplane is in the best condition possible BEFORE you go flying.
Well, I hope I got you thinking about this a little bit more. Flying is a skill that requires you to mentally exercise your brain to have a plan-of-action if something should go wrong, like an engine failure.
To Your Flying Success…
Jeffrey
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