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:
The article highlights a recurring issue of pilots failing to correctly follow aircraft shutdown checklists, leading to incorrectly set mixture knobs and electrical switches.
Non-adherence to shutdown procedures poses significant risks, including potential damage to avionics from power surges and the dangerous creation of "hot props" that can cause severe injuries.
The problem was traced to both inadequate instruction/modeling by CFIs and pilots misunderstanding procedures, underscoring the critical need for thorough education and strict checklist adherence.
“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.
