17 Forced Landings
CASA Recreational Pilot License (Aeroplane) — CASA Sample Syllabus Lesson 17.
This lesson trains the response to an engine failure away from the aerodrome: the immediate/vital actions flown from memory, choosing and continually reassessing a suitable field, flying and correcting the glide approach, and recognising an over- or undershoot before it becomes unrecoverable. It also assesses engine start/shutdown malfunctions and emergencies, engine fire in flight, and revises climbing and descending.
Pre-lesson workbook
Section titled “Pre-lesson workbook”This lesson pairs its theory brief with a self-paced pre-lesson workbook — complete it before the lesson. It covers the background/factual material: common causes of engine failure, reading wind from the air, the field-selection criteria, the MAYDAY call, detailed trouble checks, and passenger briefing/shutdown. It takes about 30–45 minutes, and your answers get checked together at the start of the pre-flight brief. Download the PDF of the workbook to print or fill in on your device.
Theory Brief
Section titled “Theory Brief”The live session builds on the workbook: the immediate/vital actions sequence, applying your field-selection knowledge to a real scenario, planning and flying the approach (including correcting if you're too high or too low), and recognising and managing an over- or undershoot. View the slides on this page below or open the slides directly.
Pre-flight briefing notes
Section titled “Pre-flight briefing notes”The pre-flight brief (~15–20 min, immediately before the flight) works best as an interactive whiteboard session, not slides — stepping through the flight plan, the immediate/vital actions rehearsal, and threats together with the student. These printable notes give you the briefing components (aim, flight walk-through, immediate-actions rehearsal, threats) with prompts and fill-in blanks, plus a front page to sketch your own whiteboard plan and running order. Although it will be helpful to plan and step through it yourself before the lesson, remember: modelling the process of the pre-flight brief is more important than presenting a polished pre-flight brief. This is why we do it interactively rather than a presentation. Download the PDF of the briefing notes to print or use offline.
In-flight notes
Section titled “In-flight notes”Instructor kneeboard reference for the airborne sequence. These use a portrait layout for easier use on a kneeboard or device. View the slides on this page on the right or open the slides directly, or download the PDF of the in-flight notes to print or use on your device offline.
Post-flight debrief
Section titled “Post-flight debrief”I plan to add post-flight debriefs once I have more experience conducting them, but I'm assuming it'll be more of a personal preference with assessment outcomes than a set of slides.
Useful resources for students
Section titled “Useful resources for students”- The NZ Civil Aviation Authority has a forced landing without power — pattern whiteboard and a forced landing without power — considerations whiteboard, which pair well with this lesson's theory.
- The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, Chapter 18 (Emergency Procedures) covers engine failures and forced landings in more depth.
Example email to students before the lesson
Section titled “Example email to students before the lesson”If you are an instructor, feel free to modify this for your own use. Sending an email a few days before a lesson is a great way to engage people in the learning before they even arrive (if they have time and capacity).
Subject: Lesson 17 — Forced landings
Hi [name],
This lesson trains one of the most important sequences in your whole training: what to do if the engine fails away from the aerodrome. Like stalling, it sounds more alarming than it is — every part of it is practised from a safe height, with full power always available to go around.
Before the flight, there's a short pre-lesson workbook [1] to work through in your own time (about 30–45 minutes) — common causes of engine failure, reading wind from the air, choosing a field, the MAYDAY call, and the trouble-check/passenger-brief/shutdown actions. Bring your answers to the lesson. The live theory brief then builds on that (about 20–25 minutes), focusing on the sequence itself, flying the approach, and the judgement calls — and we'll fly for about an hour, practising simulated engine failures from varying heights and positions.
When: [day]
See you then! [1] https://open-aviation-solutions.github.io/open-aviation-briefings/recreational-pilot-license/17-forced-landings/