What to do it the engine fails – first actions But whatever the cause, all pilots need to know exactly what to do if the engine does fail. Other causes of engine failure are less common, but include a problem with engine oil, or some other type of mechanical failure. But pilots may forget to do this, particularly if they are busy or distracted. It is necessary to manage the application of heat during different phases of the flight to avoid this happening. If this is the case, all that is required is to recognise the problem and change to the other fuel tank of course.Īnother common cause is induction or carburetor icing. It is very easy for the pilot to forget to do this, and the engine could stop simply because one fuel tank has been exhausted, when the other tank is still full. After that they should calculate how much fuel they have left, and how much they need for the proposed flight, then adding a generous margin for emergencies, weather changes, and so on.įuel starvation can sometimes happen if it is necessary to manually switch between the two fuel tanks in the wings, as is the case in some small planes. So pilots really need to check the amount of fuel carefully by dipping the tanks before each flight, rather than relying on the reading of the gauges. This is because the fuel gauges in small aircraft are notoriously unreliable. It might seem hard to believe, but one of the most commonest causes of engine failure is running out of fuel. We will now go over in detail how this is done, but let us look first at the possible reasons why the engine in a plane might fail. During their training students practice landing after a simulated engine failure, until they know exactly what to do should the aircraft engine fail for real.
If the engine fails, it is possible to land the aircraft safely, as all planes glide, even without an engine.ĭealing with engine failure is an important part of the PPL course. To those who don’t know, it might seem that there is nothing you can do and a crash is inevitable. The idea of the engine failing in a small single engined plane is very frightening to some people.
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