Emergency procedures

Your authority

In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule to the extent needed to meet the emergency (14 CFR 91.3). If you deviate, the FAA may ask for a written report afterward. Use the authority without hesitation.

Engine failure: ABCDE

Different schools teach different memory aids. A common one:

1. Airspeed: pitch for best glide immediately and trim for it.
2. Best place to land: pick a field within gliding distance, ideally into the wind, and turn toward it.
3. Checklist: try to fix it. Typical items: fuel selector on (or switch tanks), mixture rich, carb heat on, magnetos (try both, left, right), primer locked, fuel pump on if equipped. Follow your POH.
4. Declare: 121.5 or the frequency you're on, "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday," and squawk 7700.
5. Execute: if the engine won't restart, secure it per the checklist and focus on flying the airplane to a safe landing. Brief your passengers.

The single most important thing is to keep flying the airplane. Many engine-failure accidents happen because the pilot stalled while trying to stretch a glide.

Fires

• Engine fire during start: keep cranking to pull the flames into the engine (in many airplanes), then follow the POH.
• Engine fire in flight: mixture to idle cutoff, fuel selector off, master off, cabin heat and air off, and land as soon as possible.
• Electrical fire (the smell of burning insulation): master off, turn off avionics, use the extinguisher if needed, vent the cabin after the fire is out, and land.

Other emergencies

Partial power loss, door opening in flight (fly the airplane; it's usually just loud), radio failure (squawk 7600 and watch for light gun signals), and a stuck or failed flap. Practice them with your CFI and memorize the critical first steps.