PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Engine failure @ night (SE)
View Single Post
Old 7th Jan 2003, 21:43
  #3 (permalink)  
Tinstaafl
 
Join Date: Dec 1998
Location: Escapee from Ultima Thule
Posts: 4,273
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Too little information.

Is there a full moon & clear sky? If so it's often possible to see the surface, even enough to have a good shot at doing a PFL as you get closer to the ground. Make sure your cockpit lights are very low or even off though!

Also: Are there any bodies of water lying between you & the moon? These will be visible courtesy of their light reflection. An open body of water can be a reasonable option compared to crashing into trees, buildings or rough ground/hills/mountains.

Are there any airstrips nearby with PAL? If so activating any around may give you the option of a PFL/glide approach.

Similarly, what about a beach withing glide range?

Is there a cloud layer between you & the surface? If so, how much room is there below?

How much traffic is there on roads? Land with the traffic if you can, against if that direction has significantly light traffic.

What is your local knowledge about the area? Is it generally farmland? Ploughed fields? Stock paddocks? Are you familiar with any particular lights that can be used as a landmark to guide you towards a known clear area?

Bear in mind that all these things should be being constantly assessed throughout the flight and not wait for the unhappy moment!

What was your pre-flight planning like? Did you plan a 'good choice' nav route ie one that has reasonable forced landing options?

Having considered (or pre-considered ) all of that, what speed are you using for your glide?

Unless you're gliding to reach a specific place then Vg isn't necessarily the best option. Have you considered minimum sink speed? For typical light piston a/c this is reasonably close to Vx. It will give you more time in the air to plan and mean that you will hit the ground with less energy to expend, in the absence of alternative plans.

Tinstaafl is offline