AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2022 - 22

PROFICIENT PILOT
Nix on VX
A closer look at a common training procedure
BY BARRY SCHIFF
PILOTS ARE TAUGHT from the onset of their flight training in single-engine
airplanes to comply with the following mantra: Always
remain-to the extent possible and practical-within glide range
of a reasonable landing site in case of engine failure. Complying
with this obviously does not guarantee it will always be possible
to execute a forced landing without damage or injury, but it does
improve the likelihood that one can be accomplished under control
and with an increased probability of survival.
There is, however, a time when an engine failure will result in
an accident no matter how carefully a pilot plans or prepares. This
brief period of danger is seldom discussed or considered. It occurs
when climbing at VX
-the best-angle-of-climb airspeed-while
Raise the nose? That would stall the airplane and
steepen the descent. Hold the nose where it is?
That is apparently what the pilot did in this case and
wound up holding the airplane in a mushing stall...
attempting to outclimb an obstacle near the end of a runway. If a
pilot experiences total engine failure during the early phase of such
a climb, there is a strong probability that there will be a serious accident
no matter how much runway remains ahead of the airplane.
Attempting to climb over an obstacle at VX
A dramatic example of such an accident occurred a few years
ago when the pilot of a Howard DGA-15P lifted off from the Kern
Valley Airport in Southern California and began climbing at VX
. At
a height of about 100 feet, he experienced sudden and total power
failure caused by the shearing of the driveshaft of the engine-driven
fuel pump. What made this accident unique is that it was captured
on video. The 16-second footage can be seen by going to YouTube
and searching for " Engine failure during climb at VX
in a Howard
DGA-15P. " Fair warning: The last few seconds are not easy to watch.
You will notice from the video that once the engine failed there
was no way for the pilot to land without serious damage to the airplane.
Raise the nose? That would stall the airplane and steepen
the descent. Hold the nose where it is? That is apparently what
the pilot did in this case and wound up holding the airplane in a
mushing stall while the airplane descended. Lower the nose? That
would steepen the descent and worsen the impact. The pilot was
in a world of hurt with no opportunity to do much of anything
constructive.
involved in a VX
The good news is that engine failures are rare plus the time
climb is short-lasting only until the aircraft
means that the aircraft
will be in an unusually nose-high attitude. Should the engine
fail at or below 200 feet or so above the ground, the pilot will be
between a rock and a hard place. He will have little choice but to
lower the nose to avoid stalling. This significant pitch change will
produce a dramatic rate of descent. Because the aircraft will be so
close to the ground while sinking so rapidly, the pilot will recognize
and be alarmed by the rate at which the Earth rises to meet
him. He will feel an almost uncontrollable urge to pull back on the
control wheel to arrest the sink rate and attempt to flare in time
to soften the unavoidable crunch. The trouble is that there will be
insufficient altitude to do this safely. The pilot will be a passenger
in his own airplane, and the aircraft will simply pancake or
belly flop harshly onto the ground. Such an accident most often
results in substantial aircraft damage and injury to those on board.
In other words, there usually is no way to safely cope with an
engine failure that occurs while climbing at VX
near the ground.
22
AOPA PILOT / March 2022
reaches a safe altitude of about 400 feet or more, or until the pilot
lowers the nose and accelerates to a safer speed, such as the bestrate-of-climb
airspeed. With sufficient altitude or airspeed, the
pilot has a much-improved chance of landing straight ahead in case
of power failure. It also is fortunate that pilots do not often make
obstacle-clearance takeoffs. These factors help to explain why accidents
like the one shown in the video are uncommon events.
Those with the greatest exposure to the dangers involved in
climbing at VX
are flight instructors who teach the maneuver regularly.
After all, private pilot applicants are required to demonstrate
proficiency in VX
to the risks of the VX
climbs during their flight tests. Others exposed
climb are those who operate routinely from
airports bordered by tall obstructions.
I believe it is important for the FAA and the flight instructor
community to make pilots aware of the risks involved when
using VX
to overclimb obstacles
at the end of a runway.
Personally, I try to avoid the
procedure.
BarrySchiff.com
BARRY SCHIFF enjoys
analyzing flight maneuvers
and procedures and-when
possible-making them safer.
http://www.BarrySchiff.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2022

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