Door Emergencies'
An open door, one that pops open or a outside seat belt is not be considered a serious problem, but rather an annoyance. Such an event should be part of your training and checkouts. Aircraft performance in singles will not be affected. Cockpit noise level will increase and make conversation and radio communications more difficult but not impossible. The easy solution is to takeoff and return for a stop and go landing. It is not a good idea to close cabin doors in solo flight. At a safe altitude of several thousand feet some aircraft can be slowed and configured to allow a passenger to close the door.

The open door allows noisy but fully controlled flight. Open door accidents are caused by distraction. Plan ahead that, in the event of a door opening, you will proceed as usual. Fly the airplane first.

Went with my wife for her eye doctor visit. Got to talking to the doctor about flying as is usual with me. He had lost a friend last year in an aircraft accident and wanted to know what the accident report had concluded. His friend had departed Hawthorne airport near LAX and had a door open on his Bonanza. While returning to land he must have tried to close the door. In the process he must have inadvertently turned on the fuel boost pump. Doing this in a Bonanza is an invitation to engine failure due to excessive (rich) fuel flow. Onlookers saw smoke and sounds of engine roughness prior to the crash. An open cockpit door is not an emergency.

Know of a C-120 that had the passenger door fall off. Pilot flew on to his destination to the consternation of his sisther-in-law. She sued. Perhaps he should have at least landed.

Emergency Checklist (Instructor)
I recommend that this list be written in red and at least the first item be memorized. A good time to introduce the need for this list is during review of the power off stall. Have the student make a no power recovery and then tell him that the engine has just died. Instant attention and concentration of facilities would become realistic.

Patience is an essential ingredient at the onset of an emergency. Accidents can be the result of failure to be patient in selection of the best option. At the onset of an emergency, the first thing you should do is NOTHING. Next to an actual engine failure, the next best thing is believing that you have one. It will sharpen your emergency skills. Three out of four accidents are due to poor pilot performance.

A pilot should always be basing his flight path, altitude, and aircraft configuration on "what-if" contingencies. Every 'what-if' has a running selection of answers. If you don't have an answer, consult other pilots. If weather goes bad, go to the nearest VFR weather.

Back on the ground the student is ready for development of...

The EMERGENCY checklist:
1. CHECKLIST
2. AIRSPEED / TRIM
3. FIELD / WIND
4. ENGINE / RESTART
6. 121.5 / 7700
7. COMMUNICATE X 3
8. PRE-CRASH
Belts, doors, fuel, electric
Fire Emergency
Electrical
White smoke, odor
Action
Shut off electrical master
Engine
Stop engine
Action
Get on ground via dive or slip

Just before takeoff and as part of the takeoff checklist the placement of the EMERGENCY checklist to the ready status on the yoke clip.

Simulated Emergency (Instructor)
When the instructor creates an emergency the student says "CHECKLIST".
AIRSPEED
Most students have a misconception as to exactly how an aircraft glides. If asked to place a hand in an aircraft glide position you will probably get a nose down position. The fact is that an airplane glides longest with the nose up. This must be practiced at altitude. On a power reduction emergency, the student must overcome preconceptions and hold the nose up. With practice no altitude will be lost (some may be gained) as the aircraft decelerates to 60 kts and 4 down turns of trim are applied to hold the airspeed. With a total stoppage the wind milling propeller will decrease your glide range. If you are at 3000' or higher, consider pulling into a near stall to stop the propeller. The Mooney manual guarantees 20% more glide with a stopped propeller so some improvement should be expected for any aircraft.
FIELD
Once airspeed is stabilized the student needs to find where to land. It is best to select a field that can be reached rather than an optimistic projection. The optimist says, "At 3000' a C-150 can glide 5 miles. A pilot can judge angle better than distance. Set up the glide and decide if you have the angle to reach a given point. This as a radius gives about 225 square miles of landing area." The practical student tries to get a good look out the instructor's window but plans turns to the left because of improved visibility. A brown field is firmer than a green or plowed field. If you have selected a long field, aim about 1/3 past the 'numbers' to make more certain reaching the 'runway'.

WIND
The average wind in the U, S. is about 12 kts. It is important to learn how to locate wind indicators such as smoke, dust, waves, windmills, etc. The velocity of the wind near the ground is subject to friction. The air next to the ground has no speed and the further above the ground the air the less the friction and the greater speed. This is the boundary layer effect.

Air within 200' of the surface has a significant velocity gradient. This gradient is helpful on takeoff since it effectively increases the angle of climb. On landing that gradient degrades performance. The wind speed drops and the aircraft sinks at a faster rate and the nose lowers for the same indicated speed. If the pilot tries to prevent this sink by raising the nose, the momentary illusion will be followed by an even greater sink rate. If we are unaware and unprepared for this change in wind we will have an undershoot and a stall landing. Hence, the high rate of stall-impact that goes with engine failure. Again, aim 1/3 down the field past your ideal end-of-runway point.
ENGINE
Only 1% of aircraft accidents can be put to mechanical failure. The most frequent cause of failure is lack of fuel. Air contamination of the fuel tank. Carburetor ice is often suspected when an actual cause is unknown. Inadequate preflight causes up to 25% of all accidents.
RESTART
The first part of the restart should be to all factors related to fuel. Gauges, mixture, selector, primer (in). Then confirm ignition key position. Confirm Carb Heat ON. (With the engine off, the use of Carb Heat is a faint hope due to cooling.)

Any simulation should be made as practical and meaningful as possible. This does not mean dangerous. The instructor should be explained to the student so they understand what is happening and why. I want the student to realize that there is a problem that can be resolved safely. The student has a checklist, altitude, and a 'runway' to land on. I want the student to use as much as he can of normal landing procedures to 'make' the landing.

The first introduction to the student is combined with the first ground reference lesson. Initially at altitude the procedure for use of the emergency checklist is reviewed. Then the procedure is practiced with emphasis on retaining as much altitude as possible while acquiring the best glide airspeed. Additional practice is required to gain skill in the full application of flaps and the immediate removal of applied trim. This is to be followed by a full go-around procedure with milking and removal of flaps and trimming for best climb. This exercise should be practiced until reasonable proficiency is acquired. The location of a potential field that is oriented to the wind requires some area familiarization and practice. The spiral down over the field is usually to the left for best visibility. Try right spirals as well since the flight test could be descending into right traffic. Flaps are not put in until the landing is certain. Avoid letting the wind blow the aircraft away from the landing area. Plan to arrive at the downwind numbers at pattern altitude. Make a normal power off approach without flaps until on final with the field made. This takes some practice and should only be done at an airport. Emergencies are not to be practiced by solo students.

The student should know the direction to fly to the best emergency landing sites. In every flight with your instructor get a simulated emergency included at some point. This should be done no matter how unpleasant they may seem. Become aware of the approximate gliding distance and speed for your aircraft from the manual. Include in your flying time a periodic scan of engine instruments if your checkpoint checklist is not being used.

The greatest hazard to simulated training emergencies is that the student may learn to expect that an emergency will always have a good landing place nearby. The desire to save the aircraft may overwhelm the judgment requires to control the aircraft. In every emergency, the life saving factor is primary. Only a controlled crash has the best chance of pilot and passenger survival.

Controlled Flight into Terrain
Trying to maintain VFR in decreasing visibility is dangerous and a common cause of fatal accidents. Pilotage skill and area familiarity are often inadequate for the conditions. Darkness or the onset of it compounds the accident likelihood. The more familiar you are with the area the less likely such a terrain accident is to occur.

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