Engine-out Landings

On 17 May 2006, Alan Coates died in a crash of his Gyrobee. It appears that he suffered a partial or complete engine failure, possibly while climbing out after takeoff, and within seconds his machine impacted the ground at high speed and a very steep angle. We may never know the precise sequence of events leading to this tragic incident, but it is clear from a lot of post-accident discussion, that there are issues that need to be addressed with respect to engine-out landings. This is especially true with respect to the Gyrobee! This is not because the Gyrobee is more hazardous in such a situation, but rather because landing a 'Bee under such conditions should be easier than many gyros! Over the years I have tried very hard to avoid treading on the turf of flight instructors. However, with more instruction being flown in machines with four-stroke engines, I think pilots tend to emerge from training inadequately prepared for the reality inherent in two-stroke engines.

Let me emphasize that what follows is not some piece of theoretical BS! I have had 16 engine-out landings in fixed-wing ultralights and three such landings in the Gyrobee. I will almost certainly mutter a few choice expletives the next time the engine quits, but I most certainly won't freak out or wet my pants. Note that I wrote when the engine quits, not if the engine quits! You must always be prepared to keep flying when the engine quits, for it will, and if you can't handle that, you have no business flying, let-alone in an aircraft powered by a two-stroke engine! The discussion which follows will be divided into several sections - engine restarts, airspeed management, landing techniques, and an analysis of engine-out landings in three different contexts (takeoff, cruise flight, and landing approaches).

Engine Restarts

NEVER, NEVER attempt to restart the engine! The reasons are pretty simple:

You must accept the fact that, when the engine quits, you are going to land right now! Your job is to keep flying so as to bring the flight to a successful conclusion. If you keep your head, there is no reason why you have to damage your aircraft, let alone injure or kill yourself!

Airspeed Management

When flying a fixed-wing, maintaining airspeed is the highest priority following an engine failure - particularly on a full-power climb-out. If you don't get the nose down right now, you will stall and, without sufficient altitude for recovery, you will die. This simple fact programs fixed-wing pilots for a reflexive forward-stick reaction the moment the engine quits or sputters.

While you do have to manage airspeed in a gyro, there is never a need for instantaneous stick movements since a gyro cannot stall! If the engine fails, deliberately use the stick to trim your airspeed. In the case of a Gyrobee, your target airspeed is surprisingly low! Most Bees will show their best climb at about 35 mph.  Not surprisingly, all other things being equal, this is also the Gyrobee's best power-off glide speed. If the wind creates a wind-gradient or there is a gust component, you may want to crank the airspeed up to 45 mph or so. Just remember, there is no hurry - don't jam the stick around, just use it as a trim control in pitch.

How slow can you fly and still execute a solid round-out? Well, 25 mph is no problem at all. My slowest engine out approach (see the next section) ever was 15 mph with me in the seat (220 pounds) and a full tank of gas! The result was a perfectly good no-roll landing, but that was in a lightly-loaded Part 103-legal Bee. If you have a heavy machine and/or a smaller rotor disk, I would stay at 25 mph or better.

Landing Techniques

Your training for off-field/engine-out landings begins when you start your fundamental flight instruction and it never stops. Here are a few of the things you should be doing:

Departure Failures

Engine failure on take-off are the most common scenario in ultralight aviation. Just a short time earlier, the engine was cold, yet now you are demanding full throttle, with a corresponding rapid rise in CHT. Engines are like anything else in that they are more prone to failure when pushed to their limits. Here are a few points to ponder that relate to engine failures on take-off:

In-flight Failures

Engine failures are not as big an issue in cruise flight as the rpms and temperatures tend to be fair stable. Fuel starvation, air leaks, and ignition system failures are high on the list of potential cruise-flight problems. The big issues here are the altitude at which you fly and what you chose to fly over! The key is to keep a constant inventory of practical landing spots as you cruise merrily across the countryside. Practical, in this case, means places you can reach from your present altitude. You will find all those spots by looking down - not out! No matter what you glide ratio, altitude is the key to optimizing your landing options. If you double your altitude, the area you can reach increases by a factor of four!

We old-fashioned ultralight types fly cross-country by plotting a course that strings together places where we could land should a problem arise. It's a lot like crossing a stream on stepping stones. I can and do fly over places where I can't land, but I always do it at an altitude that will let me reach a landable spot if I have a problem. If that isn't practical, then I fly around the problem area. This approach becomes second nature with practice! While such conservative flying may not appeal to general aviation types, it is certainly the most sensible approach when flying two-stroke powerplants.

Test yourself periodically by dropping to low throttle, trimming your airspeed, and executing a mock approach to your preselected landing area.  If you didn't preselect a spot, you fail! When flying the approach it is generally best to stick with your plan. Part-way down you may spot what looks like a better landing area. Almost always, a well-executed approach to a marginal spot is superior to changing your target. It may work if you still have plenty of altitude, but low-down it is a recipe for disaster.

All too often you hear "The engine quit and I didn't have a decent place to land...". The only reason you don't hear it more often than you do is that the casualty rate is extremely high. Most people would say that was bad luck. In truth, it reflects some very poor choices by the pilot! That said, what do you do if you have to dump it in the woods? Opinions differ, but my own choice would be to flare to a stop over the center of a big tree and let it settle in. If everything works right, you will be firmly planted in the tree as opposed to the long fall to the ground if you had aimed for a spot between the trees! That said, the best option of all was never to get stuck over the woods in the first place!

If you absolutely have to come down in brush, trees, or tall crops such as corn, sorghum, or sugar cane, it is always better to settle in vertically instead of plowing on into the stuff. You have almost zero frontal protection and late-season corn can beat you to death, let alone what can happen with brush or branches. In contrast, coming in more or less vertically gives you the seat for protection, dissipating energy and clearing the way for the rest of your anatomy.

Final Approach Failures

These should be a no-brainer if you have practiced your low-throttle landings. The main thing here that can bite you are long, flat final approaches. The preferred approach, both to preserve your options and to optimize being seen, is to come in high and then execute a relatively steep final.

I have heard some pilots say that thinking about all this stuff takes the fun out of flying. The truth is far from it! If you have planned and trained for the eventuality that the engine will quit,  you won't worry about the possibility and you certainly won't panic when it happens. Ignoring a problem does not lead to peace of mind, but knowing that you can cope does. I know I can safely land the machine if the engine quits and that makes all the difference.