When to abort takeoff

MAKG1 said:
On one, a 182 engine stumbled when advanced; in retrospect, it was way too fast.
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MAKG1, can you clarify what you mean here? When you say, "it was way too fast", do you mean it stumbled because you advanced the throttle too quickly?
 
azpilot said:
MAKG1, can you clarify what you mean here? When you say, "it was way too fast", do you mean it stumbled because you advanced the throttle too quickly?
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Yup.

I aborted because I didn't know what happened, and it was obviously not nominal. Went back to the run-up area, checked the mags, did a full power static check, and it was all fine.
 
I aborted once during training. After a full stop, I advanced throttle, and RPM went to 2600, but acceleration was a bit weak, and there was a little surging. I aborted and returned to the ramp to do a runup. Turns out I lost a mag.
 
2Airtime2 said:
Check out this video.

I thought this guy had plenty of time to just sit her back down. Listen to his gasp at 2:55 when he realizes the engine stumbled. He hyperventilates and flies over the runway/clear area til 3:25 (that's 30 seconds). At close to 90 knots that was 3/4 of a mile he had to sit it down.

Panic is a terrible thing and I could understand panic if he was immediately over water or trees. He was in the clear. All he had to do was kill power and land.

I'm a low time student pilot. What am I missing?
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Frankly, what I think you're missing is the reality of an actual life and death situation, versus the calm and controlled simulated engine failures that folks experience in practice. Practice is important, to be sure, but the real thing is a whole lot more stressful. It's easy to play the 'should have done' game from behind a keyboard... Still, I see no panic there, despite some excited breathing. The pilot maintained control of the aircraft, and successfully executed an off-airport emergency landing very shortly after takeoff. He did a great job. Fear is a reality in that situation, but that doesn't mean he panicked.
 
Coloradokevin said:
Frankly, what I think you're missing is the reality of an actual life and death situation, versus the calm and controlled simulated engine failures that folks experience in practice. Practice is important, to be sure, but the real thing is a whole lot more stressful. It's easy to play the 'should have done' game from behind a keyboard... Still, I see no panic there, despite some excited breathing. The pilot maintained control of the aircraft, and successfully executed an off-airport emergency landing very shortly after takeoff. He did a great job. Fear is a reality in that situation, but that doesn't mean he panicked.
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You never will really know how you're going to react until it happens, I've had two full failures and it is a interesting experience, making bigger turns, playing with lower air speeds and configuration changes can help make a save IF done correctly.

Could the guy have cut it, dumped flaps and slipped the chit out of it, hooked it to the right, laid into some brakes and got the plane on the runway, yeah. HOWEVER that would have been a higher difficulty level of emergency landing, less room for error and much easier to snag a wing tip or worse.


Based on the video, his call outs and the giant TV on the yoke, I'd wager this video is of a lower time PPL, I'd also say beyond a doubt that going longer and putting it in that field was the SAFEST move, heck didn't even look like it hurt the plane, maybe some paint on the prop and wheel pants, I'd buy that guy a beer and give him a well done.
 
coloradobluesky said:
While you still have enough runway to stop.
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Who is "you"?

Me? Well I would have had enough runway to pull it off, I also have been behind two full engine failures and am a working ATP/CFI pilot with thousands of hours.

The question is do YOU, or more importantly did the guy in the video?

In the case of the video he decided HE DID NOT and elected to land in a field, I don't see any fault in what he did.
 
I took off on an intersection departure after tower cleared me to take off on 27. Started the roll in a V35 and tower hollers "call sign you're taking off on 9"! Oops, aborted, turned around, and asked tower if I was still cleared for takeoff. I was and departed! It happens! :D
 
I've aborted a couple of takeoffs.

One power seemed anemic right off the bat and it was leaned wrong for altitude -- too rich actually.

The other we simply passed our no-go point below the speed I wanted to see there on a hot/high mountain day. Stopping right now. Better than eating tree branches for lunch.

And one T&G abort at night which was due to the flaps staying at 40.

Airplane lifted off WAY too soon and THEN I glanced out the window... Ah crud...

Had at least another 5000' of runway so the prudent option was simply to pull the power back off and land it again and taxi in to see why the flaps stuck.

With the nice long runway it turned into a reminder to do what I'd been trained. In Cessnas, always look at them. Quick glance to see they're moving is plenty.

Shorter runway I would have been milking the airplane around the pattern with the flaps hanging out at 40 which wouldn't have been much fun but the airplane was light and it would have made it, with shallow turns and a careful touch.

If it had been daytime it would have been much warmer since it was summer and it probably would have been the field off the departure end if it had happened further down.

Missing that the flaps stuck at 40 was a big mistake and could have had very bad results under different circumstances. I always look again now.

Amazing how puckering one's own butt will fix a bad habit if you survive it. :)
 
I only ever aborted for an unlocked door. Seemed better than find in flight what else we missed from checklist.
 
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