This is how to land a plane in an emergency!

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11-27-2008 @ 10:15AM

Ryan said...

It's debatable whether or not it is a sound decision to shut down the engines prior to a landing like that… On one hand you save having to replace propellers and crankshafts, but if a gust of wind or a miscalculated final approach results in the aircraft being too low / slow to make the runway adequately, there is no possibility of a go-around, so you're committed to landing in whatever environment exists in the area in front of the runway. In other words you've turned your big heavy airplane into a glider (see: space shuttle). What's more important - propellers or the risk of a much more severe incident? It all comes down to the pilot's assessment, but at the risk of sounding unimpressed, all pilots should be able to land their aircraft without the engines running; this is a task that is constantly practiced during training.

11-29-2008 @ 1:07PM

Arc|Angel said...

You also shut them down so if the props impact at all they don't turn into missles and puncture into the cockpit.

11-29-2008 @ 2:22PM

Ryan said...

Take a look at this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVvB1p-F-qs

I've never heard of propeller blades flying out of their hubs during a gear up landing… They're built to withstand incredible inertia, and bending the tips shouldn't put enough stress on them to cause them to leave the airplane!

12-09-2008 @ 10:56AM

Kent Wien said...

Using your logic, Ryan, wouldn't every landing in a sailplane be dangerous?

I'd shut 'em down. It would also allow me to cut the mixture and shut the fuel off before impact. No need to have fuel during flowing during the slide.

12-09-2008 @ 11:24AM

Ryan said...

Yes, Kent every landing in a sailplane is dangerous, just as every skydive, scuba dive, shuttle launch, etc is dangerous. The risk involved in sailing is, in my opinion, less than that of gliding in a multi-engine airplane.

Just look at the differences:
A sailplane is designed with high glide ratio wings that offer unparalleled gliding distance versus the altitude lost. A sailplane is very light, given that it carries no fuel and often no more than two people

A multi-engine airplane with no engines operating has a very low glide ratio, and a very heavy frame. Twins carry more passengers than gliders, even though only one or two may be aboard. Twins on average would be expected to carry more payload than gliders, since you would expect to take twins to other airports (chocks, extra engine oil, big flight bags, luggage, tie-downs, etc). In general, comparing the performance of a multi-engine airplane with no engines operative to a sailplane is probably like comparing a feather to a rock.

As to the factor of fuel flowing to the engines during the landing, assuming the point is to reduce the possibility of fire, the fuel is kept in the wings. Wouldn't you expect most of the impacted area of the aircraft during a gear up landing to be either the belly or wing-tips? The fact that we don't hear of tragic deaths from belly up landings should be a testament to the safety of the airframe in this condition.

I guess it all comes down to what feels right at the time, personally I like having a backup plan!

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