Narrative:

'The C182 took off and, when it reached 200 ft, the engine failed. The pilot and his passenger were killed. The cause of the accident is under investigation.' that is substantially how the local newspaper reported the accident. Not many of us would fly if we thought it was as simple as that. We know that when an engine fails, the airplane becomes a glider. In fact, it happens on every landing when we close the throttle a few ft above the runway, or even a few hundred ft on the approach. No, there was more to the accident than the engine failure. It takes just a little gift of the imagination to picture what happened after the engine failure. We believe the pilot made a desperate attempt to return to the airport with a steep turn at a low airspeed and the wing stalled at too low an altitude to make a recovery. Many yrs ago, I was privileged to fly with a group of pilots who had been trained at an excellent school in belgium. On every flight, the last item on their takeoff checklist was to recite 'engine failure before 500 ft, turn no more than 40 degrees right or left.' lives would be saved if our own instructors were to ask their students to simulate an engine failure in a climb followed by a steep turn while attempting to maintain altitude -- all at a safe altitude, of course. Adding the before takeoff recital couldn't do any harm.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FLT INSTRUCTOR SUBMITS A TALE OF AN, APPARENTLY, FICTITIOUS ACCIDENT INVOLVING AN ATTEMPTED TURN BACK TO THE RWY AFTER AN ENG FAILURE.

Narrative: 'THE C182 TOOK OFF AND, WHEN IT REACHED 200 FT, THE ENG FAILED. THE PLT AND HIS PAX WERE KILLED. THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.' THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY HOW THE LCL NEWSPAPER RPTED THE ACCIDENT. NOT MANY OF US WOULD FLY IF WE THOUGHT IT WAS AS SIMPLE AS THAT. WE KNOW THAT WHEN AN ENG FAILS, THE AIRPLANE BECOMES A GLIDER. IN FACT, IT HAPPENS ON EVERY LNDG WHEN WE CLOSE THE THROTTLE A FEW FT ABOVE THE RWY, OR EVEN A FEW HUNDRED FT ON THE APCH. NO, THERE WAS MORE TO THE ACCIDENT THAN THE ENG FAILURE. IT TAKES JUST A LITTLE GIFT OF THE IMAGINATION TO PICTURE WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE ENG FAILURE. WE BELIEVE THE PLT MADE A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE ARPT WITH A STEEP TURN AT A LOW AIRSPD AND THE WING STALLED AT TOO LOW AN ALT TO MAKE A RECOVERY. MANY YRS AGO, I WAS PRIVILEGED TO FLY WITH A GROUP OF PLTS WHO HAD BEEN TRAINED AT AN EXCELLENT SCHOOL IN BELGIUM. ON EVERY FLT, THE LAST ITEM ON THEIR TKOF CHKLIST WAS TO RECITE 'ENG FAILURE BEFORE 500 FT, TURN NO MORE THAN 40 DEGS R OR L.' LIVES WOULD BE SAVED IF OUR OWN INSTRUCTORS WERE TO ASK THEIR STUDENTS TO SIMULATE AN ENG FAILURE IN A CLB FOLLOWED BY A STEEP TURN WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN ALT -- ALL AT A SAFE ALT, OF COURSE. ADDING THE BEFORE TKOF RECITAL COULDN'T DO ANY HARM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.