Page 19 - Volume 15 Number 11

Losing an Engine on Takeoff
by Tom Clements
There’s not going to be anything new in this article. Every pilot who earned his or her multi-engine rating has undergone training in how to handle one-engine-inoperative (OEI) situations whenever they may occur. Yet, in recent years King Airs seem to have been involved in a rash of very serious, usually fatal, accidents during takeoff. Why? Specifically, why has this started occurring more often? The basic King Air of today is very much like its predecessors going back over 50 years. Yes, the 200-series that debuted in 1974 contain vast improvements over the 90- and 100-series that came before and the 300-series is even more advanced. However, the procedures that need to be correctly applied to handle an engine failure on takeoff have not changed in any significant manner. Please indulge me as I don my certificated flight instructor (CFI) jacket and review with you how to successfully handle an engine failure on takeoff.
Which is your preferred choice: Being on the ground wishing you were flying or flying while wishing you were on the ground? Most of us will pick good ol’ terra firma every time. If an engine starts acting strange before decision speed, V1, abort the takeoff! In my opinion, there is a big difference in planning and mindset when operating on a runway of minimal length compared to the jetliner length strips we usually use. When the runway is short, it’s time to pull out the POH and really examine the takeoff numbers thoroughly. Pressure altitude, OAT, wind, known obstacles, runway slope and condition ... all these and more enter the equation. Also, now’s the time to make a true short field takeoff: Line up with the longitudinal axis pointed about 10 degrees to the right – since it’ll swing left when the brakes are released – and set power while holding the brakes tightly to prevent creeping forward.
One of my past articles presented the concept of “Using Big Numbers.” If the runway is much longer than the minimum required for the conditions you face,
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then use the POH charts to calculate your performance at maximum gross weight, with no wind, and with the highest OAT allowed. Do the numbers still look good even in these severe conditions? If so, then does it not follow that our actual takeoff performance numbers will be better than these under any situation not as severe? Hence, how about using the higher V-speeds associated with the maximum weight even when at lighter weights?
In some models the speed difference can be significant: Over 10 knots in V1 and more than 5 knots in V2. On the other hand, some models – the E90 for example – do not vary the speed based on weight.
Since blueline, VYSE, is based on maximum gross weight, if we’re lighter than max gross then won’t our climb be quite acceptable using that speed even though the actual VYSE will be lower? Of course!
If you abort the takeoff on a short runway, should single-engine reverse thrust be used? In some King Air models the answer is “no,” in others it is “yes.” Study your own POH to learn for sure. (It may be correct to use ground fine in some.)
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 17