Turnbacks
Just to clarify what I mean by "turnback" it's where following an EFATO (pretty much by definition in a single engined aeroplanes) the captain elects to try and return immediately to the take-off runway, landing in the downwind direction.
I've only ever attempted them under (relatively) safe conditions, for my own interest - generally it's left me with a clear view that it's not a manoeuvre I'd attempt under most circumstances. I've however quite a few times had occasion to observe the consequences of a turnback - which invariably seems to have involved destruction of an aircraft (although rarely loss of life).
Working on analysis of yet another case (and yes, yet another destroyed single engined aeroplane), I've been pondering. Has anybody ever done some serious formal research on the turnback? - how best to fly it, go/no-go criteria, relationship to aircraft characteristics? If so, can anybody point me at any publications describing formal turnback investigations?
This is, I should emphasise, pretty much just personal interest in the topic - not any particular case (yes I am working on something at the moment, but no the turnback performance wasn't really relevant to the outcome and anything I learn now will almost certainly have no bearing at-all).
For that matter, is anybody (well, any full time aviation organisatio) anywhere in the world still advocating turnbacks as a standard post-EFATO action?
G