Focus Is On Faulty Ignition Switches, Maintaining Flight Control During Engine-Out Operations

The NTSB has issued two Safety Alerts; one alerting pilots and mechanics to an easily overlooked fault with ignition switches and one reminding pilots of multiengine planes how critical it is to properly manage engine failures at low altitudes.

NTSB Safety Alerts are brief information sheets that pinpoint particular safety hazards and offer practical remedies to address them.

Safety Alert 080 “Stay in the Groove: Check Ignition Switch/Key Integrity” is directed at pilots and mechanics and calls attention to a little-known risk involving a worn switch or key that can lead to an unintended engine start-up.

The safety issue stems from a condition in which a key could be removed from the ignition switch leaving it in a position other than OFF. This could result in an unintended engine start-up that could be extremely hazardous to anyone outside the airplane, including the pilot conducting a preflight check of the propeller.

Safety Alert 080 references three accidents in which one person was killed, another seriously injured, and several airplanes were damaged.

Among the remedies provided, the NTSB said pilots should check ignition switches to ensure the key can only be removed in the OFF position, mechanics should make airplane owners aware of this potential safety issue, and both pilots and mechanics should always proceed with caution around any propeller.

Safety Alert 081 “Maintain Engine Control With One Engine Inoperative,” is directed at pilots of multiengine airplanes and highlights the importance of maintaining the minimum controllable airspeed during an engine failure that occurs during critical flight phases such as takeoffs and landings.

The NTSB cited five preventable crashes involving pilots with flight time ranging from 765 to 18,000 hours and noted that experience alone is insufficient to prevent a loss-of-control accident following an engine-out event.

Among the actions pilots can take to mitigate the risks associated with this flight condition, the NTSB said pilots should conduct a realistic self-assessment of their abilities to deal with an engine-out, maintain proficiency in handling this type of emergency, and seek training in proper recovery techniques in multiengine airplanes in which they have limited experience.

(Source: NTSB news release)

FMI: Safety Alert 080
Safety Alert 081