The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), citing five accidents in which pilots of multiengine airplanes experienced an unexpected loss of power in one engine, issued a safety alert today to emphasize the importance of properly managing low-altitude engine failures.
The five crashes involved pilots with up to 18,000 flight hours, the NTSB said, adding, “experience alone is insufficient to prevent a loss of control accident following an engine-out event.”
Safety Alert 081 said that pilots should know the recommended procedures and checklists for their airplane’s one engine inoperative (OEI) operations, especially memory checklist items, and that they should “be honest about your knowledge of OIE operations and your ability to recognize and handle an OEI situation in your airplane, especially during takeoff and other critical phases of flight.”
The safety alert also recommended tha…
