It will never happen to me

by Dale Nielsen

"It will never happen to me" is a mind-set that will likely leave an individual unprepared for an emergency when it does occur. Eight percent of all accidents are directly caused by pilots. Of the remaining 20 percent, the pilot still has an influence on the outcome. An engine suddenly quits; the cause is mechanical. The pilot must now fly the aircraft to a "landing". If the pilot makes bad judgments or does not fly the forced approach correctly, he or she has definitely influenced the outcome.

A Cessna 177RG near Airdrie, Alta. lost engine power at about 1,500 feet agl. The pilot felt the nearby fields were too rough or soft for a forced landing. He selected instead a narrow road with a maximum crosswind. On final approach, the aircraft drifted south of the road, stalled, and crashed. The pilot was seriously injured.

The pilot had not performed a practice forced approach since he had completed his flight training 600 hours previously. He had not likely thought much about one either. The Transportation Safety Board determined the C-177 pilot did not establish the correct glide speed, select flap, or secure the aircraft fuel and electrical systems. The rejection of the stubble fields in favor of the road may have been influenced by the fact his aircraft had retractable landing gear. The TSB reported that a landing in a flat stubble field into wind would have resulted in less damage and injury. The TSB investigators believe that the crosswinds over the narrow road "would likely have exceeded the skill level of the average private pilot". The pilot of the recently built Zenair Zodiac 601 took off and had just positioned himself on downwind when his engine quit. The aircraft was observed to enter a spin at about 500 feet agl and crash one nm south of the airport. The pilot was killed. The kit manufacturer would have published a glide speed for an aircraft constructed exactly recommended by the manufacturer. This aircraft was amateur-built, without the precise jigs and tooling of a manufacturer. Did this pilot know what the glide speed really was?

A Cessna 150 lost engine power north of Creston, BC. The pilot elected to land in a plowed field near Creston. The aircraft flipped over on landing, causing minor injuries to the pilot and passenger. The pilot could have glided to the Creston Airport, but he didn’t know where it was.

It doesn’t matter where you intend to land after an engine failure if you don’t fly the correct airspeed and follow the correct procedures. The C-177RG and the Zodiac 601 aircraft both stalled on approach. Neither pilot was prepared for an engine failure. We know the C-177RG pilot hadn’t practiced forced approaches. We don’t know if the Zodiac 601 pilot had, but we do know he did not maintain a safe glide speed.

We must be current on the forced approach procedures for our aircraft if we are to successfully influence the outcome. We also must periodically review what makes a good forced approach area. Airports are the best place to land. The C-150 pilot is not alone in wrecking an aircraft when he could have landed at an airport. Stubble fields are often good landing areas. They are usually fairly flat and firm, with few obstacles on the field, and can usually be landed on in any direction (into wind). Roads are often successfully used for forced landing areas, but only if the wind favours the approach, only if the road is wide enough, and only if there are no wires or traffic. We have one shot at reacting to a real forced approach. The chances of a safe landing on a narrow road with a crosswind or tailwind are slim. Pastures and other fields may be very rough or soft, or may have some hazards on them, but they may be preferable to a road where the conditions are not favourable. We must remember saving the aircraft is nice, but saving ourselves and our passengers is the main objective.