Let's look at mitigation measures to help prevent this particular scenario, and also the actions we should take to lesson its impact if it occurs!

Right here, we offer professional expert advice on the mitigation of engine failure after take-off (EFATO), considerations that should be undertaken, including both training for, and the handling of such events. It can be used as a checklist of activities for any pilot or organisation to ensure all measures possible are being taken to mitigate against EFATO.

This article is based on a wealth of practical experience in operating General Aviation aircraft from a variety of airfields, each with their unique layouts, procedures, processes, and challenges, including the practical implementation of Threat and Error Management within the aviation environment that includes development of associated mitigations.

EFATO Description
Statistical Analysis
Actions Required for EFATO occurrences
Mitigation Measures and Considerations
Aircraft Maintenance Schedules
Pre-Flight Decisions
Checklists
Human Factors
Pre-Flight Actions
Power Checks
Pre-Take-off Vital Actions
Captains Brief
Lights Camera Action
Take-off Run
Immediately After Take-off
Training

EFATO Description

Aircraft will usually take off from a runway that provides the greatest head-wind component to reduce the take-off run and increase the gradient of climb (greatest altitude achieved for the shortest distance covered over the ground).

Within the context of statistical understanding, and the definition of terms used within the aviation environment, EFATO is where an aircraft loses all available power after lifting off from the runway, and during the initial climb-out.

The initial climb-out is considered to be up to the height at which a normal circuit is performed, or where the aircraft transitions to level flight (if sooner).

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Statistical Analysis

Engine failures within the GA aviation environment (although relatively rare) can occur during any phase of flight.

Whilst the technology employed in GA aircraft engines has progressed, this is only relatively recently; hence the vast majority of the GA fleet still employ engine technology that has not changed since the 1970’s.

The largest market to gain a statistical insight into engine failures in the GA environment is the USA, where analysis has been performed on engine malfunctions where the statistical breakdown into phase of flight was measured.

The analysis shows that of 4,310 engine failures over a 5 year period, only 1,058 occurred during take-off. In other words, only 24.55% of engine failures were classed as EFATO.

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Actions Required for EFATO occurrences

Any emergency in flight will cause the pilot to suffer from the “startle effect”. This is the short time period where the pilot is effectively incapacitated due to surprise. Obviously, with an engine failure close to the ground, time is of the essence, so pilots are trained to perform a set sequence of actions. There is not normally enough time to troubleshoot the failure in order to cure it; the emphasis is on retaining control of the aircraft and making a safe forced landing in the most suitable area available. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Reduce pitch to achieve and maintain the best glide speed. This usually involves a large pitch nose down.
2. Select the most appropriate landing area ideally within 30 degrees each side of the nose (i.e. into wind). The choice will be limited, and the most appropriate landing area should be chosen, even if all choices are deemed inappropriate!
3. Perform the crash drill to secure the aircraft. This includes actions that immediately prevent the engine from re-starting.
4. Brief the passengers.
5. Fly the aircraft to the landing area.

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Mitigation Measures and Considerations

The following sections detail various mitigation measures and other considerations that can either alleviate the likelihood of an engine failure occurring during the take-off phase or can increase the likelihood of a favourable outcome if EFATO were to occur.

All of the sections below are based on Threat and Error Management principles.

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Aircraft Maintenance Schedules

Careful consideration should be given to the aircraft maintenance programme that is contracted with the maintainer. In particular, the suitability of an Owner Declared Maintenance Programme (ODMP) may well result in a less stringent maintenance schedule, meaning the aircraft can have more extensive time periods before being checked by a licensed engineer. This may have the attraction of reduced costs, but at the expense of faults not being detected as early as they might have been. Consequently, the risk may be perceived to be higher with regards to impending failure.

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Pre-Flight Decisions

It is the Pilot In Command’s responsibility to ensure the aircraft and conditions are suitable for the planned flight to take place.

This includes weather in general, airfield limitations and surrounding areas, aircraft performance, pilot ability and licensing restrictions.

In particular, careful attention to the meteorological briefing can lead to an understanding of whether engine icing is likely either on the ground or airborne. Carburettor or intake icing can be identified as a threat from the forecast conditions. Whilst engine icing is less likely at take-off power, any ice already built up can degrade power output at a time when the corrective measure required cannot be performed without an even more significant loss of power (at a time when all power is required – during take-off).

For a given airfield layout and aircraft performance combination, the pilot should employ (prior to take-off) defined places where decisions are to be made. For example, the place at which 2/3 of the required take-off speed is achieved, otherwise the take-off is to be rejected (knowing that enough runway remains for this to be achieved successfully).

It may seem obvious, but take-off should be planned to commence at the beginning of the runway rather than at an intersection part-way along it. This provides the maximum amount of runway ahead to cater for any rejection or engine problem encountered, leaving room to achieve a successful outcome.

A pilot should also use all data available at the planning stage to ascertain the likely best options once airborne for a landing in the event of EFATO. This planning should take into account the wind on the day, the runway in use and the known obstructions in the immediate local area. Facilities such as Google Earth can be an aid in this respect.

Armed with the information above, the pilot will already have pre-selected the best area to view for a forced landing in the event of EFATO. For example, the research may well show that all suitable fields are to the right, irrespective of wind direction. Equally, it may be (local procedures permitting) that after departure, a slight turn to the right during the normal climb-out under power would make more options available in the event of an EFATO.

In some situations, it may be evident that the only option for a suitable forced landing area will be in an area that resides outside of the “normal” 30 degrees each side of the nose criteria. In this case, the pilot will be aware even prior to departure that a turn of more than this amount will be required to enable a suitable landing area to be reached. However, it is always prudent to attempt to land as much into wind as possible, even after having made that turn to reach the required landing area.

If there are absolutely zero options available at the planning stage, it may be prudent to explore other options such as flying an aircraft with ballistic recovery systems or undertaking training and further calculations for the minimum height to be achieved before attempting a turn back to the reciprocal runway (see further notes on this under Training).

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Checklists

The checklists contained within the Flight or Engine Manual for an aircraft are usually lacking in best practice; they concentrate rather on the particular checks required for a particular aircraft.

This is also true of commercially available checklists for a given variant of aircraft, and no commercially available checklist will encompass any special considerations for operating out of a given airfield.

Consequently, good practice for training organisations is to create a unique checklist (based on the flight or engine manual checklist) for that variant of aircraft when flying from that operating base. This can then include the best practices required and also include airfield specific considerations. Private owners should undertake a similar task and have the checklist reviewed by a qualified person such as a senior flight instructor or examiner.

In creating a bespoke checklist, the best practice and mitigation measures described here can be included.

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Human Factors

It should be emphasised that humans are easily distracted from tasks, especially with familiarity. Humans are also susceptible to undertaking the same task by “mantra” rather than actually performing the check required, and especially noting the results of those checks against the required criteria. Whilst much of this aspect of human nature can be highlighted by training, it remains a threat that is ever present, especially when a check is interrupted by an external source.

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Pre-Flight Actions

The following tasks in particular should be emphasised as needing care and consideration. All can lead to EFATO if not managed correctly.

During the pre-flight aircraft inspection (walk-around):

• Pay particular attention to observing oil and fuel leaks or staining of the aircraft from those fluids
• Fuel straining must take place from all available fuel strain points on the aircraft (irrespective of how difficult they are to access)
• Fuel strain samples should be checked carefully for debris, colour, odour and water sediment
• Ensure all fuel strain points are securely closed
• Ensure that if refuelling is required that after refuelling has taken place that:
• The correct type of fuel has been dispensed
• The correct quantity of fuel has been dispensed
• Never totally rely on fuel gauges . Where a physical (dip stick) or visual fuel quantity check is not available, check against the aircraft technical log to calculate the fuel available or required based on the previous fuel quantity entries, uplift and previous flight times
• Ensure fuel caps are securely in place
• If using MOGAS, remember that the ambient fuel temperature must be below 20^oC in order to prevent vapour locks from occurring

Fuel management and planning should take place prior to engine start:

• Start the engine on the tank that has the least amount of fuel

During engine warm up and taxi:

• Note any reduction in RPM and ensure this is not due to engine icing (carburettor or intake icing). This can be an early sign of icing conditions that require more stringent adherence to procedures just prior to take-off
• For airfields that have short or non-existent taxi distances between start-up and power checks, consideration must be given to ensuring an adequate amount of time is available to ensure fuel flow is present and sustained from the selected tank

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Power Checks

The following items are key areas of consideration at this stage of flight.

Fuel management:

• Prior to power checks, the fuel tank with the most contents should be selected
• For engines with a mechanical fuel pump, the power checks should be performed with the auxiliary electrical back up fuel pump selected OFF. This ensures the mechanical fuel pump is operating sufficiently to sustain the required fuel flow at higher engine power
• If an aircraft relies upon two electrical fuel pumps only (e.g. Rotax engines), then each pump must be tested in turn during the power checks
• Ignition system checks involve testing each individual ignition source. There are supplied acceptable parameters contained within the Flight or Engine manual for each aircraft. The results achieved must be within the required parameters. Some pilots may have an opinion that any ignition related problem will self-cure itself (typically spark plug fouling) under higher power settings during take-off. However, this should not be relied upon, and any underperforming parameter must be considered as a reason to cancel the flight until it is resolved.
• Carburettor Heat / Alternate Air checks are equally important and should be employed long enough to ensure any engine ice is melted / alternate air source is sufficient to support high power operations.
• Finally, NEVER change fuel tanks after power checks before departure. If fuel management has been in error and a fuel tank change is required, then another power check must be performed prior to take-off

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Pre-Take-off Vital Actions

Vital actions should include:

• Fuel pump(s) on in accordance with the flight or engine manual
• CHECK (but do not change) the correct fuel tank is selected

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Captains Brief

This action is a required rehearsal of retrieval of vital information that might be required in the take-off phase of flight. It is not a briefing to passengers, but a briefing between flight crew, and should be carried out verbally even if the pilot is the sole crew. The brief should include:

• Emergency decision points and actions
• Key air speeds for both normal and emergency operation
• Engine failure scenarios during take-off with anticipated and required actions
• Planned successful departure process

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Lights Camera Action

This check is normally performed from memory just prior to lining up onto the runway for take-off.

• Lights: Required conspicuity lighting on (e.g. Landing light, Strobes, Navigation lights)
• Camera: Transponder enabled in the most capable mode (including altitude reporting)
• Action: Any action that might be required to avert any errors up to this point including:
• Fuel Pump(s) on in accordance with the flight or engine manual
• Final check for engine icing (especially if the conditions have proved that icing exists)

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Take-off Run

The following considerations should be adhered to:

• The take-off is commencing from the beginning of the runway – not an intersection
• The pre-planned rejection points have been identified
• The static power expected after application of full power is achieved (reject the take-off if not)
• Failure to achieve the required criteria at the identified rejection points must result in the take-off being rejected

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Immediately After Take-off

The most critical phase of flight is immediately after leaving the ground. It is imperative that the most height is gained as quickly as possible to provide an adequate margin as soon as possible for emergencies to be dealt with. In particular:

• Climb at the recommended speed which is usually the “Best Rate of Climb Speed” (Vy) to achieve the most height in the shortest time. Note that the best rate of climb speed may vary according to the take-off configuration of the aircraft concerned.
• Do not change power settings nor fuel configuration at low level. For example:
• Do not reduce power (throttle or propeller RPM)
• Do not change fuel tanks
• Do not turn fuel pumps off until a safe height has been reached that allows time to re-establish a good configuration if a change causes an engine failure

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Training

The above best practices and considerations should be part of any training that a pilot receives. However, the standard of training does vary according to the organisation, and also between instructors at organisations. Instructor standardisation is key in this respect, and a good organisation should standardise all instructors to teach the same process and standards.

With particular emphasis on EFATO training, a common misconception is that the training for this needs to take place at an airfield. However, that is not the case. A more realistic scenario would be to train for EFATO on the climb-out from a practice forced landing in the local area. This enables practice at landing area selection and subsequent actions in unfamiliar territory.

Obviously, some EFATO training at a real airfield will enhance the training, but for a given operating base, the most suitable landing area can often best be shown by overflight, or Google Earth, or a combination of these to allow the pilot to absorb the data whilst not under the stress of a practice EFATO.

For completeness, training should also take place in teaching the parameters required for turning back towards the airfield and attempting a landing on the reciprocal runway. This is a specialist manoeuvre and needs to be taught so that the typical height losses involved can be experienced before this option is contemplated (as a last resort). The manoeuvre needs to be started at a height that is significantly higher than first thought (typically 1000ft AGL) to accommodate all of the variables which are:

• Startle effect
• Altitude loss in the turn
• Bank angles required
• Additional airspeed required
• Landing with a significant tailwind resulting in a greater ground speed

Ultimately it is usually better to land ahead into wind (even into unhospitable terrain or obstacles) than attempting to turn back.

Finally, EFATO is not an activity that falls within the remit of exemption from the low flying rules of the air (SERA.5005) since it not in accordance with “normal aviation practice”. Therefore recovery from practice EFATO activities needs to be commenced before encroaching upon a distance of 500ft from any person, vehicle, vessel or structure.

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