Emergency Landings

[FlyinHeel]

I was wondering if anyone here has had to perform an emergency landing and the experience that went with it. I'm really not sure how I would handle things. I was thinking today about trying to land on a road (while driving my car, not flying today).

Open to everyone!

[FlyinHeel]

I just saw this story today. How timely!
http://cnniw.yellowbrix.com/pages/cnniw/Story.nsp?story_id=15257788&ID=cnniw&scategory=Bus iness+and+Finance

[1739T]

I remember, or at least think I remember, something about how when building interstates 1/2 mile out of every four should be constructed striaght. The reason for this is so that it can be used as emergency runways should it become necessary during war time.

I'l be a bit carefull of those overpasses though.

[BAYALON]

I was told 'Avoid roads, find a field'. The reasons being cars, lamposts and power lines. At night I was thaught to aim to the darkest zone (and if the landing light is on to turn it off so I can't see what I am going to hit)

[FlyinHeel]

What if the darkest zone is a forest??

I don't think anyone teaches to land on a road instead of a field. I guess it all depends on a) the problem b) the time of day and c) the location of the emergency,

[BAYALON]

Flyinheel
No, this is the way that I was thought. I have asked the same question, “and if there are trees... ?” The answer was that I was unlucky and that I should avoid bright spots as I know that there is a buildings, power lines etc. I can see the reasoning for both arguments but really do not know which one is better. During the day I will go for a road if there are no cars. During the night, can’t say but I am sure that the panic/fear will hit first.

[canasdad]

Ben,
You fly in England vs most of us who fly in much less built up areas (US, Canada, AU). My Air Force stint included 3+ years at Lakenheath AFB in Suffolk. There are so many wires, trees etc along most of the roads in the UK (which also aren't very straight or wide especially in the countryside) that it isnt very practical to try landing there. Also, you are very restricted in altitude under VMC (if memory serves), so your options are fewer.
It is not uncommon(even if not strictly legal) in northern Canada and Alaska for pilots to use their local road as a runway even without an emergency- there are few cars or wires. I have see more than 1 Supercub parked in a driveway, especially in the more remote road areas.
Since emergency landings are just that, it is impossible to give rules that apply everywhere, everytime. Except one: If you put it down under control, you stand a good chance to walk away, even from a seriously bent airplane. And any landing you can walk away from.....
Be careful about that item of no landing lights; the idea of turning off the light is to prevent losing whatever night vision you have with the bright beam, not as a blindfold for the firing squad. If there is no ambient light at all due to heavy clouds, overcast, etc, do light up your beam.Also lght up in twilight. This goes back to rule # 1- landing under control.

But back to the original question, I have had one emergency off-airport landing in over 5500 Hrs, due to carb ice (bad heater hose) in an old Stinson 108, but I put it down on a sandbar in a river. No damage, and I was able to take off again a little later after minor repairs (always carry a roll of Duct Tape!). I will not admit that we used to use a road for normal landings ourselves, of course.


[This message has been edited by canasdad (edited 11-03-2000).]

What would you do. You decide to take off and head out to your favorite practice area for a few steep turns, and ground reference maneuvers. Suddenly, an unforecasted overcast begins to build trapping you from going anywhere but down. You have no instrument rating and have three choices. 1. Skud run under the 500 ft overcast. 2. Become an instrument pilot not on an IFR flight plan or 3. Find the nearest safe place and land. What would you do?

[djschaut]

scottd,

Having done #1 and #2, I'd opt for option #4: get the instrument rating now so you don't have to worry about it.

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DJSchaut

[FlyinHeel]

That's exactly what I intend to do djshaust in January.

I was with my CFI last year and we took off and got into some dense clouds at the opposite end of the runway. I was disoriented very quickly and we made it a point to land ASAP.

[djschaut]

FlyinHeel,

Were you on an instrument clearance at the time under positive control from the tower? If you were, the clouds shouldn't have mattered. In IMC immediately after take-off, you're staring at your instruments, anyway.

I can't remember exactly, but if you find yourself in an unavoidable fog or suddenly exposed to IMC, you should maintain a safe altitude, fly one heading straight and level--even put on the autopilot--and contact center. They'll then give you a squawk, heading, and altitude and at least vector you to an ILS somewhere or direct you to hold.

That's why it's always important to not only have an emergency plan in mind, but to have the center frequency or FSS frequency immediately available to get the urgent clearance.

But you should always know where you are and where you are flying. I've been caught in IMC closing in at a place where no ATC was available by radio. Knowing the terrain, my location, and altitude, I just flew my previous heading and maintained altitude until I broke out of it some time later. Even with a VFR sectional and using VORs or even distance=rate X time, you can create in your own mind a makeshift instrument approach
to find some clear air. It takes a stopwatch to do NDB approaches and, if you know your airspeed and have an estimate of your groundspeed and know where you were when you encountered the clouds and maintained the same heading, you should be able to estimate with some accuracy your position. Of course, the important thing is to fly an altitude well above local obstructions, fly one heading, trim the aircraft for straight and level flight, fly by the instruments, estimate your position, and call center.

It's not a sin to get disoriented during flight. That's happened to all of us. The sin is not having a plan when it occurs. Remember, the instruments are right--your sense of balance isn't.

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DJSchaut

[FlyinHeel]

No--
We were VFR, just going up to do some biennial review stuff and clouds moved in very fast. There were scattered to broken clouds about 4,000 but we were only going up to 2500-3000. About 15 seconds after we took off, we were in the thick of them. My instructor took the controls, got us back onto downwind to land, and everything was fine. The clouds were about 300 feet higher on one end of the runway than the other. It was a situation I won't forget.

[BAYALON]

CANASDAD
Thanks for your comment. I know that in Europe we are very regulated and that flying in the US is different but I did not realise that it is so different. I have flown some 14h in Florida and found the ATC difficult to get used to. You use different phrases and the controllers speaks so fast… I was inexperience at the time and the alligators below did not help my state of mind, I hope that I do not taste nice.
You are correct about the VFR altitudes. In the UK we are limited to 2400’ under VFR, 2500’ and above is ‘Class A’. Than gradually we can clime to 5400’ over the British Channel, 5500’ is Class A. Anyway, the clouds tend to be at 4000’.
I might know some of your ex. Colleagues from Lakenheath.
Thanks again.

[wxwatcher]

Having actually had that experience as a student.. Let me tell you the story:

Tppk off on one of my last flights before going for the checkride. CFI wanted to make sure I was really ready. Headed out to the practice area which meant we had to cross about 10 miles of dense woods with an interstate highway through the middle.

Well, about half way across, my CFI, being the ever diligent fellow he was, pulled back the throttle and anounced we had just lost an engine (bet you've all had that experience.) He asked me to tell him what I would use for an emergency landing.. I this case the only choice was the I-state. he had me set up the approach and tell him what I was doing and why. Well, I set things up, did a standard downwind, base, and turn to final over a LONG straight stretch, but stayed over the median. As I expalined to the CFI, my speed was still greater than the traffic and I was fairly sure a trucker or some observant driver would start weaving and slowing down to give me a break in the traffic to execute a landing.

Well, the CFI liked that idea, said I had passed his little quiz and proceded to advance the throttle, just a bit to rapidly as it turned out. The engine coughed once and quit. The CFI's immediate response was, "You fly it, I'll start it."

Things worked out just like I planned.. Some guy in an 18-wheeler saw us low over the median with a windmilling prop and no engine noise and proceeded to do a classic traffic break. By the time I slid over to the traffic lanes, I was well ahead of everyone and had an open road as a runway.

Just as I started to flair, the CFI got the engine going again. I ended up doing a T7G on the interstate and we both had a very long talk with the local police agency and GADO (now FSDO).

I was informed I could not log it as a T&G or any other type of approach and landing. The CFI was cautioned to be a little less "assertive" when reapplying the throttle after doing a sim engine out.

Not really an experience I would like to repeat, though. :-)

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Comments and opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.

[Sappie]

Over here in Oz, we now have the Enroute Instrument Rating, allowing you to fly IFR enroute, nut you must be VFR at your arrival destination, a very usefull rating to have.
Going back to the first post, i would prefer to land onor near a road, if anything,, to be close to emergency acess for police, ambulance, whatever. being from Australia, when flying cross country, almost all roads here have a straight long enough to land a 747 at regular intervals, and powerlins crossing the road are few and fa between.