PRIVATE PILOT

LICENSE – BRIEFING
Forced Landing Without Power
Exercise 16
By- Shifatur Rahman / 027 500 2988
 Aim
DEFINITION WHY IT IS BEING TAUGHT
A forced landing is a landing carried out without power on a
location not contemplated when the flight began. The Forced Landing/Glide approach and landing made without the
assistance of power is very good for developing your judgement is
We Will Cover: good practice for emergency forced landings following an engine
•Selection of forced landing areas; failure. On a glide approach, flightpath angle to the runway is
•Provision for change of plan; controlled mainly by the use of flaps to steepen it.
•Gliding distance – consideration;
•Planning the descent;
•Engine failure checks;
•Use of radio – R/T ‘Distress’ Procedure;
•The base leg;
•The final approach;
•Go around;
•The landing considerations;
•Causes of engine failure;
•Airmanship;
•Common errors
An A/C Becomes a Glider When The
Engine Fails…Thus, has a Glide Ratio.
The Glide ratio of an aircraft is the distance of forward
travel divided by the altitude lost in that distance.
The glide ratio is affected by all of the four fundamental
forces that act on an aircraft in flight
- lift, drag, weight and thrust. If all these factors remain
constant, the glide ratio will not change.
However, wind velocity is a very important practical
influence on gliding distance over the surface. With a
tailwind, the glide distance achieved will be increased
because of increased groundspeed whereas with a
headwind, it will be reduced because of the consequently
slower groundspeed.
As was seen in the Climbing and descending lesson, glide
range depends on the best lift to drag ratio.
When the aeroplane glides in the configuration for the
best L/D ratio (knots, no flap, propeller windmilling), the
angle of attack is about 4 degrees, the shallowest glide
angle is achieved, and the range is greatest.
If the nose attitude is lowered, to glide at a higher
airspeed, the range will be reduced. If the nose attitude
is raised, to glide at a lower airspeed, the range will be
reduced. This can be verified with the VSI.
Forced Landing Procedure

Once an engine failure is suspected, Pilots must carry out the 5. Confirm wind direction and select suitable landing
following tasks from memory, hence, it is important that you learn area. If situational awareness has been maintained, the
the Forced Landing Procedure by heart. wind and the approximate elevation of surrounding
terrain are confirmed.
The steps are:
6. The aeroplane should now be turned toward the most
1. Apply carburettor heat and close the throttle. suitable area for a forced landing. It should be stressed
that – if you have not been maintaining your situational
2. Carburettor heat will remedy a real icing problem or awareness – valuable time will be wasted while these
prevent one during the simulation. factors are assessed.
3. Convert excess speed to height, since there may be an
appreciable difference between the cruise speed and the
recommended glide speed.
4. Set glide attitude and trim. As the best glide speed is
approached, allowing for inertia, the attitude is selected
for the glide and the aeroplane accurately trimmed to
maintain this attitude.
 Planning the Descent
i. Turn towards selected field: v. On downwind or equivalent leg, carry out normal downwind
checks and prepare for landing, brief passengers.
a. Plan descent according to altitude available, aiming to achieve
normal glide approach base leg position, i.e. “Key point” 1000 ft vi. Look out.
agl. on base leg, from where a normal glide approach and landing
is usually made.

ii. DO NOT LOOSE SIGHT OF FIELD

iii. Descent should be a gently curved circuit, using turns in the
circuit to regulate position for loss of height, but ensuring aircraft
slightly high when turning on final approach.

iv. PRACTICE FORCED LANDING

a. Warm up engine every 500 or 1000 ft
loss of attitude.
b. Monitor engine temps/pressures.
On Finals
i. From ‘Key point’ 1000 ft agl. on base leg, execute a
gliding turn onto final.
ii. Plan to be slightly higher than for a normal approach
when turning finals.
iii. Plan to land 1/3 of the way into the runway with
optimum flap but when sure of getting in, adjust descent
to bring touchdown point closer to ‘runway’ threshold.
- R/T call to an appropriate frequency and brief your
passengers.
iv. Methods of adjusting approach and losing height:
a. Flaps.
b. Increasing speed – after full flap
extension (do not exceed Max Vfe).
c. Side slipping – exercise caution if flaps lowered. Some
aircraft types does not allow sideslip with any amount of
flap.
f. S-turns on final approach – ensure wings level ± 400ft
agl.
g. Any combination of above. Bank angle should not be
more than 30° below 500ft agl.
h. PRACTICE FORCED LANDING
- Go-around procedure to be
executed at safe height of 200 ft
agl.
i . And Keep the hatch slightly ajar/open prior to
touchdown so that Emergency Evacution can be carried
out.
Going Around

Go-around is a procedure to enter a climb from a flapped

descent.

Once you make a firm decision to go-around, carry out

PAT :
- P – Power – throttle open fully
- A – Altitude – raise nose to appropriate pitch attitude
- T – Trim
- Raise the flaps slowly, in stages.
- Adjust pitch attitude and maintain speed with the
elevator.
- Retrim for the Climb Out.
If it’s a Real Emergency, then Carry out
Landing and the After-Landing Checks

A forced landing is not complete until the aeroplane is

stopped, the passengers evacuated, the a/c made secure
and assistance obtained. So as soon as the a/c stops:
- Set Brakes to Park
- Secure the A/c
- Evacuate with Pax and ensure they are physically
checked out.
- Remove any valuable items deemed necessary.
- Protect the aeroplane ( keep animals away )
- Seek assistance and call up your Instructor/CFI.
- Do not attempt to take-off!
Provision of Change of Plan

Use of the flaps in stages will steepen the glidepath and

bring the aiming point nearer the threshold. It is
preferable to be high on approach rather than too low.
If you are high on the approach:
- Extend some flap, lower the nose to achieve the
correct airspeed and re-trim.
- Widen out the base turn
- Fly S-turns on Final ( but these can lead to an
unstable approach and so are best avoided ).
- If you are low on approach:
- - delay the selection of flap
- Cut in on base leg to shorten final
Selection of a Field
The choice of the most appropriate landing site is usually
a compromise and is discussed using the mnemonic the
seven S's, C and E.

The seven S's are: Size, Shape, Slope, Surface,

Surrounds, Stock and Sun.
Size
The ideal is for the longest possible landing area into
wind, within gliding distance

Shape
Shape is mentioned because the student may limit their
search for a landing site to only those sites that resemble
a runway. In fact, the perfect shape is a circle, as multiple
approach paths into wind are available. Even a square is
preferable in contrast to a narrow paddock with only one
approach path.
Slope
An uphill slope for landing is preferred over level ground. A down-slope
should be avoided – it would take a very strong wind to override the
disadvantages of a downhill landing. Slope can be difficult to detect at
altitude, and when slope is apparent from altitude, generally the terrain is
very steep
7S’s – Field Selection
Considerations
Surface
A firm surface is recommended, not so much for
stopping distance but to avoid the nosewheel digging
into the soft surface and somersaulting the aeroplane.
Determining the type of surface from altitude can be
done by comparing the texture of the local aerodrome's
grassed areas with those of various paddocks.
Surface also includes anything on the surface, such as
stock, crops, fences and stumps.
Tree/leaf movement -
The tops of Poplar-type trees lean with the wind.
Willows, after initial spring leaf growth, indicate wind by
showing the silver underside of their leaves in winds of
8–12 knots or more. The silver side of the tree is the
windward side.
Surrounds
Where possible a landing site that has a clear field on the
approach end and the upwind end should be chosen to
provide for undershoot and overrun during the forced
landing. For the training exercise, a clear go around and
climb-out path is also considered.
An approach over a road will quite likely bring you into
contact with power wires running along the road.
Sun
Sun is normally only a problem at sunrise and sunset,
particularly in winter. Under these conditions an
approach in the direction of the sun may blind the pilot
on final. Accepting some crosswind may be better than
an approach directly into a low sun.
7S’s – Field Selection
Considerations
Gliding Distance - Considerations
Things to consider while A-N-C’ing.
i. The speed at which to glide.
ii. Which aircraft configuration to use at what stage in
the glide.
iii. What effect bank will have on conservation of height.
iv. The effect of wind on the descent.
v. What effect the weight of the aircraft will have on the
gliding endurance?
vi. What effect propeller pitch setting will have on the
glide.
The glide ratio is based only on the relationship of the
aerodynamic forces acting on the aircraft. The only effect
weight has is to vary the time the aircraft will glide for.
The heavier the aircraft is, the higher the airspeed must
be to obtain the same glide ratio. If two aircraft have the
same L/D ratio but different weights and start a glide
from the same altitude, the heavier aircraft gliding at a
higher airspeed will arrive at the same touchdown point
in a shorter time. Both aircraft will cover the same
distance but the lighter one will take a longer time to do
so.
Engine Failure Checks
i. Causes of possible engine failure
a. Fuel starvation – poor fuel management, running out
of fuel.
b. Ignition switch accidentally turned off.
c. Mixture too weak or too rich.
d. Carburettor icing.
e. Major mechanical defect in engine.
f. Overheating of engine.
ii. In practice forced landing, simulate engine failure by:
a. CLOSING THE THROTTLE – smoothly.
b. DO NOT – CUT THE MIXTURE
– TURN OFF THE FUEL
– SWITCH OFF THE IGNITION
c. WARM UP ENGINE EVER 500 or 1000 ft, depending on
engine type.
d. Richen mixture while descending.
e. Ensure carburettor heat control is ‘FULL ON’ during
the gliding phase of the
practice forced landing (If applicable).
Use of Radio – R/T Distress
Procedures
MAYDAY call. Select 7700 and activate ELT. Passenger
brief. Engine warm. Assess the approach
Situational Awareness
The ability to quickly implement the forced- landing
procedure is markedly enhanced by good situational
awareness.
Throughout the flight the pilot should observe wind
indicators and the approximate elevation and suitability
of the surrounding terrain. This does not require the pilot
to choose a specific forced-landing site and update it
continuously in cruise.

By taking notice of their environment the pilot should

know where the wind is coming from and where in
relation to the aeroplane, the more suitable terrain is for
a forced landing.
Airmanship
AIRMANSHIP xiii. Passenger briefing and forced landing checks.
i. Selection of landing area – depending on conditions. xiv. Practice forced landing – go-around procedure.
ii. Planning of circuit to achieve 1000 ft agl “Key point” xv. Methods of stopping the aircraft after touchdown –
on base leg. discuss.
iii. Aim to fly a ‘normal’ downwind and base leg. If xvi. Evacuation of passengers.
possible.
iv. Possible non-standard circuit pattern may be
executed to ensure 1000 ft agl. key
point on base leg.
v. Assessment of wind effect on circuit pattern.
vi. Importance of keeping field in sight at all times.
vii. Analysis of reasons for engine failure.
viii. Radio call – ‘May-Day’ and subsequent reporting of
forced landing.
ix. Gliding speed/attitude relationship.
x. Use of optimum/drag flaps to control height loss.
xi. Undercarriage position for landing – discuss.
xii. Plan to be high on final approach and discuss
methods of loosing excess height.
Engine Considerations

ENGINE CONSIDERATIONS – TURN OFF THE FUEL

i. Causes of possible engine failure
a. Fuel starvation – poor fuel management, running out
of fuel.
b. Ignition switch accidentally turned off.
c. Mixture too weak or too rich.
d. Carburettor icing.
e. Major mechanical defect in engine.
f. Overheating of engine.
ii. In practice forced landing, simulate engine failure by:
a. CLOSING THE THROTTLE – smoothly.
b. DO NOT – CUT THE MIXTURE
– SWITCH OFF THE IGNITION
c. WARM UP ENGINE EVER 500 or 1000 ft, depending on
engine type.
d. Richen mixture while descending.
e. Ensure carburettor heat control is ‘FULL ON’ during
the gliding phase of the
practice forced landing (If applicable).