Flight Training - November 2019 - 33

immediately assess the situation, keep the airplane flying, and make a decision
on where to land in a matter of a few seconds. Other than perhaps an in-flight
fire, no situation calls for as much prompt decisive action. It's one of the many
reasons we practice simulated engine failures so much in training. Practicing
helps develop muscle memory, and a systematic approach to dealing with
emergencies.
Emergency responses can be broken down into a few key steps that help us
compartmentalize and clarify our thoughts during these stressful situations.
RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM AND DETERMINE ITS SEVERITY
The first step in any emergency response may seem obvious, but recognizing the problem is not always easy. If, in a case like Tyukin's, the engine
spools down and the propeller starts windmilling, it is obvious: There's a
power loss. There are dozens, maybe even a hundred different problems a
small airplane can have. Maybe the problem is intermittent, such as a small
airframe shimmy. Or it might be catastrophic, such as complete engine failure. The first step of any emergency response is recognizing the problem.
Almost simultaneously, you must determine the severity of the problem.

An engine failure after takeoff is one of the most intense
emergencies a pilot can face.
A well-placed point-of-view camera
happened to catch Misha Tyukin's engine
failure only a few hundred feet above the
ground. Tyukin posted the video on YouTube
in part to show other pilots the reaction
delay during an emergency.

LESSONS LEARNED

'WHAT HAPPENED?'
What surviving a low-altitude engine failure can teach us
When Misha Tyukin's engine failed at 1,000 feet above the ground after taking off from Buchanan Field in Concord, California, he was stunned. "It was total
disbelief," he said. Like most pilots in emergencies, precious seconds went by before Tyukin reacted, a common delay during which the pilot is processing what
is happening and accepting the problem before doing anything to fix it. According to Tyukin, that three to five seconds is real, and he thinks pilots should know
it will happen to them. "That five seconds was like, 'what happened?'"
When seconds count, decisive action is important. For Tyukin that meant lowering the nose to reach best glide speed and focusing on flying the airplane
above all else. "It's said so much it's easy to overlook. When you're at a low altitude and you forget to fly the plane, you stall," he said. Because he had memorized the best glide speed Tyukin was able to focus on hitting that speed and flying the airplane. "As long as you're flying, you're alive and you're thinking."
Despite successfully landing off-airport without injury Tyukin was severely shaken and wasn't quite ready to get back into the air. But with a supportive
family, and taking time to determine what he wanted to do, he was slowly able to overcome his fear. He said he never felt a resolve to finish for the sake of overcoming the incident. "I had to do it because I wanted to fly." -IJT
youtu.be/zFqDuFxZEZw
AOPA.ORG/FT 33

http://youtu.be/zFqDuFxZEZw http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - November 2019