Bob Jeffery asked me to forward this to the LML.  I think we can all
learn something from his wisdom and experience        Dan Ballin
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I’ve seen a number of entries related to engine out/forced landings
recently so I thought I would add my two cents worth.  I know this
will be long, but hopefully, someone will get something out of this
that will help him or her some day.

As you are winging your way through the ethers, there are basically
three sources of energy available to you; airspeed, altitude and
power.  If you loose power, you only have the former two to rely upon.
 You are now in a pure energy management situation. Your life/lives
and aircraft are dependent upon how well you manage this energy.  The
aircraft is expendable (yes, I know that you have years of blood,
sweat and tears in it) so the most important thing is to be able to
walk away from it unharmed.  Ideally, you can save both but it’s not a
perfect world.  So, what can you do to enhance your chances of
survival, and there are many, i.e. fly smart, practice, know your
critical emergency procedures by heart and practice them sitting in
the cockpit using visualization.

Statistically, most accidents happen in the takeoff and landing
environment.  If you loose an engine there, you had better do
everything right and quickly or you will become one of the statistics.
 When you takeoff, do you perform a pre-takeoff brief for yourself and
pax reviewing what you will do if you loose an engine on takeoff and
being ready for it?  Do you know the terrain off the end of your home
airfield runways and where your best landing sites are?  At Reno a few
years ago, we lost one on takeoff when he elected to land straight
ahead.  If he had turned about 20 degrees left he would have had level
ground instead of a cliff ahead of him.  Do you look cool on takeoff
by lifting off, sucking the gear up, and accelerating ten feet off the
runway instead of retracting the gear and climbing at Vx to 1000’ AGL
quickly gaining altitude that would expand your landing footprint in
the event of an engine failure?  In the traffic pattern, do you fly at
1500’ AGL (separating you from the slow guys at 1000’ and giving you
enough altitude to make the runway with an engine failure: this is for
the Legacy and IV)?  Do you fly a wide downwind or close enough to
make the runway without power?  Do you fly a steeper than normal (3
degree) final for the same reason?  On cross countries, do you take
mountainous terrain into consideration planning your route of flight?
Do you keep a potential landing site in view all the time?  I could go
on and on.

If you are not considering safety issues like these perhaps you
subscribe to the philosophy that “It can’t happen to me.”  That
philosophy fosters complacency.  I’ve been shot down, had five engine
failures, one bailout, two dead stick landings (both last year in a
TS-11 Jet Warbird and a Legacy), one gear up (my fault), two runaway
props, etc. I started out thinking all this kind of stuff happened to
the other guy.  Not anymore.

OK, let’s talk about the actual engine failure.  This is directed
primarily at the Legacy and Lancair IV type aircraft.  First of all,
it’s probably going to be a BIG surprise.  You will burn some time
reacting to the situation (What’s going on, how can this happen to me,
etc).  If it happens on takeoff, and this is IMORTANT, you must pitch
from a takeoff attitude to a best glide attitude to avoid a
stall/spin.  Do you know what this sight picture is for your aircraft?
 You want to hit the pitch attitude perfectly that will result in that
L/D max glide which is 120 KIAS for the Legacy and IV (varies some
with weight).  If you hit that attitude perfectly, your airspeed will
build back to 120 KIAS and if you were at 1000’ AGL, will have around
600’-700’ left to maneuver.  Your altitude will determine the size of
your available landing footprint.  DO NOT try to make a 180 degree
turn back to the runway.  I can show you an exercise that will
graphically prove it won’t work (I know some of you hot sticks out
there practice this and feel you can safely accomplish it.  In the
heat of the battle, it’s a bad idea).  Statistics also show that this
results in a stall/spin in a high percentage of attempts.  If you
think you know what caused the failure and it’s not a mechanical
failure, you might try to reposition a fuel selector valve or turn on
a fuel pump but you MUST fly the aircraft first and concentrate on
your landing.  If this happens on downwind in the pattern, you are
committed to turning directly to the runway.  When committed to a
forced landing your throttle quadrant should have all levers aft or
full out.  Placing the prop lever full aft and getting the prop to
high pitch or feather will make a substantial difference in your glide
ratio.

The following chart is typical of a Legacy.  The numbers on a IV are a
little better but the relationships are the same:

Prop lever forward prop lever aft
Clean 1500’/min 800’/min
10 degrees flaps 1700’/min 1000’/min
Gear down 2200’/min 1700’/min
Full flaps        3000’/min 2300’/min

Notice a couple of important relationships.  Your rate of descent is
reduced significantly if you can get your prop to high pitch or
feather.  Also notice the incremental increases in rates of descent
with the addition of different drag elements.  Ten degrees of flaps is
fairly insignificant.  The gear is the next highest drag factor and
full flaps adds the most drag and increase to the rate of descent.
This is important to know in a forced landing pattern.

If you experience an engine failure at altitude, turn toward that site
you have picked out en-route, trim the aircraft for best glide, and
determine if you will try a restart or secure the engine.  If you are
committed to a forced landing, fly a pattern that you have practiced
and are familiar with and will tell you how well you are progressing
toward a successful landing at your intended site.  The most proven
pattern is the one I learned in the Air Force and is taught by HPAT.
This pattern consists of a 360 degree circling descent from overhead
the landing site to the actual landing.  The point over the landing
site should be 1/3 the distance down the runway/landing site.  The
theory here is that it is better to run off the end at 20 kts than
land short at 120 kts.  You can always move this aim point toward the
approach end as the pattern progresses and you know that you have the
landing site made.  This point above the landing site is called HIGH
KEY and is 3500’ AGL for the Legacy and IV.  You are at 120 KIAS,
clean and prop aft.  At HIGH KEY begin a 15 degree bank turn, no wind,
to the left (you want to keep the runway in sight and you have
priority as an emergency).  When you are abeam the HIGH KEY point in
your 360 degree spiral, you are at the LOW KEY point.  You should be
around 1800’ AGL with the runway/landing site on your wingtip.  These
KEYS are just that.  They are key points in the forced landing pattern
that tell you how well you are doing based upon your actual altitude
verses your calculated KEY altitudes (you must have calculated these
altitudes and know what they are before starting).  You now adjust
your pattern based upon the difference between the two. You can enter
the pattern at either KEY depending upon the available altitude.  Land
downwind if it accommodates your situation best (I think up to 10 kts
is acceptable).  If your altitude is on schedule at LOW KEY, extend
ten degrees of flaps.  The last 180 degrees of turn is the most
critical and requires the most judgment.  Between the LOW KEY point
and the 270 degree of turn point, you should have a pretty good idea
how well you are doing.  If everything is on schedule and you are
confident you will make the runway, extend the gear.  By the 270
degree point, you should be able to see the point on your landing site
that is not moving toward or away from you.  This is the point where
your flight path will intersect the surface.  When there is no doubt
about making the runway, you can extend full flaps.  This is where you
might be able to move your aim point toward the approach end.  The
flare to landing is critical.  You’re not used to flaring from a
3000’/min sink rate.  The ground will literally be rushing up to meet
you.  This is best handled by a two stage maneuver.  The first stage
is raising your nose to arrest your sink rate to a normal approach
descent rate at approximately 100’AGL, and then make a flare for the
actual landing.  This is one of the reasons why you carry 120 KIAS
throughout the pattern.  ADJUSTMENTS:  If you are high at LOW KEY you
can start configuring early, roll out of the turn and extend slightly
on a downwind (be careful how far you go since you have to return the
same distance you extended while gliding).  Remember what you have
available to increase your drag and descent rate: gear, flaps, speed
brakes, prop control, slip, etc.  If you are low relative to your
ideal LOW KEY altitude you can tighten your turn, delay configuring,
etc.  A common error that I see, which is very dangerous, in the turn
from the 270 degree point to final is rolling out on a base leg.  This
puts you in a situation at low altitude with a lot of turn left to
align with the landing site.  This results in a position that requires
a high bank angle (increased wing loading) at low altitude to avoid an
overshoot situation.  This is a classic stall/spin scenario.  You
COULD find yourself so low at LOW KEY that you must continue your turn
to the landing site while holding gear until just before the initial
flare maneuver and never extending the flaps.  All the above is an
ideal situation with enough altitude to pull it off.  The most
difficult situation would be a straight-in approach.  You won’t have
the KEY positions to judge your pattern.   After the engine fails and
you are heading toward your landing site stabilized in your 120 KIAS
glide, look for the spot on the surface that is stationary and not
moving up or down in the windscreen.  THAT is where your flight path
intersects the ground.  This spot will become more apparent as you
lose altitude.  If that spot is not on or beyond your intended landing
site, then you are not going to make that landing site.

PRACTICE:  First, make your own drag/glide matrix for your aircraft.
This requires a lot of altitude and still air.  You will probably have
to climb back up after doing the first half of the matrix. So, get
your numbers for the prop forward with different configurations
starting with clean and then do the same thing with the prop aft.  Be
sure to stabilize your engine temps to avoid shock cooling at idle.  I
have also found a number of Legacys are set up on the rich side and
will try to quit when pulled to idle for this exercise and also in
forced landing patterns.   When you practice your forced landing
patterns, find an airport without traffic (I know this can be
difficult).  I have had some success at controlled airports by talking
to the tower about the maneuver beforehand and practicing during dead
periods.  Since the first half of the pattern, from HIGH KEY to LOW
KEY, is pretty canned I would recommend starting at the LOW KEY point
to save time and wear and tear on your bird.  Set yourself up at the
LOW KEY position with varying parameters, i.e. high, low, wide, tight,
and fly your pattern from there developing your judgment in the forced
landing pattern.   Terminate your patterns with a low approach and
start you initial flare (breaking your high descent rate) at 200’ or
so initially and work your way down as you gain experience and sharpen
your judgment.  Be very conservative here and DO NOT attempt a landing
out of it until you have developed this judgment and have a long
runway.  Don’t get distracted and forget to manage your fuel.

So, that’s about it except for my engine failure in the Factory
Legacy, N199L.  Ernie Sutter and I were returning to Redmond from EAA
Golden State.  Ernie was on my wing and we were practicing formation.
Just South of Bend and around 6000’ AGL, the oil pressure suddenly
dropped to 9 psi.  One second later, the engine oversped to around
3800RPM and disintegrated (After removing the cowling, we found a
large hole in the top of the engine case and a small one in the side.
There were internal engine parts scattered in the engine compartment
including a rod that had been twisted 180 degrees).  There was smoke
in the cockpit and over the canopy and the engine was rattling and
shaking badly.  I immediately turned 90 degrees left toward Bend
airport and called Ernie over to Bend CTAF.  Being the good wingman he
is, Ernie was already declaring a Mayday on frequency.  I set up my
glide and secured the engine.  I only had enough altitude to do a
straight-in and it initially looked like it was going to be close but
that I would make it.  As I glided lower, it looked like I would make
the overrun, then, just short of it in a field.  I avoided the
temptation to try to stretch my glide (another cause of stall/spins),
held the gear until the flare (no flaps) and landed just short of the
overrun.  Unfortunately, someone had thoughtfully run a trench across
the end of the overrun.  This sheared the forks and main gear tires
from both main gear mounts.  I was able to wheelbarrow the Legacy on
its nosegear across the overrun, between the runway end lights and on
to the runway where it settled on the main gear struts and the tail.
199L was flying a month later.  I was very lucky this didn’t happen
over the Mt. Lassen wilderness area we had just flown over a half hour
earlier.  The lessons I learned were that this will be a complete
surprise, it took me a few seconds to realize the situation and
analyze how serious it was, secure the aircraft, and set up the glide
toward the airport; practicing these patterns helped greatly.  The old
saying that you fly/fight the way you train is dead on.  You don’t
want to do one of these the first time in an actual situation.

Well, I guess that’s it.  I know this will elicit a number of comments
and I look forward to any positive ideas/comments that others can add
to help in the event we are unfortunate enough to find ourselves
there.

Be careful out there.
Bob Jeffrey