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I was just reading an article and this one sim instructor would often find that students would crash when there was a engine failure on approach. They were so engrossed in doing the engine failure checklist that they both forgot to fly the plane, often thinking there was a fault with the simulator! They went on to say how everyone does engine failure after v1 practice but how many people practice engine failures on approach?
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In GA, one of the other things people wouldn't train to is simulated forced landings. I don't mean cutting the throttle and circling down to 1000' AGL and then recovering; a monkey can do that. But actually completing the pattern to touchdown. Ceasing the maneuver at 1000' or 500' limits the learning, you make your money (or lose it) in that final 500' to touchdown, since there's no go around potential.
Now, when flying single-engine aircraft, the pilot must always be cognizant of where he's going to put the plane down at any given time should the engine fail. To practice the forced landing approach(no touchdown), one can use any field, dirt strip, possibly road. This will teach the student how to select an appropriate landing field, analyze the winds, set up the pattern, and manage the approach so he doesn't find himself on downwind and out of altitude. To practice this to touchdown, one could go out to an uncontrolled field (like Gila Bend, in AZ) and apply what he's learned to an actual touchdown. The maneuver can be started from many differnet altitudes and positions from the field to challenge the student in many different ways, and build the confidence needed to perform this maneuver successfully.
As for actually performing the maneuver. Back in my 172 days, when the engine simulated failed, I'd do a couple things right off. First I'd trim the aircraft full aft and get it headed towards my desired landing point. This will cause the plane to eventually stabilize at a 60-65 knot glide. The reason I do this is it makes flying the plane easier and allows my concentration to be spent more on analyzing the problem as I head to where I need to go. Next, I'd run through a "flow" of checking the fuel selector (switch tanks, etc), come up the center console to the throttle quadrant and check the mixture, pull the carb heat, etc; swing left across the circuit breakers to the mags; cycle the mags and come up across the instrument panel, across the radios and complete the panel. If this doesn't work, then my concentration goes fully back to flying the plane. If I have a complex plane with a constant speed prop, I'll pull the prop lever full aft. Following that, I'll then pull the checklist and confirm that I didn't miss anything. Why do I not just read the checklist step by step? Well, that's when guys get bitten in the ass, so to speak. As a pilot, you need to have a good understanding of the emergency procedures for your aircraft, and the basic checklist steps for each. When single pilot, you don't have the luxury of having the PNF read the checklist for you; CRM for you is Cockpit Resource Management versus Crew Resource Management. Flow patterns let you cover the instrument panel and manipulate what you need to for the particular EP; it must then be backed up with the checklist. This way, you're not wasting time running checklists line by line, and you're better spending time flying the plane. I then try to maneuver the plane to an upwind over the runway (if possible) and now the sight picture "looks right" for being in the pattern (just several thousand feet higher than normal, assuming this occured at altitude). I'd begin circling then, managing the turns to roll out on a "normal" looking downwind, and then judge the base turn (early if low, later if high) to end up being optimal on final (not too low and far out, not too high/hot and in close).
Big things in any EP:
1. Maintain aircraft control.
-Aviate
-Navigate
-Communicate; in that order
2. Analyze the situation and take appropriate action
3. Land as soon as conditions permit.