impossible turn

GAZOO

GAZOO

Pre-takeoff checklist
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GAZOO
Saw a guy pull off the impossible turn today. I helped him put the plane in the hanger and asked what happened. He said plane lost power at 100 feet. It was still running but barely. Got everyones attention because you could hear it. He climbed as high as it would let him (he said it was about 7-800AGL) and then turned it back. Pilot was very shaken up but IMO handled it like a pro.

Was very crazy to watch from start to finish.
 
I'd rather be lucky than good any day.

This is not how these stories usually end ... :no:

Glad he was o.k.
 
700-800ft AGL and partial power? Does not make the turn so impossible. A good maneuver at a safe altitude. I had total power failure, engine roll back to idle with no throttle response, i had just leveled off at 1000ft AGL. No issue at all to turn back at that altitude.
 
Practice makes perfect. Experience seems to be the deciding factor on if you survive or not.
 
BillTIZ said:
700-800ft AGL and partial power? Does not make the turn so impossible. A good maneuver at a safe altitude. I had total power failure, engine roll back to idle with no throttle response, i had just leveled off at 1000ft AGL. No issue at all to turn back at that altitude.
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frfly172 said:
Practice makes perfect. Experience seems to be the deciding factor on if you survive or not.
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The NTSB has concluded 80% don't make the " Impossible Turn". :eek:
 
it's not the impossible turn if you have partial power.

Agreed, better lucky than good.
 
hindsight2020 said:
it's not the impossible turn if you have partial power.

Agreed, better lucky than good.
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Do you feel better knowing your post may kill someone trying to figure out of they have partial power or not? Just asking. :rolleyes: :dunno:

So you would rather be lucky than safely on the ground?
 
Geico266 said:
Do you feel better knowing your post may kill someone trying to figure out of they have partial power or not? Just asking. :rolleyes: :dunno:

So you would rather be lucky than safely on the ground?
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I wasn't providing any flight instruction or advice. I was merely stating that partial power technically extends your glide range. I don't know why you got so defensive about a post made half in jest.
 
hindsight2020 said:
I wasn't providing any flight instruction or advice. I was merely stating that partial power technically extends your glide range. I don't know why you got so defensive about a post made half in jest.
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Where was the glide taking place? You stated he climbed from 100' AGL to 700-800' AGL. He had to have a fair amount of power to accomplish that.
 
hindsight2020 said:
I wasn't providing any flight instruction or advice. I was merely stating that partial power technically extends your glide range. I don't know why you got so defensive about a post made half in jest.
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Your post was advice to try and make the turn and see if you are lucky. :nono:

My advice is to land straight ahead and walk away rather than trying to make a 180 turn in a crippled airplane on take off. The NTSB has concluded the odds are you are NOT going to make the turn. Why tempt fate? Land the plane straight ahead and walk away. Try and make the turn back to the airport ( at low levels) and your chances of dying increase dramatically.
 
What king of airplane was it? Was it a steep climb out, so I'm not far from the runway? If it was, for instance, a champ, I'd turn back in a minute. Same with a taylorcraft. At 800 feet there's some room to turn back. In a mooney, I'd go straight ahead or where there were fewest obstacles, but more or less straight ahead.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
What king of airplane was it? Was it a steep climb out, so I'm not far from the runway? If it was, for instance, a champ, I'd turn back in a minute. Same with a taylorcraft. At 800 feet there's some room to turn back. In a mooney, I'd go straight ahead or where there were fewest obstacles, but more or less straight ahead.
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It "WAS" a very nice RV-7.. Guy didn't focus on flying the plane and safely landing on the runway next to him , but flew away from the airport trying to fix the "issue" Got too slow and gravity took over...:sad::sad::sad:

https://www.google.com/#q=N820rv
 
I'm landing straight ahead unless there are kiddies or something violently flammable in my path.
 
I forget the numbers, but in Wolfgang's book he points out that pilot's who maintained a level and controlled descent were much more likely to survive even into woods, bad terrain, and all kinds of obstacles.

It's when you stall or wing over and pile drive it in that everyone dies.
 
Geico266 said:
The NTSB has concluded 80% don't make the " Impossible Turn". :eek:
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One of the problems I had when looking into the optimal turn for a research paper was that successful turns often go unreported - can you give me a source for the NTSB's conclusion so I can look for the statistics behind it?

Nauga,
and a call for proficiency
 
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All of this can be avoided with zoom climbs.
 
nauga said:
One of the problems I had when looking into the optimal turn for a research paper was that successful turns often go unreported - can you give me a source for the NTSB's conclusion so I can look for the statistics behind it?

Nauga,
and a call for proficiency
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You would have to call the NTSB and ask them the methodology they used.
 
txflyer said:
I forget the numbers, but in Wolfgang's book he points out that pilot's who maintained a level and controlled descent were much more likely to survive even into woods, bad terrain, and all kinds of obstacles.

It's when you stall or wing over and pile drive it in that everyone dies.
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Exactly. :yes:
 
steingar said:
I'm landing straight ahead unless there are kiddies or something violently flammable in my path.
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So you'd push the nose down and put it in the trees when it is still climbing? That was the situation the OP described. It was not an engine failure, it was a partial loss of power.
 
txflyer said:
I forget the numbers, but in Wolfgang's book he points out that pilot's who maintained a level and controlled descent were much more likely to survive even into woods, bad terrain, and all kinds of obstacles.

It's when you stall or wing over and pile drive it in that everyone dies.
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:yes:
 
I really don't understand why people talk about the "impossible turn" as a yes/no thing. It's not like you commit yourself to that turn when you start it. It you feel you have enough altitude, there's nothing wrong with trying. The moment you see you will not make it, roll wings level and land on what ever is ahead... Just leave enough altitude to flare before rolling level and don't make an acrobatic maneuver out of the turn (in other words don't do a 60 degree bank pulling g barely hanging on the verge of stall.)
 
Electric said:
.....don't make an acrobatic maneuver out of the turn (in other words don't do a 60 degree bank pulling g barely hanging on the verge of stall.)
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..

Agreed..... It was VERY painful to watch that mistake....:sad:
 
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