AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020 - 104

NEWS & NOTES 

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

Preparing for
the worst

Tips from a veteran Air Force
combat search and rescue pilot
BY ALICIA HERRON

LET'S SAY YOU'VE BEEN DEALT some bad
luck: An engine failure in the middle of a
long cross-country flight. Your excellent
stick-and-rudder skills, plus remembering Bob Hoover's "fly the thing as far into
the crash as possible" words of wisdom,
result in a survivable forced off-airport
landing. The dust settles and you ask
yourself, Now what?
There are two main parts to an emergency off-airport landing: surviving the
crash and surviving what comes after.
You've succeeded in part one, so how
do you get through part two-and when
should you consider your post-landing situation life or death?
"If you are more than 30 minutes away
from getting help, you've got to be in survival mode," says John "Bart" McGonagill,
a veteran U.S. Air Force combat search
and rescue pilot. And at that point, your
chances of survival depend almost entirely
on what you did before the flight to prepare
for this unlikely contingency.
The first way you could have helped
yourself is with onboard gear. It's easy to
hop in an airplane with just your headset,
electronic flight bag, and wallet, and feel

104 | AOPA PILOT September 2020

ready to go. But extra preparation is a good
idea even for local flights, and critical for
longer trips or those over rugged terrain.
There is no universal survival kit-general
aviation is too wonderfully diverse for a
one-size-fits-all package. You know your
type of flying best, so gather the equipment
that's most appropriate for you. At a minimum, include a thoughtfully compiled first
aid kit and a personal locator beacon.
Another way to improve your odds,
says McGonagill, is to "take the 'search'
out of search and rescue." How? Make sure
someone knows your plan, and make sure
someone will miss you. Go out of your way
to fly over roads, airports, and near populated areas when possible. If you're talking
to ATC, either on an IFR flight plan or VFR
flight following, they'll be a great resource
in pointing the search and rescue teams
your way. If you don't plan to be in touch
with ATC, file and activate a flight plan.
If you choose to use neither ATC services
nor a flight plan, at least let someone on the
ground know your intentions and when to
expect you back on Earth.
Another important aspect of survival is your mindset. Yes, having a forced

off-airport landing would be a huge bummer (to say the least) but save the self-pity
for later. Your job is to keep yourself and
any passengers alive, and to make yourself as findable as possible. Get creative
to save your own life. Your positive attitude and will to survive may be the most
critical factors to a positive outcome. A
successful rescue may take hours or days,
but never give up.
airsafetyinstitute.org/returntoflight
EMAIL alicia.herron@aopa.org

BRINGING ASI TO YOU
Although the AOPA Air Safety
Institute's in-person seminars remain
canceled through the end of the
year, that doesn't mean you have
to miss out on the free, high-quality safety educational material ASI is
known for. Find recorded webinars,
including the two-part "Preparing
for the Worst," online.
airsafetyinstitute.org/webinars
http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/returntoflight http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/webinars
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020

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