The horrific crash of a Bonanza A36 in March due to a runway turnback attempt prompted AOPA Air Safety Institute to shoot this excellent video analyzing turnback results with four different types of aircraft. Bottom line: The turnback is viable for smaller, lightly wing-loaded aircraft flown by a proficient and prepared pilot. It’s unlikely—probably impossible—to pull off with a heavier, faster airplane like the Bonanza tested in the video. //

John Mc
June 14, 2021 at 12:00 pm
I don’t recommend it, but if you really want to see how well you can perform a turn-back maneuver, you need to do it with a totally dead engine, not just one at idle. Having experienced an engine failure in a plane with a fixed pitch prop, I can tell you that it is quite different. The turning prop fights the air and makes the airplane vibrate like an impending stall. The turbulence also diminishes the elevator and rudder effectiveness – one more reason to lower the nose and keep your airspeed up. And if you think you can slow the plane down enough to stop the prop from windmilling, you aren’t going to have the time to do that 800 feet above the ground. I was fortunate to have enough altitude that I made it back to the runway, but if it had lunched on takeoff, I most likely would have visited the trees off the end of the runway. //

Kit Duncan
June 14, 2021 at 4:02 pm
A couple of points here, everyone seems to be assuming catastrophic engine failure. In the Navy we had a mantra we had to recite to the instructor when he pulled the power on a touch and go: Gas, Battery, Mags, “simulate” Prime. IOW, check the fuel selector is not off, or on an empty tank. Make sure the battery switch hasn’t been tripped. Switch the mags to left then right, hoping one is still producing spark. Lastly, push the primer button to see if the engine has maybe suffered a fuel pump failure.

You could recite and point to those things in three seconds, but accomplishing them in a real emergency would have taken longer. At low altitude we pretty much had only 45 degrees either side of the nose to find a suitable (or not) place to put down.

I suffered a valve failure on takeoff in my Decathlon years ago. Thankfully the engine continued to run (rough) or I would have had no choice but to land in trees off the end of the runway. Leaving the power set, I notified Tower of my problem and immediately turned downwind to the longer parallel runway while climbing to about 500 ft. Close aboard the runway and abeam the touchdown zone, I started an”impossible turn” while simultaneously reducing power since I was over the runway, and easily landed in the first third. //

Jim Holdeman
June 14, 2021 at 4:20 pm
I recently completed a BFR by a very knowledgeable, proficient, and thorough CFII. My Bonanza had been down for its annual that did not allow me to perform my BFR in it. My BFR had expired while the airplane was down. With a single yoke and expired BFR, I could not use my airplane once the annual was completed. I was not going to go through the trouble and expense of renting a dual yoke for my BFR. So, I rented a C172 which coincidentally had an 0-360 with CS prop. Somewhat unusual from the run of the mill rental 172’s. To coordinate with his current student load and aircraft availability, I had to drive a couple of hours to a new to me airport and corresponding topography. I had not flown a 172 for about 11 years, the last flight in my former 1956 C172. I was looking forward to getting acquainted again with a 172 even if it was not an old straight tail.

During the BFR, I was directed to land at a beautiful strip surrounded by some lakes, a river, and small mountains. That landing turned out to be a touch and go where upon climb out on this humid 96 degree afternoon he pulled the power. While somewhat anticipating this earlier in the flight, I have to admit with getting re-acclimated to a 172, high wing vs low wing, 180hp/CS prop vs Bonanza variable pitch prop, late into the flight, and panel differences, and the beauty of that strip on final approach and climbout, I was surprised and startle effect did momentarily happen. But within a couple of seconds I lowered the nose, turned about 30-35 degrees left and aimed for what appeared to be about 1,000 to 1200 ft field among all the trees that were on top of this small mountain range. While about 600-700 ft agl above the airport elevation, I was less than 3-400ft agl above my present sedate cruise climb configuration and location over those still ascending small mountains which kept me at that same 3-400 ft level agl. He seemed satisfied with my decision, agreed that I would safely make the field as we got closer to it.

While I added power back and began my climb out, he asked me why I did not do a turn back to the runway. Without hesitation, I said with the high density altitude, windmilling constant speed prop in high RPM, low pitch, full of fuel, and not really proficient in this particular airplane with its STC’d mods, 11 year hiatus from my personal 172, new to me panel with fuel, switch locations, I had already decided outside of being 800ft agl above the highest surrounding terrain, I would not even attempt a turn back.

I had reviewed Paul’s video the night before my BFR. I believe there is no one size fits all strategy. It all depends on so many variables. I was familiar with a 172 but not this particular one. It was a very hot, humid day, high density altitude with unfamiliar, moderately rising terrain type of topography at the moment of the power loss. Had this happened at the home base of the airplane just a mere 10 miles away, with level ground and being 700-800ft agl, I would have done a turn back. Even if I did not make the runway, I would make it to level grass with no obstructions within the airport boundaries.

One must form a decision strategy based on current circumstances, airplane being flown, configuration, and conditions. My take away from the video and having to dead stick a Bonanza into a tight field some years ago has mentally prepared me to be far more vigilant about my current environment, particularly at take-off but throughout the flight. This includes a predertimed hard deck for all potential maneuvers should the fan stop no matter what time of the flight this might happen. I think having this sort of strategy in play helps take away the potential for indecision and wishful thinking hoping for a good outcome vs being pro-active at every moment until the airplane comes to a full stop.

Plus, I may be flying with my A game one day, and maybe not quite up to A game performance another day or time. We can be A game flyers in the morning and less than that later in the day for a variety of reasons. I was not an A game flier in this particular airplane, at this particular time, in this particular terrain. I was competent under those conditions and would have safely made to to my intended landing site. Competent and A game are not always the same. That difference has to be known before the fan potentially stops. As Paul says…depends.