AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019 - 20

PROFICIENT PILOT

The possible turn

BY BARRY SCHIFF

When unconventional wisdom goes mainstream

BARRY SCHIFF

has been a member
of the Society of
Experimental Test
Pilots as well as
a Fellow of the
Royal Aeronautical
Society.

20 | AOPA PILOT April 2019

IT WAS APRIL 8, 1957. I was checking out my student,
Henry Meyers, in a Stinson 108-2 Voyager, N40156.
Shortly after liftoff from Santa Monica, California's
Runway 21, the Franklin engine threw a piston rod
through the number 3 cylinder and brought our climb to
an explosive halt. We had just passed over the departure
end of the runway, and a densely populated residential
area discouraged me from attempting to land straight
ahead. It would have been ugly. I instead and almost
instinctively reversed course and landed on the runway
downwind and in the opposite direction.
It was this event-and the criticism I received for
turning around following an engine failure after takeoff-that triggered the beginning of what has been a
decades-long study of this controversial subject. The
literature of the day dogmatically insisted that a pilot
should always land straight ahead following an engine
failure that occurs shortly after liftoff. It became my
contention, however, that although landing straight
ahead almost always is the safest course of action, there
are exceptions to the rule-circumstances when turning around would be the preferred option.
My first article discussing this subject, "Engine
Failure after Takeoff," was published in the November
1974 edition of this magazine. In it I described the
results of flight testing that led to what I considered to
be the safest manner in which to execute a turnaround
maneuver. It also discussed the conditions that would
be necessary to consider such a maneuver.
As my thoughts about this subject evolved and solidified over the years, I continued to write about them in
subsequent articles as well as in my monthly column,
"The Proficient Pilot." My most recent article about it,
"Unconventional Wisdom," appeared on these pages in
April 2011.
These articles continued to attract criticism and
derision, although some conceded that turning 30 or so
degrees right or left following an engine failure would be
acceptable. My detractors even formed an informal counterculture, authors and speakers whose mantra was that
a pilot should never turn around following an engine failure, labeling such a maneuver as "the impossible turn."
These well-intended naysayers cited numerous fatal
accidents in which pilots attempted to return to the runway following a low-altitude engine failure after takeoff.
I'm willing to bet, however, that the majority of these
ill-fated pilots had not had the benefit of the training

needed to do this safely. On the other hand, many pilots
have performed the turnaround without incident. The
number of such uneventful landings, however, cannot
be determined because they obviously never became
accident statistics.
After 44 years of having to endure criticism for
publicly advocating that pilots need to recognize and
be prepared for those times and conditions when turning around is preferable to landing straight ahead, I was
ready to concede that I had been fighting a losing battle. I was stunned, therefore, to recently learn that I had
been vindicated by an unexpected ally. The FAA now
states matter-of-factly in paragraph A.11.4 of Advisory
Circular 61-83J dated September 13, 2018, that "flight
instructors should demonstrate and teach trainees
when and how to make a safe 180-degree turnback to
the field after an engine failure."
Never in a million years did I expect that the FAA
would come to my rescue. The impossible turn is now
considered possible.
It is important for me to explain that it has never
been my goal to encourage anyone to execute a lowaltitude return to the runway. But let's face it: An engine
failure shortly after takeoff places a pilot in extreme
jeopardy. We need to be aware of our options and when
they might be available.
My only concern about the FAA's suggestion in
Appendix A of AC 61-83J is that it leaves to instructors to determine how best to demonstrate and teach
when and how to make a safe turnaround. It is critical,
I believe, for the FAA-perhaps with industry cooperation-to develop and provide the necessary guidelines.
An improperly executed turnaround can just as easily
lead to the type of fatal accidents mentioned earlier.
As a start, the FAA might want to consider publishing the principles involved in turning around safely
that will be presented during a live, hour-long broadcast by my son, Brian, a captain for a major airline and
an accomplished general aviation flight instructor. His
seminar is sponsored by the National Association of
Flight Instructors and will be based to a large extent
on my decades of study and research involving this
subject. The seminar will air May 15, at 8 p.m. Eastern
time. All interested pilots are invited to view this broadcast live (or an archived broadcast at a later date) at
www.nafinet.org/mentorlive.
AOPA
www.barryschiff.com

http://www.nafinet.org/mentorlive http://www.barryschiff.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019