Engine Failure After Takeoff—What Would You Do?
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The VFR Mastery Series from PilotWorkshops is an innovative online training program designed to enhance the skills and decision-making abilities of pilots flying VFR. It offers real-world scenarios that challenge pilots to think critically and apply their aeronautical knowledge to make safe and informed decisions during flight.
In this sample VFR Mastery Scenario, A Swift Decision, you received an extensive checkout in a Globe Swift five years ago when you bought the airplane. During the checkout, and as part of your pre-takeoff briefing, you considered scenarios for an engine failure after takeoff at a variety of altitudes. A pre-takeoff briefing exists to remove hesitation and doubt from split-second emergency decisions after takeoff. The problem is that most real-world departures present several opportunities to go off script. Some of those improvisations could turn an off-field crash into an uneventful runway landing—or a disaster.
Step 1: Watch the overview
Step 2: Review the resources
The pilot is then faced with a decision—and this is when you’re asked what you would do in that situation. You have access to the same information the pilot has in the resources, such as the weather, charts, and even the view ahead at decision time.
Click on the image to view additional resources to help you evaluate your options are available here:
Step 3: Make your choice
Now make your choice, and see what other pilots would choose.
Step 4: Learn from an expert
Subscribers to the VFR Mastery scenarios can continue to an audio recording of a roundtable discussion where five additional experts offer their opinions on the best choice. And it’s rare that all the experts agree (although one might agree with your choice). The highlights from these roundtables are compiled for each scenario for anyone without time that month to play the whole thing. Subscribers can continue the discussion among themselves along with the experts in a dedicated forum and have access to quizzes as well as all previous scenarios.
If you are interested in learning more or subcribing to VFR Mastery scenarios from PilotWorkshops, click the banner below and begin your free trial.
- Engine Failure After Takeoff—What Would You Do? - March 21, 2025
- PilotWorkshops’ Guide to Visual Approaches for IFR Pilots - February 25, 2025
- Mastering Contact Approaches: A Practical Guide for IFR Pilots - February 21, 2024
I chose 16. After seeing the CFI advise I would agree on his guidance. I’ve experienced engine failure in the past and the desire to return to the field is overwhelming and appeals to my “can do” attitude, which can easily get me in trouble. Nice scenario and thank you for throwing the airliner in it, that made even more challenging.
Had a prop failure upon takeoff. Thought it was engine failure. Thought of turning around never crossed my mind. Landed in a field and walked away to fly another day
I chose 1. The nice headwind makes me think, I don’t want to risk getting out over the city and attempting to make it to a flat spot several miles from the field when there is an extremely large flat spot just off my right wing. Why must we narrow our choices at an airport to landing on a runway or a taxi way? Just off my right wing I see a rather large grassy area on the approach to that crossing runway. I would prefer to drop my nose to whatever attitude keeps me above 90 kts and not leave all of that flat area of the airport environment as compared to risking getting out over the city and the trees in hopes of having enough glide to make it to the field that I just happened to see when I lifted off. If I press my glide to reach the field I am certainly going to have all kinds of energy when I impact the trees or roll over. The departing jet is not a factor as at the time of the engine failure I am only going to need another 50° of turn and will not even be back to flying a right downwind pattern.
This was my thought as well. Lose the engine below the altitude you know allows for a turn back and you don’t need a runway any more. You need a big, flat expanse of grass and there’s one right there.
I would make a tight right turn and get the nose down to zero g the airplane in the turn ” It won’t stall and turn is rapid”. Out of the roll land in the open grass on the airport . You don’t have to land on a runway or taxi way. Just gear up on the grass. If you have not practiced this try it at altitude. Push nose over hold your glide speed bank 45 to 60 degrees roll out you will be amazed at how little altitude you give up. Been their and done it.
I chose option one. However, taxiway M makes no sense. Why would I cross over the runway to get to it? Because of the airliner taking off? If the airliner is a problem for the runway, it is also a problem for getting Mike.
I would choose to land on all that nice grass adjacent to the runway. You’ve already started the right turn and have plenty of altitude to reach it.
As a powered ultralight pilot and instructor, we think about just ONE thing at all times when in the air – “Where can I survive a landing due to an engine out?” It’s an attitude: Who cares about the aircraft when an engine dies in the air? Instead, think about what will save our sorry backside so we can fly again? I chose #5 immediately because I’ve had forced landings maybe a dozen times in 20 years. FLY THE AIRCRAFT! The quiz was a no brainer due to experience flying one of the most difficult aircraft there is to fly safely. Experience is everything and you cannot replace it with just being smart and having a photographic memory. I think this is why doctors are so prone to GA accidents. Every couple of flights I practice a spiral dive because that’s what happens to a paraglider when it hits turbulence and part of the glider’s flying surface goes away (a fold). We train our students to do them after their first 20 flights or so. They learn that “down” can be something other than towards the earth. Instead of surprise, it’s “Oh, OK, now I’ll do [what’s needed and what you practiced] and not have to throw the reserve.” Every flight we do should include some event that requires quick thinking to safely survive. Going into the GA world has been a real eye-opener. Too many GA pilots have over-confidence in buttons, displays, gauges, the powerplant, and especially being casual about the power of the atmosphere when things overdevelop. Remember Captain Sully….
You’re a thousand feet overly a perfectly good airport or hardly just beyond it when the engine goes out and you choose not to land on it? I don’t get it. Yes you’ve got that airliner on Rwy 05, but he wasn’t given the takeoff clearance, till a second or so before your engine stopped. Surely, the moment you decide to turn back to 16, or even 23 (opposite direction rwy of takeoff), you can tell tower a quick “Engine out, gliding back to airport, Emergency” and tower’s going to tell that airliner to immediately stop, if they’re even moving by that time. Meanwhile there’s plenty of altitude to put your plane down on a taxiway or some ashphalt. I tried this exact scenario in MSFS with a Cessna, t/o from T on Rwy 05, winds out of the east 12G18 and made it back to either 23 or 16, no problem. And there’s no way you’ll be crossing that flight path of the airliner when you fly back over the departure path (twds 16 or 23), as per the timing in the scenario; airliner’ll either have just started the t/o roll, or won’t have moved yet.
I chose 4. Mostly because I have only flown fixed gear and have been taught get the nose up so the gear takes the brunt of the force. Nose gear failure can be nasty. Would rather main gear fails first to keep nose up
I choose land on 16 into the wind. You are at pattern altitude with a 20 Kt. tailwind on down wind, with short approach to the runway. Having flown airliners at this airport for 38 years, the jet will rotate about 1500 feet from the end, depending on load, given typical 737/Airbus 320 series. Shouldn’t be a factor. The thought of a 20kt Xwind in a Swift takeoff is a none starter for me anyway. And yes, I have over 2000 hrs tailwheel and have some Swift time. You are right as to make a plan and try to fly the plan.