To shut down the engine, the mixture knob or lever is pulled full aft, with the knob or lever left out. [Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
Improper aircraft shutdown procedures, such as leaving the mixture rich or electrical switches on, create significant safety hazards and risk damaging sensitive avionics.
A primary danger is the "hot prop" condition, where an ungrounded magneto can cause the propeller to kick unexpectedly, as demonstrated by an incident resulting in a pilot's broken arm.
These procedural errors often stem from misunderstandings or a lack of strict adherence to checklists, highlighting the critical need for comprehensive education and consistent training to ensure safety.
“That’s not right,” said the learner, checklist in hand and pointing at the mixture knob. It was full forward. On shutdown the mixture is pulled full aft, cutting off the fuel supply to the engine.
This was the learner’s third flight lesson, and already he had mastered the use of the checklist.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
