1. Emergency Procedures for Beech Bonanzas and Debonairs
Title slide for the single-engine Emergencies program.

2. Single-Engine Emergencies
Stimulate thought and visualization
Avoid confusion and panic
Thinking through emergency scenarios ahead of time
Reinforce knowledge of aircraft systems and procedures
This BPPP Online Emergency Procedures course is designed to stimulate thought and cause you to visualize what might happen in an emergency. You need to fight confusion and avoid panic when presented with an actual emergency. You can only do this by thinking through likely emergency scenarios ahead of time, considering what you’ll need to do to respond correctly, and take the situation to a successful outcome.
This course will also reinforce your knowledge of the aircraft’s systems you’ve learned from studying the Pilot’s Operating Handbook, taking other BPPP Online courses or attending a live BPPP flight training clinic. Airplane-specific system knowledge will tell you why some actions should be done first in an emergency, and what you can and cannot control from the pilot’s seat when faced with an emergency situation.

3. Two Types of “Emergencies”
Abnormal conditions
True emergencies
There are two types of situations we normally call “emergencies”: Abnormal conditions, and actual emergencies.
Abnormal situations are those when an unusual condition exists that you can handle without rushing. Abnormal situations give us time to use a printed checklist. Examples of abnormal conditions in Beech airplanes include landing gear malfunctions, low oil pressure, high oil temperature, and alternator or generator failure.

4. Two Types of “Emergencies”
True emergencies
Engine failures
Fires
Autopilot malfunctions
Split-flap condition
Door open on takeoff
True emergencies are more serious situations you must respond to quickly and correctly. In most cases there’s no time to refer to a printed checklist right away. You’ll need to do the first few steps of the emergency checklist from memory to take action quickly.
Time-critical conditions like engine failures, fires, autopilot malfunctions or runaway trim, or a split-flap condition are true emergencies. Certain other situations, like a door that pops open on takeoff, are not emergencies based on the impact they have on your ability to fly the airplane, but should be treated like emergencies because there would be no time to refer to a checklist when the condition occurs.
The only way to be ready for true emergencies is to study and memorize the first few steps of the emergency checklists, practice them under safe, controlled conditions in flight or in a simulator, and think about emergencies frequently to keep the checklist items fresh in your memory.

5. Manual landing gear extension
Cabin door unlatches
Manual landing gear extension
Electrical system failure
Engine power loss/forced landing
This program will focus on the most common types of abnormal and emergency situations in Beech airplanes: unlatching of the forward cabin door on takeoff, landing gear malfunction requiring manual extension of the landing gear, electrical system failures, and engine failures in flight resulting in a forced landing.

6. Priority of Actions Maintain aircraft control Analyze the situation
Continue to control the aircraft
Take the appropriate action
In all emergencies your priority of action is the same:
Maintain aircraft control,
Analyze the situation with as much information as you can quickly gather,
Continue to control the aircraft, and
Take the appropriate action.

7. Door Open on Takeoff
Let’s look at the first scenario. Just as your Beechcraft lifts off, the forward cabin door pops open. What should you do?

8. First, if there is sufficient runway remaining and you’re still on the ground, abort the takeoff.
If you’re airborne it’s far safer to fly a normal pattern, land, and then secure the door. Expect a climb performance loss of about 200 feet per minute and the need for a little extra power for level flight, descent and flare because of the added drag.
So carry a little extra power through the flare to control your sink rate as needed. You may also notice some elevator buffet, particularly in the flare. But besides a slightly reduced climb rate, the need for a little extra power and the possibility of some buffeting, your Beechcraft flies normally with the forward cabin door open.

9. Why not try to close the door in flight
Why not try to close the door in flight? At flying speeds, the air pressure above the wing is low enough to pull the cabin door open, while the slipstream is strong enough to push it toward closed. The result is that the door will remain open about three inches. The aerodynamic forces are so great you cannot pull the door inward against the suction, and you cannot push it outward against the slipstream to get greater leverage. You have to land the airplane to secure the door.

10. Why is a door opening in flight a problem
Why is a door opening in flight a problem? First, it’s startling and it’s loud. Your passengers may be scared, and may even panic. If you have charts, flight logs or other items on the copilot seat the suction will pull them right out the door.
It can get bitterly cold very rapidly in cool weather with the cabin door open.
The wind may hit a right-seat passenger directly in the face. Have him or her lean in toward the pilot to avoid the slipstream.

11. It may be very difficult to hear over the radio, especially if you’re wearing headsets and there’s one plugged into the copilot side, picking up wind noise. Reach over and pull your copilot’s microphone plug out of the jack if you need to reduce headset noise.

12. Amazingly, there are fatalities every year that result from this minor issue. Deaths occur when the pilot becomes focused on the door instead of flying the airplane—becoming a “door closer” instead of pilot-in-command. We also hear of several gear-up landings each year when the door pops open and the pilot becomes so distracted he or she forgets to put the wheels down.
In all cases, remember your first priority when dealing with an emergency: maintain control of the airplane.

13. Door Open in Cruise Flight
Maintain aircraft control
Land to secure the door
Added drag, added fuel to destination
Pattern considerations
CHECK LANDING GEAR!
What if the door comes open in some other phase of flight? Your first job is still to maintain control of the airplane. You won’t be able to close the door in flight, so you’ll need to land at the first practicable airport and secure the door. You may elect to continue to your destination, but if you do remember added drag will reduce performance, so you’ll take longer, and use more fuel, to get there. Once you’re on approach or in the pattern the earlier considerations remain the same: you’ll need more power for speed and to resist sink rate, and you may feel some control buffet, especially in the flare.
Triple-check that the landing gear is down. The distraction of an open door has led to many gear up landings.

14. How do you prevent the door open in flight scenario in the first place
How do you prevent the door open in flight scenario in the first place? Carefully close and latch the door before takeoff. As you rotate the door handle counterclockwise you’ll hear two clicks. The second click will be louder, and signifies the door latch is fully rotated into the closed position. You’ll feel resistance as you rotate the handle, but little resistance once it’s clicked into place. Some Beechcraft have a placard around the door handle that shows when the door handle has fully rotated.

15. After closing the door, push in the upper rear corner of the door
After closing the door, push in the upper rear corner of the door. If you can see movement or daylight, such as in this picture, then the door is not fully closed. It is almost certain to pop open on takeoff in this condition.
Because it’s very important to close this door properly, we recommend you do this yourself. Don’t leave it to a passenger, and even if you trust the person in the right seat to close the cabin door, you should personally verify it is secure.

16. Landing Gear Malfunctions
The Bonanza/Baron landing gear system is entirely electromechanical. This means that the most common cause of light airplane landing gear—hydraulic failure—is not a factor in these aircraft. There are a number of situations, however, that will prevent the landing gear from extending, or prevent it from extending all the way. Because this is always a possibility, it’s good to consider some possible landing gear failure modes, and what you can do about them from the pilot’s seat.

17. Consider this scenario: On takeoff, you move the landing gear switch and hear the motor begin to run, but it stops running sooner than you expect. Airspeed is a little lower for the power setting and pitch attitude. You look at the landing gear position indicators and see the green light or lights are off, the red in transit light is on for airplanes with three green lights, and the yellow gear UP annunciator is not illuminated in earlier Beechcraft. The nose gear position pointer is somewhere between UP and DOWN in airplanes so equipped. What’s wrong?

18. Possibilities: Landing gear motor failure
Manual gear hand crank obstruction
Bent or broken gear system push rod or rod end
One of several possibilities exist. First, the landing gear motor may have failed while the gear was in transit. This will actually be the easiest condition to remedy. Just climb to a safe altitude, manually extend the landing gear and land.
The landing gear manual hand crank may have come unstowed and wrapped itself around a baggage or purse strap, or bound up in the carpet behind the pilot’s seats. This can cause enough resistance to pop the Landing Gear motor circuit breaker and stop the gear movement. If after climbing to a safe altitude you find the hand crank is bound up, make sure the circuit breaker is pulled, stow the handle and see if the gear will retract the rest of the way.
Another possibility is that something is preventing the landing gear from retracting. A bent pushrod or broken landing gear rod end is a common culprit when this occurs. You may notice that the Landing Gear Motor circuit breaker has popped, but it might not always. This, too, calls for climbing to a safe altitude and performing the Landing Gear Manual Extension procedure we’ll discuss in a few moments.

19. Landing Gear Malfunction Do’s and Don’ts
Do NOT cycle the gear
DO climb to a safe altitude
DO use the POH Emergency checklist
What you DON’T want to do is to “cycle the gear”. Cycling the gear means resetting the circuit breaker as needed, putting the gear back down, and then trying to retract it again. If the reason the gear will not come up is related to pushrods or rod ends, the stress of running at gear-motor speeds may be what causes the component to bend or break completely. In many cases it’s the attempt to “give the landing gear another chance” that turns a gear-down or fully gear-up landing into a dangerous touchdown with one or more gear struts only partially extended.
Instead, climb to a safe altitude and extend the landing gear using the manual extension checklist if the gear stops in mid-transit, either going up or going down. Once you’ve landed, have the gear fully inspected by a Beech-knowledgeable mechanic before flying again.

20. BANG!
What would you do if this happens? On takeoff, you raise the gear and shortly hear a loud “bang” under your seat. What is the likely cause, and what are you faced with now?
This situation is almost certainly a broken landing gear push rod. It may be possible to crank the other two gear legs down, but you are probably better off retracting them the rest of the way, if possible, and landing with the gear mostly up. Then climb to a safe altitude and see if you can retract the gear electrically or manually, or extend the gear manually, to get the other two legs in the position closest to the broken one. Prepare for and make a landing on the longest available surface with rescue equipment, touching down at the lowest safe speed, controlling through the gear collapse as best as possible.

21. Reference the Landing Gear Manual Extension checklist
Perform all steps to beginning the crank
Turn the hand crank one-half to three-quarters of a turn
Stow the hand crank and reset the breaker
If the gear will not extend, start the checklist over and extend the landing gear fully by hand.
Another possibility is that you move the switch to extend the landing gear and nothing happens. There’s no gear motor sound, no in-transit indication, and no wind noise or performance change that normally results from gear extension.
Assuming you have not had a total electrical failure, most likely this means the electric landing gear motor has failed, either partially or completely. At a safe altitude, you might try this: Reference the Landing Gear Manual Extension checklist, and perform all steps through beginning to crank the gear down. Turn the gear crank counterclockwise half to three quarters of a turn, then stow the hand crank and reset the circuit breaker. If the motor merely had a bad spot on the commutator but has not failed completely, the gear may now run the rest of the way electrically. If the gear does not extend electrically, start the checklist over and manually extend the gear the rest of the way.

22. If any of these or other circumstances call for manually extending the landing gear, the most important thing is to climb to a safe altitude. Extending the gear manually will take time and effort, and you need to maintain control of the airplane throughout the procedure. Use an autopilot if one is available and you have electricity to power it.
Do not attempt to extend the gear manually from memory—this is not an emergency, it is an abnormal condition, and you have time to use the checklist to make certain you do it correctly. This is a rare situation when an in-flight checklist should be done as challenge and response, or read a step and perform the action before moving to the next checklist step.

23. Manual Extension Technique
Follow the checklist!
Slow the airplane to 100 – 110 knots
Turn the hand crank approximately 15 turns
Sit up, confirm attitude, look for traffic
Add 1 to 2” MP
There is a technique that reduces some of the work of manually extending the landing gear, and helps confirm that it is fully down once your checklist is complete. After pulling the Landing Gear Motor circuit breaker per the checklist, slow the airplane down. The faster you’re flying, the greater the air load you have to overcome through the hand crank knots is a good target speed, slow enough to reduce air load but fast enough that you’re still well above stall speed.
Once the checklist prompts you to begin cranking the gear down, turn the handle counterclockwise about 15 turns. This is the only direction the handle will turn initially if the gear is fully up. As you turn the handle it will come toward you, the pilot, as it comes across the top of its arc. Remember this direction so you don’t accidentally crank the gear back up later.
After about 15 turns of the crank, look up and recover from the unusual attitude. Seriously, if you have any issue controlling the airplane at any point, stop cranking, get the airplane re-trimmed, and then resume the process.
As the gear extends into the slipstream, it creates drag that causes the airplane to descend or, if you’re using an autopilot in the altitude hold mode, to slow down. You can maintain altitude and airspeed by adding one to two inches of manifold pressure after the first 10 turns of the manual hand crank.

24. Manual Extension: a Technique
Repeat the technique:
Crank 15 turns
Confirm attitude
Look for traffic
Add 1 to 2” MP
Then:
Crank 10 turns (it will get harder)
And finally:
Crank 10 turns or until it will go no further
Use the same technique to continue extending the landing gear. After a short break, crank counterclockwise another 15 turns. Look for traffic, confirm obstacle and cloud clearance, and add another inch of manifold pressure to overcome the additional drag.
After about 30 turns it will become more difficult to crank the landing gear. Try about 10 turns, add some power, and then crank the remaining 10 turns or until the hand crank will turn no further.
The Beech Pilot’s Operating Handbook says it will take “approximately 50 turns” to extend the landing gear. The only way to tell for certain is to crank until it will crank no more. If you have electrical power, you’ll see the “down and locked” lights before the gear is fully extended, so don’t stop when you see the lights. At least at that point you know you’re almost done!
Because it’s hard to turn the crank near the end of the extension process, you may want to take a break, then try one last time to move the handle as far as it will go. Once the gear is down, Beech suggests you don’t do anything with the gear system until the airplane is up on jacks in the care of a mechanic.

25. There is a strong correlation between alternator or generator failure and landing gear collapse on touchdown. If you have had an alternator or generator failure and use remaining battery power to extend the landing gear, plan time to complete the process by running the manual landing gear extension procedure to ensure the gear is all the way down. In normal operation a limit switch in the landing gear system stop the gear motor before the gear transmission hits its internal stop. The gear legs then coast into the down-and-locked position. Although the transmission should not hit the stop in normal operation, when the system is operating at anything less than full system voltage, the gear will run more slowly and may not have enough inertia to coast fully into the locked position when the limit switch engages. Consequently, best practice is to follow up any battery-only gear extension with the manual extension checklist, to make sure the gear is fully down before you land.

26. Avionics begin to dim NAV flag on HSI or OBS Odd odor
Situation: You’re in cruise flight when you notice your avionics displays dim before blinking on and off several times. The NAV flag appears on your HSI or OBS. Shortly afterward, you sense an odd odor. What do you think is happening? What would you quickly do?
Avionics begin to dim
NAV flag on HSI or OBS
Odd odor

27. Electrical Fire
You’ve noted the indications of an electrical fire. This is a true emergency, because you have to act fast to avoid or limit a very serious situation.
Most Beech Pilot’s Operating Handbooks do not even contain a checklist for an electrical fire or overheat. Beech began publishing an Electrical Smoke or Fire checklist with the introduction of the V35B in It never put a similar procedure in earlier Model 35s or the Model 33, all the way through the end of F33A production in The A36TC, introduced in 1979, includes an electrical fire checklist that is also present in all B36TC POHs, but normally aspirated 36s and A36s did not get the procedure until the change to IO-550s and throttle-quadrant controls in 1984.

28. What do you lose? Turn coordinator HSI Electric attitude indicator
Autopilot
Communications and navigation
Engine gauges and fuel indicators
Consequently you need to think about electrical fires and memorize the emergency procedure, even if your airplane does not have a checklist for this critical situation. Your first action would be to immediately turn off the battery and alternator or generator switch—to kill the electrical fire at its source.
Think about the position this will put you in. For flight instruments, at a minimum your turn coordinator will be inoperative. You may lose your heading indicator, if you have an HSI. If you have an all-electric panel you’ll lose your attitude indicator as well, although some models have an internal battery that will last half an hour or more. A glass-cockpit aircraft may lose the full panel except for pitot-static backups or individual instruments with internal batteries. Of course you’ll lose your autopilot, and your navigation and communications equipment, and some to most of your engine gauges and fuel indicators. In a worst-case scenario as you cruise in GPS-direct, autopilot-driven cruise flight you’ll transition to hand-flown, partial panel flight using your magnetic compass for navigation while the dark cabin begins to fill with toxic smoke.
THIS is why you need to think about what you’d do in the event of an electrical fire. It’s a good reminder to stay current on partial panel flying as well.

29. Now what? Ventilate the cabin Fire extinguisher Emergency descent
Land as soon as possible
Turn on only what you absolutely need
Gear extension
No-flap landing
After you’ve shut off electrical power, clear any smoke from the cabin. You can do this by opening all the vents. If needed, open the pilot’s storm window to pull smoke from the cabin. If that doesn’t work, pop open the forward cabin door. In the 58P, open the cabin dump valve.
If you see flames, attack them with a Halon fire extinguisher if you have one available
If you can’t extinguish the fire or clear smoke from the cabin, perform an emergency descent to the closest suitable landing spot. If the fire goes out and the cabin clears, last at the nearest airport and have the airplane thoroughly checked before further flight. If you absolutely need electrical power to safely land, for instance, if you need flight instruments or navigation systems, or a communications radio for landing clearance or for pilot-controlled lighting, turn on the battery and alternator, then only that equipment that’s essential to making a safe landing.
Plan to extend the landing gear manually or, if you prefer, extend the gear using remaining battery power, then complete the emergency extension manually to ensure the gear is fully down. Unless you use battery power, you’ll have to make a no-flap landing.

30. Here’s another situation: Your alternator or generator fails
Here’s another situation: Your alternator or generator fails. Cockpit lights will dim, radios will become weak and scratchy, and navigation systems will become unreliable as system voltage fades. The more electrical power you’re using, the more quickly battery power will drain.
It takes roughly nine volts in a 14-volt electrical system and 17 volts in a 28-volt system to close the battery master relay. So battery power will not last until the buss voltmeter goes to zero; it will drop off suddenly, often with a couple loud clicks of the relay and flashes of the remaining lights, when minimum relay voltage is reached. If you’re not on the ground within 15 to 30 minutes of the alternator or generator failure, then, your fully charged and healthy battery may lose enough voltage the battery master relay won’t remain open and you’ll find yourself in a dark cockpit.
Nonetheless, if you have visual contact with the ground or can descend under control into visual conditions, you’ll be able to continue to a safe landing. You’ll have to manually extend the landing gear and won’t have flaps or communications radios, but otherwise the airplane will continue to fly. Here’s a good reason to keep a small card with the meaning of ATC light gun signals handy in the cockpit or taped to your checklist in the event you should need to land at a tower-controlled airport without electrical power.

31. Night/IMC Flashlights Handheld comm radio with external antenna
Handheld GPS
Land as soon as practical
Fly toward improving weather
Loss of electrical power at night or in IMC is a very serious situation. You lose all the same indications and equipment, but the consequences of the loss are much greater. How can you follow the primary rule and “maintain aircraft control” if you can’t see?
Know where your flashlights are, and test them before night or instrument flight. Have a handheld communication radio with good batteries are the ready, preferably one that plugs into an external aircraft antenna for far better reception.
A handheld GPS does no good if it’s not already powered up and programmed when the electrical failure occurs, so turn it on and use it on all your flights so you’ll be in the habit of having it usable if you lose electrical power.
You’ll want to land as soon as practical, but your best defense may be to fly to better weather conditions, even if it takes some time to get there. Part for preflight planning should include an answer to the question, “what direction will take me to better weather?”

32. Failures of your engine and propeller come in many different forms, some obvious, some not. Let’s review some of the more common failure modes, and actions you need to consider when faced with any kind of engine power loss.
Engine Failures

33. Consider…
You’re flying along in cruise when suddenly the noise level increases dramatically, you sense a sudden change in speed, and the propeller rpm is above redline, 3000 rpm or more. You have a propeller overspeed. What are the first two things you should do? And why is propeller overspeed, if not immediately corrected, a very dangerous situation?

34. Propeller Overspeed Throttle – RETARD TO PROPELLER RED LINE
Airspeed – REDUCE
Oil Pressure – CHECK
Land – NEAREST SUITABLE SITE
The Emergency Procedures checklist tell you to first pull the throttle all the way to idle. Something has failed with the propeller pitch change mechanism, and it may be acting like a fixed-pitch propeller and reducing throttle will help slow it down. Second, reduce airspeed. Pull the nose up a few degrees so the change in air load reduces propeller rpm. Once you have the propeller within the normal operating range, do whatever you need to with throttle and airspeed to keep it below redline while you maneuver and land.
Why is this so critical? The propeller absorbs incredible stress from the forces of thrust and rotation. If the propeller speed exceeds design limits it can quickly fracture. If a portion or all of one propeller blade separates from the airplane the resulting imbalance will cause so much vibration is can literally shake the engine off its mounts It can make the airplane uncontrollable in seconds.
This, and the likelihood a propeller overspeed is your first indication of a catastrophic loss of engine oil, is why the checklist calls for landed at the nearest suitable site…not necessarily even an airport.

35. What causes a propeller overspeed
What causes a propeller overspeed? Oil-driven propellers on H35 and later V-tails, all Model 33s and Model 36 Bonanzas, as well as on E-series Bonanzas that have been retrofitted with a hydraulic prop, achieve pitch change through changes in oil pressure within the propeller dome. As oil pressure in the prop dome drops the propeller speed increases—the idea being that a catastrophic loss of engine oil gives you the most power to work with for as long as the engine will run.
However, if oil pressure goes away nearly completely, the propeller speed will exceed redline. A propeller overspeed, in fact, may be your first indication of a catastrophic loss of engine oil, meaning you’ll probably lose all power very soon. It’s time to land the airplane. It’s also possible the overspeed resulted from a propeller governor failure, but you can’t tell for certain until you or a mechanic takes a look on the ground.
E-series airplanes that retain their electrically controlled propellers may experience an overspeed as a result of an electrical short or failure in the pitch change mechanism. Although an engine failure is not likely, the possible hazards of even a momentary propeller overspeed warrant landing as soon as practical and having a mechanic thoroughly inspect the propeller.

36. Priority of Actions Maintain control of the airplane
Analyze the situation
Take corrective actions
It bears repeating that any engine failure, or any in-flight situation for that matter, must be processed while you maintain control of the airplane. Only once you’ve established positive control can you safely analyze the situation and take the correct actions. After each hand movement or control adjustment, go back to “maintain aircraft control” as your primary function during an engine-related emergency.

37. Before we review the steps for dealing with an engine failure in flight, first let’s look at how likely engine failures are in Beech airplanes. We have good news, and we have bad news. First the bad news…

38. Total NTSB Reports and Engine Failures
During the 1980s there were 523 NTSB-reported accidents involving Beech Bonanzas and Debonairs. Engine failures were implicated in 159 of those reports, or about 30 percent of the total.
In the 1990s the number of accidents increased by about 20%, but engine failures rose to over 38% of all reports.
The period of 2000 through 2010 saw an increase in Bonanza and Debonair accidents, with 636 reported to the NTSB. A full 61% of these events were related to engine failure.
So the record suggests that we are more likely to experience engine failures now than we were a couple of decades ago.

39. Engine Failures and Fuel
The good news, however, is that in the 1980s and 1990s about half of all engine failures were fuel-related. In the past decade 91% of all reported engine failures were caused by fuel issues.
That means they can be prevented…by you. Fuel-related engine failures come in three varieties: fuel exhaustion, which is when the pilot attempts to fly farther than the fueled range of the aircraft; fuel starvation, when there is fuel somewhere on board but the pilot has not pointed the fuel selector to that tank; and fuel contamination, when something other than avgas in the tank but it was not detected and removed before flight.
Check all tanks for contamination before every flight, switch tanks before a fuel tank runs completely dry so you do not interrupt fuel flow, and discipline yourself to land with at least one hour of fuel remaining on board, and you can eliminate virtually all engine failures given current trends.

40. Other Engine Failure Causes
Mechanical failures (cylinders, propellers, etc.)
Maintenance issues in the fuel system
Ignition and oil systems
Undetermined
Beside fuel issues, what causes Bonanza and Debonair engine failures? Mechanical failures of the engine and propeller itself top the list, with maintenance issues with fuel systems coming second. A small number of engine failures result from ignition or oil system problems. The cause of one-fifth of all engine failures could not be determined.

41. Who owns the airplane. THE INSURANCE COMPANY What is your job
Who owns the airplane? THE INSURANCE COMPANY What is your job? CONTINUE TO FLY THE AIRPLANE
Regardless of what caused an engine failure, once it occurs you need to follow pre-established priorities. First, who owns the airplane when an engine quits? The insurance company. Your job is to continue to fly the airplane to the nearest telephone, so you can call the airplane’s new owners and tell them where to find the salvage.
Seriously, your first priority is to get the airplane on the ground safely, anywhere where you and your passengers can walk (or swim) away. Choose an option designed to provide maximum protection to the airplane’s occupants…not to save the airplane.

42. Pilot Action Plan Maintain control of the airplane
Aim for an emergency landing site
Perform the memory steps of the Engine Failure in Flight checklist
Attempt to restart the engine
Maximum Glide configuration
Landing Without Power checklist
Passenger evacuation
Contact help and ATC
To meet this goal you need to have an engine failure Pilot Action Plan before the next time you get into the airplane. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook has specific guidance about emergency procedures, but it doesn’t address a complete flow of actions from power loss to evacuating the airplane on the ground. That’s what you need to visualize before each flight, so you’re ready to implement your plan if today is the day.
Take a moment to think about your sequence of actions if an engine quits in cruise. What do you need to do? First, maintain control of the airplane. Next, aim for am emergency landing site. Don’t waste precious moments flying away from a runway or open field. Then, while maintaining control and pointing at a landing site, perform the memory steps of the Engine Failure in Flight checklist. If time and altitude permit, attempt to restart the engine by following the procedure you memorized from the checklist…and that you review regularly so you won’t forget. If you can’t restart the engine, transition to the Maximum Glide configuration procedure, then perform the Landing Without Power checklist from memory. After the airplane comes to a stop, follow a preplanned passenger evacuation procedure, confirm everyone’s ok, and contact help and Air Traffic Control as needed.
Different versions of the Beech POHs will label the checklists differently, and some handbooks will not have them all. Not everything you’d need to do is in the POH.

43. Best Glide PITCH for Best Glide
105 to 110 knots for most; as low as 90 mph in some
Reduces with airplane weight
6 degrees nose low attitude
Gear and Flaps: UP
Propeller: PULL FULLY AFT
TRIM
We stress Best Glide speed quite a bit when discussing engine failures, with good reason. Best Glide is the speed that permits the airplane to glide the farthest for a given altitude. This gives you the greatest number of options for landing on a nearby runway or to pick an emergency landing zone.
Best glide speed varies from 105 to 110 knots in most Bonanzas, although some original Bonanza pilot’s manuals call for as low as 90 miles per hour.
Because drag development is a function of angle of attack, and angle of attack in turn varies with airplane weight, the actual speed for best glide performance will usually be lower than the “book” speed because airplane weight is almost always lower than maximum gross weight. A rule of thumb is to reduce Best Glide speed by 2 knots for every 100 pounds below the airplane’s maximum certificated weight.
Although some STCs permit operation at weights greater than the original maximum, they generally do not provide revised V-speed information. It’s logical, however, that if the airplane is currently at a weight higher than originally certified at the time an engine quits, that the Best Glide speed will be somewhat higher than the “book” recommends.
Aim for the Best Glide speed at the onset of an engine failure, then adjust pitch attitude as necessary to find the speed that results in the least rate of descent.

44. Pilot Action Plan Maintain glide speed and attitude
Switch to a MAIN fuel tank you know contains fuel
Aim for an emergency landing site
Your engine failure action plan should include these items:
Pitch for the best glide speed as appropriate to your airplane. Adjust this as needed for weight. You’ll find that this may take as much as a six-degree nose-down attitude, about what you would see on final when flying a very steep, short-field approach. Check that the gear and flaps are up, and pull the propeller control fully aft to reduce drag. Trim for this speed.
While you’re establishing glide, switch the fuel selector to a tank you know contains fuel. A main tank is best because there may be issues with fuel delivery from auxiliary tanks at this steep attitude.
As soon as you switch tanks, if you’ve not done so already, select your emergency landing site, planning to land into the wind if possible. Then, right away, point the airplane toward your landing site.

45. Attempt a Restart If time and altitude permit:
Verify the fuel selector valve
Mixture control
Auxiliary fuel pump
Alternate air handle (when equipped)
Now you’re gliding toward your landing zone, keeping the airplane under precise control. If time permits, you can try to re-start the engine. Since the propeller is windmilling, which means the fuel pump is turning and the magnetos are spinning, if the engine will restart it will because you do one of these few steps:
Verify the fuel selector valve is in the detent for a tank containing fuel. Move the mixture control to the full rich position, unless you’re flying a turbocharged or turbonormalized airplane. With turbo equipment, move the mixture control about 2/3 of the way toward the full rich position. Try the auxiliary fuel pump in the ON or HIGH position, as applicable to your engine, but if that does not cause a restart turn the pump back off after a few seconds to avoid flooding. If these steps have not restarted the engine, pull the alternate air handle if your airplane is so equipped.
If the engine is going to restart it will do so quickly. Your best indication will be an increase in EGT. You can also move the throttle forward, if it’s not already there, to see if power picks up. If power returns, smoothly apply throttle and propeller speed, and adjust the mixture as necessary. If you can positively determine the cause of the engine failure was fuel starvation, and you have enough fuel remaining in the tank now selected to get to your destination with an adequate reserve, then you may resume your flight. If you can’t identify the cause of the failure, or you know something has broken that you’ve temporarily repaired, for example, the boost pump must be on for the engine to continue running, then land at the first practical airport.

46. Forced Landing Continue to your landing site
MAYDAY call if time permits
Fuel selector OFF
Mixture control IDLE CUTOFF
Magnetos OFF
Brief your passengers
Tighten seat belts and shoulder harnesses
Flaps and landing gear
Battery and Alternator/Generator OFF
Fly until the airplane stops moving
If your restart attempts fail or the engine quits a second time, prepare for a forced landing. You’ve already selected a runway or off-airport landing site, so continue gliding toward it. Make a MayDay call if time permits. Turn the fuel selector and auxiliary fuel pump off to limit the chances of a fire after touchdown. Turn the magnetos off. Enter a pattern around your landing spot that has you landing into the wind if possible. Prepare you passengers for landing with a brief review of how to open emergency exits, instructions to get away from the airplane as quickly as possible after it stops, and then a reminder to tighten seat belts and shoulder harnesses as tight as they can go.
Turning final, lower the flaps fully, and put the landing gear down unless the surface is extremely wet. Once the gear and flaps are down, turn off the battery and alternator or generator. Land at the lowest safe speed, but do not permit the airplane to stall. Fly the airplane until it stops moving, even if you are landing into obstacles or the tops or trees.

47. Let’s say you’re flying a turbocharged airplane
Let’s say you’re flying a turbocharged airplane. You’re cruising at altitude and notice that manifold pressure has dropped slightly. You add some throttle, but soon notice it has dropped again? What’s going on? What should you do?
Turbochargers use exhaust gases to spin a compressor that in turn increases air pressure to the engine. The amount of exhaust sent through the turbo to spin the compressor is determined by a controller that uses oil pressure for regulation. An uncommanded loss of manifold pressure can mean many things, some benign, some quite dangerous. It could be a simple stuck valve, or it could signal an imminent loss of all oil pressure. It might be excessively cold oil or a very hot exhaust leak that can quickly become a massive engine fire. The trouble is, you can’t tell what it is in flight no matter the reason. If you unexpectedly lose manifold pressure in a turbocharged or turbonormalized airplane your best bet is to land at the nearest airport, then have a turbo-savvy mechanic give the engine a thorough inspection. Don’t fly until you’ve positively determined the cause and made any necessary repairs.

48. How far can I glide? What rate of descent should I expect?
Here are a couple of common questions.: How can I tell if I can make it to a particular field when I’m in a glide? And what rate of descent should I expect to see?

49. Radius of glide
This diagram shows the sight picture for gliding a Bonanza or Debonair. What it means is that, from the pilot’s seat, if it looks like it is within a circle described by a point just inboard of your airplane’s wingtips, then you should be able to glide to it if you’re at the Best Glide speed and configuration.
In this configuration you’ll be descending at about 850 to 1000 feet per minute, depending on weight. In other words, you’ll be descending a little more steeply than you’re used to seeing on final approach.

50. Here’s an illustration of the glide sight picture in a Bonanza
Here’s an illustration of the glide sight picture in a Bonanza. If it’s within the arc it’s reachable in glide, except if you’d be pointed into strong winds.

51. Here’s a view of the sight picture out the right side of the airplane
Here’s a view of the sight picture out the right side of the airplane. It’s generally easier to see out the pilot’s side, so if you are aiming for a runway or field on the right side, you might turn toward it and then keep it on your left side for the remainder of your glide.

52. Your best option may be behind you…

53. Base key Straight-in key High key Downwind key 1000 ft AGL 800 ft AGL
When gliding to an emergency landing site, visualize how you will approach and fly the pattern. To better picture how you will maneuver to land, identify the “key” positions around your runway or field. Fly the airplane to arrive at one of these positions, then make a continuous gliding turn as needed until you are on the ground. Here are the key positions:
The downwind key is a point 1500 feet above the field abeam your planned touchdown aim point. Note this is higher than a typical downwind leg, because your rate of descent in a glide will be greater than a normal approach.
Base key is 1000 feet above field elevation and three-quarters of a mile from the touchdown spot This is a high, tight approach compared to what most pilots normally fly.
The straight in key is 800 feet above the field and one mile from touchdown.
If you’re high above the airport or your selected field, spiral down to high key, which is 2500 feet above the airport. From here, extend the landing gear, make a 25-degree bank gliding turn to base key ,and then continue on to landing.
If you’re in IMC and trying to fly an instrument approach, plan to cross the Final Approach Fix at 3500 feet above field elevation if you are to make it to the instrument runway.
Downwind key
1500 ft AGL

54. Touchdown Aim about 1/3 of the way into your landing zone
Land with as little energy as possible
Aim for a touchdown about one-third of the way into your landing zone. This will help compensate for a stronger-than-expected headwind on final approach. As you line up with the runway, extend the landing gear, use full flaps and slip as needed to touch down in the first third of the runway. Unlike some training aircraft, there is no limitation on slips with full flaps extended in Beech airplanes.
Your objective is to land with as little energy as possible, to come to a stop without excessive g-forces. That’s why you plan to land into the wind if possible, and use full flaps. Touch down at the lowest safe speed, but be careful to keep your speed above the stall and to fly it all the way to the ground.

55. Touchdown Considerations
Seat belts and shoulder harnesses
Touch down aligned with the landing surface
Extend the landing gear
Fuel and electrical switches OFF
Other considerations before an off-airport landing:
Tighten your seat belts and shoulder harness as tightly as you can. Hold your wings level for the last 100 feet above ground, even if you’ve not been able to align yourself perfectly with your field.
Align the airplane with your landing surface before touchdown. Seat rails and restraint systems are designed to absorb impact forces along the airplane’s longitudinal axis. They will not withstand as much force sideways, so occupants are much less protected during a skidding or slipping impact.
Unless you’re landing in water or on very wet ground, extend the landing gear. Even if it collapses, it will absorb a lot of the vertical impact and reduce the force acting on you and your passengers. Remember to confirm the fuel and electrical switches are off after you’ve extended flaps and landing gear, to minimize the hazard of a post-crash fire.

56. Touchdown Considerations
Wings level
Nose up
“Fly the thing as far into the crash as possible”
– Bob Hoover
As you touch down, hold the wings level and the nose up to cause the airplane to roll, slide or bump as far as possible. The greater distance you cover, the lower the deceleration forces on your body will be. Maintain control as long as you possibly can. Remember the advice of aviation legend Bob Hoover: “Fly the thing as far into the crash as possible.”

57. Physics at Touchdown Touchdown GS (kts) KE (ft-lbs) % change
KINETIC ENERGY = ½ mass x (velocity squared) - all this has to be dissipated somewhere at impact
Example--weight 3000 pounds
Touchdown GS (kts)
KE (ft-lbs)
% change
Normal (65 kts)
562,128
Downwind (80 kts)
851,508
+52%
Into the wind (50 kts)
332,620
-41%
Why is controlling deceleration so important? A moving object has kinetic energy. As the object slows down that kinetic energy has to go somewhere. In the case of an airplane, it will transfer to the aircraft structure, and the bodies of the people inside it.
The amount of kinetic energy in an object may be calculated as ½ the mass times the velocity. Assuming a 3000-pound Bonanza or Debonair, if the normal touchdown speed is 65 knots, coming in only 15 knots faster increases kinetic energy over 50%. It’s vital that you land at the lowest safe speed to minimize the impact force against your body, and that of your passengers.
You can see the advantage of landing into the wind. If there is a 15-knot surface wind and you fly at the proper speed, your ground speed will increase landing forces by 52% if you land with a tailwind. But forces against your body will be reduced over 40% if you land into the wind, with a lower ground speed. So landing into the wind in a forced landing is more than just good form—it’s a survival strategy.

58. Minimum distance for 9Gs
Impact G-Forces
Speed (kts)
Minimum distance for 9Gs
Gs per 1 ft of travel
G per 50 ft of travel
G per 100 ft of travel 50 12
111
2.2
1.1 65 21
188
3.75
1.9 80 32
234
5.7
2.9
100 49
443
8.9
4.4
Another way to look at it is to consider that your Beechcraft’s seat belts and shoulder harnesses are designed to hold in up to 9 Gs of deceleration. Touching down at 65 knots, air airplane will need to travel at least 21 feet to keep G-forces below this level. If it slides or rolls 50 feet before stopping the g-load will be just under four Gs. You can keep deceleration to under 2Gs if the airplane travels 100 feet. That’s still a significant jolt, but at least your seat restraints should hold. Hitting a ditch or even a minor object early in your touchdown will have a serious effect on your chances of escaping unhurt. Take a moment to look at the factors that increase impact forces against you and your passengers.
Even a little extra ground speed on touchdown will increase impact forces tremendously. The G-force increases with the square of the velocity. That’s why it’s so important to land at the slowest speed that avoids a stall.
This table is also a very powerful argument for installing and using shoulder harnesses if your Beechcraft does not already have them installed.
Seat belt design strength is about 9Gs

59. Engine Failure on Takeoff
Expect the engine to fail every time
Mentally review your Action Plan just before you line up
Climb at full power and Vy to at least 1000 feet AGL
More altitude = more options
The worst time for an engine failure is right after takeoff. You’re at a low altitude, and a high angle of attack, with few options. That’s why you need to plan ahead. Expect the engine to fail every time, to force yourself to consider your options before every takeoff. Mentally review your Action Plan for engine failure on takeoff just before you line up on the runway.
To minimize your time at low altitude where you have few options, climb at full power and Vy airspeed until you’re at least 1000 feet above ground level. Vy speed yields the most altitude for a given amount of time, and altitude equals options if the engine quits.
Notice we’re suggesting delaying power changes until 1000 AGL not because of any increase in likelihood the engine will quit when you change power, because that can’t be statistically proven as a threat. We recommend maintaining full power until you’re well above the ground in order to get more altitude quickly, in case having altitude suddenly becomes critical.

60. If the engine is still running smoothly at 1000 AGL, hey, it’s going to be a great day! That’s when you can adjust power for climb and accelerate to cruise-climb speed.

61. Maintain control of the airplane Push for airspeed
Aim for your pre-planned emergency field
Switch tanks
Auxiliary fuel pump
Maintain control
Flaps DOWN
Landing gear DOWN
Fuel and electrical OFF
Make yourself mentally ready to take the first few steps of an engine failure. You’ll need to push forward on the controls to stay at a safe flying speed and immediately aim toward your pre-planned emergency field. You may have time to switch tanks and even turn the auxiliary fuel pump to ON or HIGH, perhaps restarting the engine. Pump the wobble pump in E-Series Bonanzas. But don’t lose control of the airplane in the process—you need to be able to switch tanks and activate the boost pump without having to look at the fuel selector of fuel pump switch.
If the engine doesn’t restart, get the flaps to full down and confirm the landing gear is down. Then pull the mixture, turn off the fuel selector and switch off electrical power before impact. You won’t have time to think about what you need to do if it happens for real, so you must do your thinking and make your decision on where to go before you begin your takeoff.

62. Done correctly, even a seemingly catastrophic off-airport landing is survivable, like this event where the pilot and occupants walked away unhurt. Remember, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible.

63. FIRE!
The last major category of emergency is an engine or airframe fire. Fires don’t happen frequently, but if they do…

64. FIRE! Memorized checklist Mixture: IDLE CUTOFF Fuel selector: OFF
Transition to Maximum Glide
Emergency Descent
…you need to have memorized and practiced the first steps of the Engine Fire in Flight checklist. Shut off fuel flow to the engine as soon as possible. Pull the mixture to idle cutoff, and turn the fuel selector to the OFF position. You’ll be under a lot of stress that can distract you from flying the airplane, so make sure you can do these steps while looking outside the airplane or when flying by reference to the instruments.
Once the engine quits, transition to the Maximum Glide configuration, and aim for a landing spot just like you practiced for engine failures. If there’s a good landing spot close by, use the Emergency Descent procedure to get on the ground as soon as possible.
You need a place to land, now, so find any place that will absorb the shock of impact. You simply can’t determine the extent of damage or predict how long the structure will last. You don’t even know if the fire is out. So put it down at the first available location. You are not worried about saving the airplane!
As time permits, pull the Firewall Shutoff valve, at the left edge of the pilot’s subpanel. This blocks all air flow from the engine compartment to the cabin, cutting off the flow of smoke through the environmental system. As we’ve discussed before, ventilate the cabin as needed while you glide toward touchdown.

65. One more time… Maintain aircraft control Analyze the situation
Continue to control the aircraft
Take the appropriate action
A common theme to all abnormal and emergency procedures is to maintain aircraft control, analyze the situation, and take the appropriate actions. You can only do this by regularly reviewing the emergency procedures checklists, and thinking about what you’d do in an emergency every time you line up to take off. Flying your Beechcraft is a very safe and enjoyable experience. But abnormal and emergency situations do occur. You’ve got to be ready.

66. Complete your training and fly with the Beech experts!
See
You can learn even more about flying your Beechcraft by attending one of several live BPPP events held around the country each year.
ABS members who complete the entire series of BPPP Online initial training are eligible to fly with one of the Beech-expert instructors of the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program in their area. See the BPPP website for details.
Especially For

67. Thanks for becoming an even safer Beechcraft pilot with ABS and the ABS Air Safety Foundation.