IFR Engine Failure?

[colohan]

In my private pilot training a major component was studying what to do if your engine failed. There was all sorts of practice in picking suitable landing spots, engine-out landings, procedures, etc.

Then I did my IFR rating. The PTS doesn't even mention engine failure -- it is as if once you file IFR a magic fairy keeps your engine running.

Does anyone have any links to any good articles or discussions on what to do if you lose an engine (in a single-engine plane) while in IMC? How about over a layer?

Chris

 

[John Baker]

It's bad enough flying at night in a single engine, you do at least have highways and such to aim for if things get quiet.

John

 

[gprellwitz]

Well, when you think about it, there are two situations if you have an engine inoperative while IFR. The first case is you are in VMC, in which case it's exactly the same as you learned during primary training. The second case is if you are in IMC, in which case you work with all available resources, including ATC, until you are in the first situation, i.e. VMC. The only thing that being IFR brings to the table is that you're already in communication with ATC, so you don't need to bother with tuning the radio. Your primary responsibility is still to fly the airplane, so get that best glide speed in there first thing, and then worry about telling ATC what you want from them. Remember that you're (quite literally) in the driver's seat.

One thing that may be of great importance is if you lose your vaccuum instruments while in IMC because of the engine failure. If your engine seizes catastophically, dual vacuum pumps or the like won't save you. You'll be back on your partial panel skills in the middle of an engine out. I don't know if the windmilling prop would generate enough vacuum pressure in the event of a non- catastrophic engine failure.

That being said, if you Google "IMC engine failure" you'll find a few hits, including some articles like one by Max Trescott.

 

[nyoung]

This is a great question, and certainly one that most of us who fly single engine IFR have pondered.

Many of the engine out procedures will remain the same (best glide, restart, communicate)... except picking a field to land. ATC might be able to help with a vector, or ideally, the pilot has been paying attention to nearby airports and can turn direct to one of them.

In many light GA planes, the artificial horizon and DG are vacuum driven. If the prop stops rotating, the vacuum system will go down too. So, a good cross scan of the TC becomes critical.

For the approach to landing, unless the plane is a motor glider, it is not going to be able to descend along a glideslope, so a proper ILS is out of the question. (At 80kts, a standard 3 degree glideslope is about 425 fpm, and most light GA planes descend around double that rate in a glide).

IMHO - GPS would play a critical role in establishing/calculating a descent rate that arrives exactly at the airport elevation upon reaching the runway. GPS can also help locate other potential landing sites (road/highway, parks).

If an airport is not in the area, and an offsite landing is imminent, then I believe the next question is about the local terrain and the cloud bases. If you know there will be VMC underneath the clouds (example 010OVC), and you know the terrain is flat (ie Midwest corn fields), then I would consider carrying extra speed in the descent so that I have a bit more energy and (hence) glide range once popping out of the clouds.

If the clouds are low enough that there is a good chance of hitting an object (tree, ground, homes, etc) while still in IMC, then I would want my forward speed at absolute minimum, just a few kts above stall.

If the conditions are somewhere in between, then I would just fly best glide and hope for a few seconds of VMC after popping out of the clouds.

Of course, Cirrus pilots would just pull the Chute...

In my private pilot training a major component was studying what to do if your engine failed. There was all sorts of practice in picking suitable landing spots, engine-out landings, procedures, etc.

Then I did my IFR rating. The PTS doesn't even mention engine failure -- it is as if once you file IFR a magic fairy keeps your engine running.

Does anyone have any links to any good articles or discussions on what to do if you lose an engine (in a single-engine plane) while in IMC? How about over a layer?

Chris

 

[ScottM]

In my private pilot training a major component was studying what to do if your engine failed. There was all sorts of practice in picking suitable landing spots, engine-out landings, procedures, etc.

Then I did my IFR rating. The PTS doesn't even mention engine failure -- it is as if once you file IFR a magic fairy keeps your engine running.

Does anyone have any links to any good articles or discussions on what to do if you lose an engine (in a single-engine plane) while in IMC? How about over a layer?

Chris

Nope you got it. It is dangerous to fly a SE at night in VMC because of engine failure issues but perfectly safe to be in IMC with the same SE plane

In IMC conditions I due try to mitigate engine failure issues, like taking off when I know I could turn around and land back at the same airport if I develop and engine issue. My thinking on that is that one is most likely to have issues soon after start up and a full power climb. Once in cruise it is less likely to occur. Although I know it does happen. During cruise I do maintain my situational awareness just as I would in VMC, that is to say I am thinking of where I am going to land if something were to require it.

All that being said I think Grant pretty much nailed the answer for you already. I know personally of one person who had an engine failure in IMC. If you run across my cylinder woes on here he also had the same ECI cylinders in his plane but they were not covered under the latest AD. While he was flying to Florida one of the cylinders failed in exactly the same way as the ones in the AD were potentially going to fail. He was in IMC and was able to glide on an ILS to an on airport landing. The only damage to him and his plane were related to the cylinder issue. Qucik thinking and help from ATC saved his bacon.

In VMC I have had a vacuum failure. I have a back up in my plane to go to. But I was also curious how long it would take if I had not noticed one of the three vacuum failure indicators. I was really surprised at how long it took before I started getting erroneous info from the gauges. I was equally surprised at how slowly it happened in that I could have followed the guage into a bank without even realizing it. I learned some good info that day err night.

 

[dmccormack]

Nope you got it. It is dangerous to fly a SE at night in VMC because of engine failure issues but perfectly safe to be in IMC with the same SE plane

There is a difference.

At night, you're not going to see trees, fences, barns, gas wells, poles, power lines until it's too late.

Day IMC, engine failure in total 0/0 conditions all the way to the ground means your number is definately Up.

 

[bbchien]

Start out by learning the hairpin course revesal at 1000 agl.

You depart off your local single runway small airport. At 500 agl you enter the clag. At 1000 agl your engine quits.

Do this UNDER THE HOOD with your CFI-I. The leans get VERY strong, but it can be safely done. Vy+10 at 45 degree bank, into the windward side, complete the 220 degree turn, rollout at Vglide, make the runway.

If you own/operate a type like the MMOPA, where engine failures are so very common, learn the power out ILS- cross the OM 3000 above and at some speed above Vglide (say, 95 knots). Figure out your glide path so yo end up on the numbers.

You can also spiral down on top of the runway via GPS. I've had to do that once, in 600-2.

 

[Joe B]

...learn the power out ILS- cross the OM 3000 above and at some speed above Vglide (say, 95 knots). Figure out your glide path so yo end up on the numbers.

You can also work a similar dodge at any surveyed airport using a 396 or 496. When the engine quits make the nearest airport your destination. When you zoom into the appropriate range the x96 will show you feathers aligned with the ends of the runways. Hit one of those feathers with 1,000' AGL per mile from the airport and fly the feather. If you have vertical descent required set up as one of the data fields, maintain that at 1000fpm (or some other achievable value greater than your best glide sink rate). You'll probably have to slip to do it. As with Dr. Bruce's ILS trick, you'll want to practice this VFR from time to time.

 

[wby0nder]

Or, you could use a parachute

 

[wabower]

You may notice the regs also discuss lost comm procedures much more extensively than lost nav procedures, i.e. total electrical failure while IFR. A couple of those will get your attention as well.

In my private pilot training a major component was studying what to do if your engine failed. There was all sorts of practice in picking suitable landing spots, engine-out landings, procedures, etc.

Then I did my IFR rating. The PTS doesn't even mention engine failure -- it is as if once you file IFR a magic fairy keeps your engine running.

Does anyone have any links to any good articles or discussions on what to do if you lose an engine (in a single-engine plane) while in IMC? How about over a layer?

Chris

 

[Larryo]

In this day of GPSs and reasonable training, one can minimize the risk of an engine failure on a single..... even at night and over 0/0 conditions.

One may want to temper their risk management and accept risk that is appropriate to their operation.... perhaps over 0/0 is a bit safer over corn fields than mountains....

I've had 4 engine failures in SE planes, 2 were IFR and one was IFR at night. The engines we have rarely just quit cold turkey (excepting fuel problems) and in 3 of 4, that was my case, so there was a choice of airports, and the outcome was successful. The one where the engine just quit on me resulted in an off airport landing, totaling the plane, with some injuries... but it was VFR.

One can be aware of where the most suitable landing site is... and often one can plan trips where an airport is within gliding for the majority of the way.

And, in planning for that failure, training is a necessity. If you can find the runway under a hood or in the sim, you greatly increase your chances when the real thing happens.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Nobody's mentioned it yet, but if an airport isn't within glide range and you have a GPS that shows roads/highways, you can still line up on one of those... when you break out, you might not be able to land ON the road (traffic and obstructions), but landing near the road may get help to you faster than putting it into a forest or field somewhere. Roads tend to have wires, buildings nearby, more towers (cell for the motorists), etc., but if you lose power in IMC you're playing the odds anyway.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

IFR/IMC engine failure is another reason why situational awareness at all times can suddenly become very useful. Use your sectional chart and/or GPS to help acheive it. You'll often get a look at terrain right after breaking out, and even if it's very low, options may present themselves to a pilot ready to react quickly in order to take advantage of the least hostile landing site.

I've always practiced "expedited procedure turns" at least on every IFR 6 month currency flight. In many positions along approaches, the only way an engine out glide can possibly get the aircraft to the runway is a quick course reversal on the procedure turn rather than a standard rate turn. In other positions, the conventional procedure turn might have to be abandoned completely for a quick and direct interception of the final approach vector.

Every IR pilot has practiced steep turns under the hood to gain at least minimal familiarity with them but, the perishability of those skills dictates periodic practice of them to maintain competency.