Is ‘The Impossible Turn’ Ever the Right Move?

If you are faced with a problem right after takeoff, you should be prepared to make the right decision.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 08:48 AM ET

Verified

Although it's talked about often, an emergency 180-degree turnaround after trouble following takeoff is usually not advisable. [File photo: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

The "impossible turn"—attempting to return to the airport after an engine failure on takeoff—is an extremely dangerous maneuver that frequently leads to accidents due to insufficient altitude, increased stall speed, and demanding skills beyond most pilots' capabilities.
The FAA strongly advises against this 180-degree turn for single-engine aircraft, noting that aviation history is "littered with misplaced optimism" and that such decisions typically exceed the skills of an average pilot.
Pilots should prioritize pre-flight planning, identify suitable off-field landing options ahead of the aircraft, and regularly practice emergency drills to remove guesswork and improve survival chances in engine failure scenarios.

See a mistake? Contact us.

When I tell people outside of aviation that I’m a pilot, they typically ask me, “Could Captain Sully and Jeff Skiles make it back to the airport, or was landing in the Hudson their best option?” The response is complicated because Sully—the movie based on the famous event—focused on the NTSB investigation that questioned the crew’s decision.

With nearby airports in view, should the CACTUS 1549 crew have attempted the “impossible turn”? Today, I’d be surprised if anyone doubted that the flight crew made the right decision not to return to the airport.