I have practiced the turn back from 600 feet agl with a 3 sec delay before taking action in my Tiger, and have been able to execute, but it sure requires precise flying. But, if there is anything suitable forward of the wings, that is where I am going.
As Doc Chien pointed out, this was *not* a classic "Impossible Turn"... he returned to a different runway.
I saw a 150 pull off the "Impossible Turn" a couple of years back, though in that case, the engine was still developing power.
I've recently been running an in-depth analysis on homebuilt accidents stemming from engine failures. About 32% of fixed-wing homebuilt accidents begin with an engine failure, and in about 16% of those, the pilot stalls while attempting the emergency landing. When the pilot DOES stall, over 60% of the cases are fatal. So please, keep your airspeed up.
I've been looking at the "Impossible turn" for this analysis. Obviously, the ability to pull it off depends on the aircraft's location and altitude when the decision is made. With my airplane, for instance, I think the engine-off glide angle is steeper than the full-power climb angle...which makes it mathematically unlikely. But, of course, a higher-performance aircraft, a little further from the airport, would have a better chance.
I did a little diagram to illustrate the sequence. I was certainly aware that a simple 180 degree turn would not suffice, but what caught my attention is the fact that the runway is BEHIND and ABOVE the pilot for much of the maneuver.
This makes the maneuver more difficult, especially with a high-wing aircraft . The runway isn't apparent in the "normal" orientation until one is well into the maneuver itself.
Second factor that occurred to me is that this is very difficult to train for, in a real airplane. This isn't just a 270-degree-turn followed by a 90 degree turn; it involves maneuvering at low altitude and low airspeed *in relation to a ground reference*. You can make the turns at 1500 feet, but you can't really tell how well you would have lined back up on the runway again.
I did run a test at altitude in my airplane, and was surprised at how much altitude I lost (700 feet). I'll pick the softest thing straight ahead or (slightly) off to the sides, please....
My homebuilt 2011-2020 data set shows a total of 172 engine failures on initial climb. Thirteen accidents occurred when the pilot tried the turn, about 7.5%. Of course, there's no data on *successful* performance of the turn, either.
Ron Wanttaja
