Shortly After Takeoff

My background as a crewmember aboard military aircraft gave me a strong appreciation for practicing emergencies. Thirty-two years after earning my private certificate, I had my first one. The early September evening started out like most other cross-country flights my wife and I had taken in the 18 months since we bought our Piper Archer II. Our plan was take off around 1600 local, get a good nights sleep at our destination, then I was to take my instrument-rating checkride the next morning.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, January 02, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot experienced a sudden and significant engine power loss shortly after takeoff, prompting immediate emergency procedures.
The pilot successfully restored partial engine power and executed a safe return and landing at the airport.
Post-landing, a faulty left magneto was identified as the likely cause, leading the pilot to reflect on the importance of making a radio distress call even when an emergency seems manageable.

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My background as a crewmember aboard military aircraft gave me a strong appreciation for practicing emergencies. Thirty-two years after earning my private certificate, I had my first one. The early September evening started out like most other cross-country flights my wife and I had taken in the 18 months since we bought our Piper Archer II. Our plan was to take off around 1600 local, get a good night’s sleep at our destination, then I was to take my instrument-rating checkride the next morning.

After the run-up checklist was complete, we took off and at 700 feet AGL, I turned off the electric fuel pump and leaned the engine a bit. In response, power suddenly dropped off and the engine began running rough. What? Really? Are we really facing an engine-out emergency on takeoff? Is this where we put down or turn back to the airport?