Always Look for a Place to Land

Here's how to identify emergency landing areas before you need them.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 11:05 AM ET

Verified

One of the first things pilots learn is to always look for emergency landing areas. [Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots must constantly identify potential emergency landing sites during flight, as aircraft cannot simply pull over like cars.
Suitable emergency landing areas include actual runways, agricultural fields (with crop/obstacle awareness), dry lake beds, empty parking lots, and specific types of beaches.
While FAA regulations exist, pilots are permitted to deviate in an emergency, with safety being the primary concern.
Roads should generally be considered a last resort for emergency landings due to unseen hazards like power lines, signs, parked cars, and moving traffic.

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“Where would you land if the engine quit right now?”

This is a question every pilot needs to ask themself, and frequently. That’s not because the aircraft engine is unreliable—and I have to stress this because there have been learners who panic when a CFI asks this—but because aircraft, unlike cars, don’t have the luxury of simply pulling over when there is an uncommanded loss of engine power.