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:

The pilot experienced a sudden engine power loss and rough running shortly after takeoff, initiating emergency procedures and restoring partial power by activating the electric fuel pump.
Despite the engine still running rough, the pilot successfully returned to the airport and performed a safe landing without further incident.
Post-flight checks indicated a magneto problem, specifically the left magneto failing when the electric fuel pump was off, as the likely cause of the emergency.
The pilot later reflected on the importance of making a radio call (e.g., Mayday) during such emergencies, even when partial control or power is regained.

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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?