Engine Out! From Trouble to Touchdown 

Before every takeoff, I verbally say my engine failure briefing. If I have passengers, I tell them if something is to go wrong, do not panic (I’ll panic for all of us). I tell them that if they are freaking out, it decreases the chances of me being able to deal with the plane and possibly get it back to an airfield or suitable place of landing. Fortunately, I’ve never had to make a forced landing but I do this every flight just to make sure I’m ready and they’re ready and that we might all walk away.

Having had a total engine failure from vapor lock over the Rockies 25 miles N. of Helena, MT, I'd like to add a couple of points from personal experience. 1. The pilot may have to deal with panic - from passenger(s). The screaming can interfere with communications. This is not trivial when they may be loved ones. 2. As we descended below radio range with ATC, a freight dog at cruise altitude assisted by relaying comm. Thank you Matt Ferrari! I'll never forget your calming help. 3. It wasn't on my checklist, but it wasn't until later that I realized I may have been able to keep the engine going using the primer. Unlike both the engine-driven pump and the electric pump, it is located in the cabin which was cooler. BTW - it was 85°F at 9500' that day and I had saved a few bucks by fueling up with autogas. NEVER AGAIN! Post note: We were able to glide long enough that the engine regained power as we were on downwind for what would certainly have been a crash landing in rough terrain. If I had pulled the throttle back, I wouldn't have known we had power. We gained altitude over our chosen spot until we could glide to a better one, then another, etc. We made it to Helena where we were cleared to land, "Any runway, any direction." Thanks, tower guys.

I only accumulated about 100 hours before I stopped flying but, during that time I almost had an engine failure in a Piper Tomahawk as a student pilot. Was on a short x-country flight from KOUN to KSWO while passing through OKC's class C airspace. Engine began running very bad and I asked ATC for an immediate return to KOUN and stayed as high as I could while constantly looking for spots to land if the engine totally quit. ATC cleared everyone out of the way and vectored me safely back to KOUN. This video is very good and may save your hide someday!!

Currently flying for a major airline but still love all these videos. I’d love to get back into GA one day, and you’re doing the community a great service. Cheers!

In the past, I have had one total engine failure and two partial failures. In the total engine failure event, I was flying at 5000ft, some 2km off our home airport, about to start spin training with the student pilot. As the student entered the spin, the engine quit. I flew out of the spin and headed for the airport, engine start was impossible because this particular airplane didn't have a battery installed (it did NOT windmill). I aimed for 4k, 3k, 2k, 1000ft chekpoints in the traffic pattern and adjusted the flight path accordingly in order to reach each one at the right altitude and landed uneventfully - I even brought the airplane to a full stop at its assigned parking spot on the apron, which made it hard for the mechanic to believe I actually had had a full failure. The other, partial failures were actually a lot more dangerous as they were on take-offs. In each case, I managed to bring the airplane around the traffic pattern and land, choosing possible landing sites along the way. Downwind leg was particularly scary as it was, well, downwind, with the potential for a very high ground speed, off-airport landing. Great video. It should have mentioned, however, to unlatch/open the door before an off-airport landing. This is extremely important - should the airframe warp even just a little on impact, this could mean the difference between walking away and being trapped inside the airplane.

AWESOME! Just like to add one more item for emergency landing. OPEN/UNLATCH the door.

It was briefly mentioned, but deserves mentioning again: Not all engine failures are a total loss of power! Make sure the engine's making the rated power before leaving the ground. There was a fatal accident locally because of this. Have a defined abort point picked out and stick to it. ie: if we're not airborne by taxiway Charlie, we're chopping chopping the throttle and aborting. How can you tell what's normal? Go look up your aircraft in the FAA's TCDS. For example, on a Cessna 172S or even 182S at full throttle the prop should be spinning "not over 2,400 rpm, not less than 2,300 rpm". That's pretty specific and easy enough to check. I've added it to my checklist.

Excellent video. One thing worth mentioning: if you have an engine failure just after the runway, you are going to have to push the nose over hard to maintain airspeed. Remember what your power on stalls felt like? THAT is the sort of thing you'll have to do on takeoff if your engine quits. Above all, maintain control at all times. If you stall, you won't have any control, and you will fall on to whatever is below you. However, if you glide, there is control, and you can choose where the plane will go.

Nice video! A couple of things worth mentioning: 1. Practice short approaches / power-off landings regularly. Otherwise it will be very hard not to miss a perfect landing spot surrounded by trees. 2. When picking an airport to glide to - mind the winds aloft - gliding into the wind will reduce gliding range significantly. Also, pick an airport to glide to before engine quits. It's a good habit to have a plan and it also keeps you busy during boring long cross-country flights.

I would have liked to see an additional item : crack open the door. in the 1970s there was a C310 at California's Cable Airport - five folks on board, baggage, fuel, dog, in pea soup fog. Lost the right engine. Pilot did a 180, couldn't see the airport, and it came down in the parking area of an apartment complex and hit a tree planter. People ran to the aircraft and saw the woman passenger yelling "Help me" and then the plane exploded in flames. All died. Had they cracked open the door they could have evacuated.

Wow! Very, very impressed with the production value here. Not only are video shots beautifully composed, but the illustrations and animations are particularly well crafted, with lots of cleverly playful touches. I *especially* love the animation sequence beginning at 7:04... representing “visibility” with a blur effect, rather than another icon, is ingenious! 👏

8:20 An unexpected but much appreciated animation. Well done all around. 🛩🍍

What great reminder for single engine pilots. I shall regularly remind myself of this excellent advice. Thank you.

Good video...hell; great video! My daddy always told me, "Sonny...always make damned sure you got an emergency field - big enough - every few minutes. The rest of the time just fly and watch everything...your 'ass' will tell you when you need to do something different."

Couple big things I saw here.....Number one and number 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-and 10...AVIATE-NAVIGATE THEN communicate....no exceptions...EVER AWAYS fly the airplane first!!! Next...if you have a bit of altitude...say 1500' or more....Slowly pitch the airplane up UNTIL THE PROP STOPS!!!! If you KNOW the airplane is not going to start again (fuel or a "bang") you can more than double the glide distance by stopping the prop. Especially if you may be close but not going to make a decent landing area. Something you might want to practice from 5000' directly over an uncontrolled airport. Also a good time to practice "high key low key" power off landings. That will give you perspective on how far the airplane will actually glide. The engine windmilling is turning the engine over....that takes a TON of energy you could convert into distance. A spinning prop also reduces airflow to the tail meaning you have a lot less tail authority when landing....especially when you are at landing speed. Also when you pitch up (NOT ABRUPTLY....That burns up a TON of energy!!!) you also trade airspeed for altitude and that will ALWAYS help with more options to land....especially if you're committed to a downwind landing if you are low. Downwind landings will ALWAYS extend your landing rollout and will make the airplane retain a lot of energy by going fast ground speed. Next...ALWAYS open the door at LEAST a crack....I have had a couple friends killed or seriously injured by being trapped inside a bent door frame that left them with NO way to open it or get out. Lastly...if you don't have a decent place to land where you think your passengers will not get hurt (they have your FIRST priority for safety) or YOU (your SECOND priority for safety AND the airplane (LAST priority for safety) then make sure you tear that airplane apart as much as possible OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT....see if you can tear off the wings and tail to expend as much energy as possible to make the cockpit as survivable as possible. Pretty good video but in my humble opinion (been doing this professionally for more than 32 years) the things I mentioned should be taught and drilled into students heads. We were taught spins and recovery techniques and practiced off airport landings and we had to do full stalls....not imminent stalls, power on AND power off......big mistake taking those things out of primary training. Most pilots these days have no idea what a full stall feels like...it is non-eventful if you've done it a few times. Fly safe everyone!

Another thought: if you're flying an aircraft equipped with a constant speed (adjustable pitch) propeller then go full coarse (pull the blue knob full out). This is akin to feathering the prop and you'll glide perhaps 20% further than full fine pitch. Note, however, that a loss of oil pressure may preclude the adjustment. Nevertheless, it's worth a try and may gain you some additional time & distance.

Departed Texas in Skylane RG enroute US east coast. Shortly after takeoff noticed oil temp climbing and pressure getting low. Engine was making normal power but returned immediately to departure airport and landed without incident. Maintenance found lower piston had separated and metal fell into oil sump. Crack occurred below compression rings of piston thus the cylinder was still making normal power. Would have seized up and failed . Paying attention to gauges proved key, and of course getting back on the ground. Safe flying.

Stunning production. Really kicked it up a notch.

Glider pilot here. All my landings are engine out and full stop haha.

Wow this was very good!! I'm a pilot and would like to see more of this instruction. Very sussinct.

Good refresher! It's a really good idea to watch/listen to a fresh safety course every now and then so that these tips come straight to mind should they ever be needed. Just cause we heard this in flight school years ago doesn't mean they will come to mind. We are most proficient at the things that happen regularly on our flights. Emergencies are very infrequent. And even if we practice for them, this comes nowhere near to the amount of practice we have in normal operations. So refresher videos like this are a wonderful tool to keep our minds sharp. Thanks.

Awesome video! A must watch for new and experienced pilots.

Keep these videos coming. Very good info. Remember, FLY the Airplane first in any emergency.

Solid production. Excellent work!

Excellent video! Every pilot should watch it!

Wow very good information I experienced engine failure in a 172 Cessna. Best advice is to remember to fly the airplane. When my engine failed the whole plane shook like a dog. Luckily the engine continued to run. I throttled back to about 20 to 25% power my altitude was approximately 3000 feet. And the closest Airport was my home field about 10 miles. I had a wife and young child with me. Fortunately even though I couldn’t hold altitude there was enough power to slow my rate of dissent considerably. I knew the Engine suffered a severe malfunction turned out it swallowed a valve head. So I was able to pick a landing site ahead as I flew towards the airport when I reach my first landing site option I would then look ahead for another possible one. Until I knew I could make the field. The first thing you will feel with a engine failure is Panic. My advice is try to overcome your panic ASAP. Remember this is not like auto accident you have time on your side for a quick smart decision making. So to fly the airplane and let the passengers do the 🙏🏼😏.

I've watched several other youtube videos on engine failures. In a typical Vy climbout, the airspeed went from Vy to stall in about 6 SECONDS!! The average pilot uses up about 3 seconds in shock that the engine has just quit. If you don't pitch for best glide quickly, it's going to stall/spin with only a few hundred feet on altitude to work with.

Watching these and reading the comments I realize, incidents happen far more frequently than I thought.

These videos are the best. So many valuable tips!!

Great production and narration. The abbreviated bullet points are excellent. Thank you!

Nice video with excellent information.

At your home field, you should KNOW the engine-out options. I've also heard of pilots checking out past the departure end of the runway they're about to land on, knowing that they'll be taking off from it later and might need to put the thing down. Where I learned to fly, the options were not good. As the grizzly CFI put it, "Go lef, lan' in de shanty-town an' get yu ass shot. Go right an' drown in de 'arbour. Or lan' straight ahead an' go cre-mate yuself in de oil refinery."

most instructive video I have seen

Super helpful and well made video. Thumbs up. Thank you.

Thanks for posting this! I love your channel!

Good job guys

Great video!

My brother's tale during multi-engine check-out flight ... rotate, lift-off, just over the end of the runway ... inspector cuts an engine ... nice ...

great video

Great advice!

Great video! Thanks for making it

I have been watching these videos for about a week now and I can already say that I'll never fly again.

Good video!

Excellent! Thank you!

Wonderful!

Good stuff!

This is great!

Awesome thank you for the awesome video

My dad was trained by the 8th Air Force during WW2, he always told me attitude is your insurance and the more insurance you have the better.

Really Good!

Another reason NEVER to accept intersection departures. Runway that is behind you is worthless!

very good

Amazing job guys ! Make pls video all emergency procedures Which can occurs

To add on this .... If your low .. make a decision and stick to the plan, open the doors and check the seats and belts ...concentrate on the landing and make that landing !!!! Keep flying till you stopped.

great video thnk you

My first instructor told me, "In case of engine stall, fly the plane, troubleshoot basics, fuel selector rich, follow the checklist, and reach over and activate the ELT so that rescuers can know where to find your remains." I still laugh at that.

If you have an engine failure in a twin, you feather that prop immediately right?

Great video! 👏 Do you have one for helicopters?

I've always been told to switch tanks after runups. Would you mind giving a bit more details about that potential fuel flow problem please ? 8:34

What if I am flying over LA inland? Find the least populated location and crash into it?

I could do that no problem!

What's that beautiful music at the end of the video?

*This gave me a nervous breakdown.*

Im really wondering what happened to the red and white (RV?) that landed in the water and flipped over no doubt trapping the pilot inside. How the heck you get outta one of those things when it flips over?? In water??

When there is an engine out, we need a recording to come on in the cockpit with Tina Turner's voice saying, "ENGINE OUT!"

اول مقطع اتابعه بدون ديس لايك 👍

1:04 how high or low are you above the earth?

I am nothing but a casual observer, not a mechanic or anyone with any sort of knowledge, but it seems to me that in modern car engines a total failure is almost unthinkable. How come then that aircraft engines seem to fail more frequently? Maybe it's because a failing car engine isn't exactly news-worthy, which can't be said from a aircraft engine failure?

The guy in the video did the smartest thing of all ... lose your engine where 90% of the landscape below is open fields!

1:39 hopefully I will have some fuel in my tanks and not just 'gas' . . .

With a piston engine, you need gas, air, spark, but also compression.

Gliding 6 miles in 8 minutes, as calculated for a C172 in your rules of thumb, means that you're flying at a speed of 45kts. This seems like a glaring error to me?

Can someone tell me why Joss Whedon was in an AOPA video? But I'm guessing that's where the high production value came from.

That's a neat little model cessna. Anyone know where you can buy them?

I don’t know who decided that it would be a good idea to have music playing behind the narrator, but it’s really annoying-especially when listening with headphones. Someone should re-mix the video because it has good information.

I say use what you need to, safely. The rest of the runway may be needed for a last minute landing.

This is kinda funny, not consider a power out during t/o? Srs? In gliders we go through a basic preflight checklist and, atleast in winch launches, if the cable breaks then you already know what to do.

When I did some flight training at ATP, they briefed a 180-turn to land on the taxiway if we had an engine failure right after takeoff...always seemed worthless in my mind and dangerous

As a non-pilot simpleton, i find all of this terrifying.

Fly it all the way down to the scene of the crash

Did you do something to make the engine stop? Undo it. Thats Marine Corps simple!

ARE YOU READY

Don't worry... if you lose your engine, your aircraft can take you safely all the way to the scene of the crash.

"After a successful landing..."

during an engine failure, i sometimes forget to fly my plane.. and instead i play RAID SHADOW LEGENDS with my NORD VPN protecting my internet! (but not protecting me from a crash)

Can't help but think that actor looks like Bill Burr

what's the name music ..can you answer me?

@trevor jacob... notice they never say grab your chute and jump out

I thought you declared an emergency on the frequency you're currently on

“Did you do something to cause the engine to quit? Undo it “

I'm sorry, I just dont like any of those options. Please provide 10 more.

5:37 after rotation eng fail with good runway in front-1- Nose down 2- THEN power down if any left. Nose down first.. and think "down we must go.. to avoid pulling up elevator by eliminating the previous thinking of going up and pulling up-the main cause of stalls LOC on that emergency. Cut the mixture and cut the flaps too on touchdown, if think you are going to overshoot, go to one side of the runway, then turn at end. Better to scrape one of the main tires than bending the front gear. I used to teach 4 kinds of engine fails on take off. Did from 1990 to 2004. Did them all Actual-not only on easy to do simulator-on all kinds of Pipers besides Cessnas. Canadian pilots are better than most USA ones i noticed. Keep spinning them. It is a control nerves exercise that makes for better pilots overall. Why?? because fear is the most pilot error producing factor. If you are used to keep coordinated and fast reactions while fear situations you will be a real pilot, not just a Parrot Pilot.

background music unnecessary

'It's okay to be nervous."....but not a real good idea.

And pray.

How convenient fields everywhere what about a big city? Your screwed

This makes me a better x plane pilot.

Actually turning at 60 degrees bank at 500 feet is possible. 1hr of fuel remaining is more than not not possible. Leave 30mins extra

Well, all the "glide ratio" in the world won't help if you "glide" into an office building, a body of water, a hillside, a forest, someone's living room. . . .

A folded jacket can help absorb impact forces? Yeah, that's total crap. The forces involved in an air crash can easily exceed those of the worst car accidents and occur in a vehicle with far fewer protections (no airbags and a lighter body more likely to collapse into the survival space from every direction). All that matters is velocity, angle of impact, and impact surface conditions. After that, you either survive or you don't--it's random chance.