Turnback Failure

A lot of ink and pixels have been spilled over the years about turning back to the departure runway if a singles engine quits right after takeoff. The maneuver is usually referred to as a turnback, and was the topic of our January 2006 article, Turnbacks Reconsidered.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Thursday, August 10, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

The Equator Aircraft team includes the company’s chief designer and CEO, Tomas Brødreskift along with pilot Rein Inge Hoff and team leader Øystein Solheim-Aune. Equator Aircraft

Key Takeaways:

A simulator study found that attempting a turnback after engine failure shortly after takeoff had a significantly lower success rate (43%) compared to landing straight ahead (100%).
A fatal accident exemplified the dangers of a turnback, where a pilot's decision to return to the runway after a reported emergency (with no mechanical issues found post-crash) led to an aerodynamic stall and spin.
Investigators determined the probable cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to turn back and failure to maintain adequate airspeed, emphasizing that maintaining control and landing straight ahead into suitable terrain is generally the safer option.

See a mistake? Contact us.

A lot of ink and pixels have been spilled over the years about turning back to the departure runway if a single’s engine quits right after takeoff. The maneuver is usually referred to as a turnback, and was the topic of our January 2006 article, “Turnbacks Reconsidered”.

In it, Rich Stowell related the results of a simulator-based study of 20 pilots flying scenarios calling for engine failure shortly after takeoff. Successfully handing the emergency meant, among other parameters, the rate of descent at touchdown could not exceed 500 fpm, and bank angle had to be within five degrees of wings-level below 100 feet agl.