What to Do in the First 30 Seconds of an Engine Failure

Engine failure remains every pilot’s most practiced emergency, yet the first 30 seconds after power loss determine whether the outcome is a safe landing or something worse. Those critical moments require immediate, correct actions performed without hesitation—actions that must be trained to the point of reflex.

The Critical First Seconds

When the engine quits, time compresses. The aircraft begins decelerating immediately. In a typical training aircraft, you have perhaps 20-30 seconds before reaching best glide speed from cruise, and maybe a minute or two of altitude to work with. What you do in those first moments sets up everything that follows.

The immediate response should be automatic: pitch for best glide speed, pick a landing spot, and begin working the problem. Hesitation, panic, or incorrect prioritization wastes irreplaceable time and altitude.

Pitch for Best Glide

The first action is establishing best glide speed. This airspeed, specified in your POH, maximizes the distance you can glide with no power. It varies by aircraft but typically falls between 65-85 knots for training aircraft.

Getting to best glide quickly matters. Flying too fast wastes altitude on drag. Flying too slow wastes altitude and reduces control authority. Know the best glide speed for every aircraft you fly and practice establishing it immediately when power is lost.

In most aircraft, the pitch attitude for best glide is slightly nose-down from level flight attitude. With practice, you can establish approximately correct attitude visually, then refine with the airspeed indicator. Don’t fixate on the airspeed indicator—establish attitude, then verify.

Pick a Landing Spot

While establishing best glide, begin scanning for suitable landing areas. This process should start within seconds of recognizing engine failure. Look for open areas large enough to land and stop: fields, roads, airports, beaches, or any relatively flat, unobstructed surface.

Selection Criteria

Evaluate potential landing spots using the 7 Cs: Clear of obstacles, Civilization (for rescue access), Controllability (wind direction), Composition (surface type), Configuration (shape and alignment), Characteristics (slope, ditches, power lines), and Crash protection (what you’ll hit if you overshoot or undershoot).

In practice, you rarely find a perfect landing spot. Choose the best available option and commit to it. Second-guessing your selection wastes altitude and attention better spent preparing for landing.

Glide Distance Considerations

Know your aircraft’s glide ratio—the distance covered horizontally for each unit of altitude lost. A typical trainer glides about 9:1, meaning roughly 1.5 nautical miles per 1,000 feet of altitude. But this assumes best glide speed, wings level, no wind—real-world performance may be less.

Favor closer landing spots over distant “better” options. The field a mile away that you can definitely reach beats the airport three miles away that you might not. Maintain altitude margin to handle the unexpected.

Attempt Restart

Only after establishing best glide and identifying a landing spot should you attempt to diagnose and fix the problem. The memory item for most aircraft engines is simple: fuel, fuel flow, ignition.

Fuel

Switch tanks if possible. Check the fuel selector position—it might have been bumped or improperly set. Verify the fuel shutoff valve is open. Primer locked. Fuel quantity sufficient in the selected tank.

Fuel Flow

Check mixture rich. Carburetor heat on (this is often the culprit for carbureted engines). Boost pump on if equipped. Throttle settings reasonable for restart attempt.

Ignition

Verify both magnetos are on. Try switching between left, right, and both to check for ignition system issues.

Time Management

Don’t spend too long on restart attempts. If the checklist doesn’t work, the engine isn’t starting. Focus shifts entirely to preparing for the off-airport landing. Better to land under control with no engine than crash while fumbling with a checklist.

Commit to the Landing

At some point—ideally around 1,000 feet AGL—commit fully to landing at your selected spot. Stop trying to restart the engine. Configure the aircraft for landing. Focus entirely on flying a good approach.

Configuration

Standard teaching says delay flaps until landing is assured. This maximizes glide range while maintaining options. Once you’re certain of making the field, extend flaps to steepen the approach and reduce landing speed.

Manage energy throughout the approach. Too high is generally recoverable—add flaps, slip, or extend the pattern. Too low usually isn’t—once you’re below glide path, options disappear quickly.

Final Approach

Aim for the first third of your selected landing area. You can always extend a landing but you can’t extend a field. Maintain best glide speed until the flare. Make a normal landing, accepting that the surface may require different technique than a paved runway.

Securing the Aircraft

Once landing is assured, secure the aircraft systems. Master off, magnetos off, fuel selector off. These actions reduce fire risk on impact. Mixture cutoff. Doors unlatched for post-landing exit (though not opened during approach due to aerodynamic effects).

The timing of these actions matters. Do them too early and you eliminate any restart possibility. Do them too late and you’re distracted during the critical final approach phase. Practice the flow until it becomes routine.

Training for Emergencies

Effective emergency response requires training beyond occasional practice. The actions must become reflexive—performed correctly without conscious thought.

Chair Flying

Visualize engine failures in various phases of flight. Mentally practice the sequence: best glide, pick a spot, troubleshoot, commit. Practice the cockpit flows by touching imaginary controls. This mental rehearsal builds the neural pathways that enable rapid response.

Regular Practice

Practice simulated engine failures frequently with an instructor. Vary the altitude, location, and scenario. Practice with full power reductions to idle, not just partial power. Practice in different aircraft and configurations.

Decision Triggers

Establish personal altitude triggers for decision points. For example: below 500 feet AGL, don’t attempt restart—focus entirely on landing. Below 1,000 feet, commit to primary landing spot. These predetermined decisions reduce cognitive load during actual emergencies.

Common Errors

Certain mistakes appear repeatedly in accident reports involving engine failures:

Attempting to return to airport: The impossible turn, especially from low altitude, kills pilots who attempt it. If the engine fails after takeoff below a safe altitude (often 1,000+ feet AGL), land ahead or with minimal turns.

Fixating on restart: Pilots lose situational awareness while troubleshooting, failing to identify landing spots or manage the approach. Fly first, troubleshoot second.

Poor energy management: Arriving too high leads to overshoots. Arriving too low leads to short landings or stalls. Practice until you can reliably hit your selected touchdown point.

Stalling during landing: The stress of an emergency combined with an unfamiliar landing environment leads to stalls on short final. Maintain airspeed until the flare.

The Mindset

Engine failures are emergencies, but they’re survivable emergencies when handled correctly. The aircraft glides. You have time to work the problem if you use that time wisely. Pilots survive off-airport landings regularly when they maintain aircraft control and fly a reasonable approach.

The key is preparation—knowing your aircraft’s performance, knowing the immediate action items, and having practiced the procedures until they’re automatic. When the engine goes quiet, those first 30 seconds matter most. Make them count.