how long the plane can be in the air after its engines shutoff/out of order?

Question

can pitlot control his aircraft landing safely without no engine?

Answer 1

Soon after the Boeing 757 was first delivered, a flight from US to Canada experienced engine failure on BOTH engines. It seemed that the flight crew was thinking gallons when the airplane was fueled in liters. After both engines ran out of fuel and failed, electrical power was generated by a retractable wind driven generator. Without engine power, the airplane glided to and landed on a closed airport that was being used as a drag strip. The only damage to the airplane was a collapsed nose gear. There were no injures to anyone at the drag races or on the airplane.

So yes, an airplane, even an airliner, is controllable if it has total loss of engine power.

Answer 2

Hey there. Any aircraft whether big or small can glide without problems. Anyone saying thats not true is simply not a pilot or has no idea.



It has infact happened a few times. Just google "gimli glider" to see how an Air Canada 767 glided all the way to safety from 41 000ft after running out of fuel. There was another incident involving an Air Transat A330 where they glided to safety in Teneriffe ( I think it was there) In the 80's there was a British Airways 747 which flew into volcanic ash and lost all 4 engines and glided all the way down over the ocean hoping to reach the land. Luckily they managed to restart 3 of the engines and landed safely, but the point is aircraft can most certainly glide!There are other cases as well!



Basically altitude is key. The higher you are, the more time you have. Also every aircraft is different, so they will have different glide ratios, but I assure you they can all glide with no exception whatsoever! There is a speed called, the best gliding speed. Its around 75kt for a light aircraft and up to 250kt for a Boeing 747-400. A pilot would have to maintain that speed in order to gain maximum distance from his glide, NOT maximum time in the air. Distance is the key here.



There was an answer somewhere above about the planes flight controls running on Hydraulics and as the engines supply the hydraulic system, failed engines could be catastrophic!?!$^(*? What?????



That is a gross underestimation of what a modern airliner is capable of! Yes the main hydraulic system which powers the flight control surfaces and many other services including the landng gear, will not function after an all-engine flame out. But an airliner is fitted with a RAT or Ram Air Turbine. It is a little propeller underneath the main fuselage, which will be deployed by the pilot and exposed into the airflow. It generates enough power to give a limited hydraulic system, capable of operating the three main flight controls: elevator, aileron and rudder. Being a limited system, some controls, like the flaps might not be included in the list of its capabilities, but an aircraft can just as well land flapless, just at a much higher speed. Controls will not be as easy as normal, but they will be enough to be able to operate the aircraft safely. When it comes to the landing gear, the RAT does not usually support it. But thats no problem since it can be either manually extended, or by means of gravity extension (simply letting it fall down).



Once the aircraft closes in it simply makes an approach at a higher angle towards the runway and lands! No reverse thrust, so there should be enough hydraulic power to operate the wheel brakes. Strong pressure will normally be applied. Remember, the aircraft is probably flapless which constitutes a much higher landing speed. It would not be uncommon to have a few busrt tires too, landing that fast. Also subcontiously pilots will fly a higher than needed approach so as to overshoot rather than undershoot the runway. That might take them further down the runway and they might have less time to stop.



All said, multiple engine failiures are extremely uncommon and are usually the result of poor flight planning or any other extenal matter. Hardly ever, if not ever have they happened because both engines just quit. Normally its fuel starvation, which obviously affects all engines. Landing an airliner without power really is something you have to see to believe. I have the greatest respect for the very few pilots who have been put in that situation and have lived to tell the story. I hope I only ever get to see it in the simulator!



Hope that helps.

Answer 3

I'd sound a bit odd, but I'd say that an airplane being in the air doesnt really depend on the operating status of the engine. It depends on its airspeed and if there is some way to sustain the airspeed, then the airplane remains in the air. The most common way is to trade the potential energy of the aircraft (by virtue of the altitude gained) to kinetic energy (dive). In some aircrafts, this tradeoff can be very efficient and such aircrafts can be airborne much longer. In other words, this is know as good glide ratio. As for your first question, the aircraft can remain in the air as long as the airspeed is maintained above the aircraft's stall speed.



Landing safely depends on the landing surface and the approach. An unpowerd aircraft doesnot have much resources to maneuver, so if it can be lined correctly, landing would be safe. Most airplanes have back up methods to deploy the landing gears in case there is an engine failure.

Answer 4

You can't ask a question like this without being more specific. Being that there are many types of aircraft, there are that many answers. For a comparison, a glider is an airplane, and it has no engines and lands perfectly fine. A single-engine aircraft is light enough to be controlled for a successful non-powered landing than say, a Lear Jet, which drops like a rock. Every plane has a different ratio of how many feet forward it moves, compared to the amount of feet it drops (with no power involved). Important factors are the aircraft's ability to gain enough forward speed from altitude. When an aircraft loses it forward speed, is when the pilot loses his ability to control the aircraft. A light, single-engine aircraft has much more of a chance of success than a heavy commercial passenger jet.

Answer 5

The Glide Path/Ratio depends on the type of aircraft and what its loaded weight is.



Some planes glide much better/Longer than others due to too many reasons to mention here.



Assuming there is no FIRE or Major Structural Damage! ! ! AND - - - - -



If there is Time and Altitude( One of The More IMPORTANT FACTORS) from the moment the craft looses power and there is an appropriate place in close proximity for the pilot/s to see (Assuming Daytime)and put the plane down on a suitable surface,and if the landing gear can be deployed in a locked position there is a really good chance there will be a survivable landing.

The odds of survivability go down Exponentially as Catastrophic Conditions compound on the Crew and Aircraft.!

Answer 6

it all depends on how high you are, how much weight is on the plane, plane speed at engine loss etc.



The longest recorded distance that a plane has flown without engines to a safe landing is about 300 miles. an Airbus A330 operated by Air Transat took off from Toronto and experienced total engine failure over the atlantic ocean, due to fuel starvation and landed safely at an airport on an island, after having all but 2 of it's tires blown



So your answer is yes, a pilot can still control his aircraft and bring it to a safe landing even in the event of a total engine failure.

Answer 7

Depends on how high it is, and on the type of aircraft. A Cessna 172 has a glide ratio of about 8:1, so if you are at an altitude of 2000 feet you can go about three miles. Jet transports have better glide ratios -- 20:1 or so. And you can achieve a controlled landing if the engine quits; I've done it.

Answer 8

How long it would remain in the air depends on it's

glide ratio (the amount of altitude loss compared to

distance covered).



Any plane could be landed safely if a suitable

site can be found before time runs out.

Answer 9

Yes pilot can still land a plane with no engine. They do it all the time when engines fail.



How long can it be in the air?

Depends on how fast teh plane was going at the time of engine failure, how heavy the plane is, wind conditions.

Answer 10

A powered aircraft can't fly for long without the engine. Once speed drops below a certain point, the wings won't provide enough lift to keep it airborne. Also- on any jet aircraft, all the control surfaces (elevator, rudder, flaps, etc...) are controlled by hydraulics and if the engines fail, then you lose the hydraulic pumps that supply the pressure to operate them; so the pilot has no control then.

Answer 11

Im sure it depends on the altittude of the plane at the time of the engine failure.

Answer 12

Depends on altitude, location of nearest airport and probably a lot on pilot skill.

Answer 13

longest in history so far has been 300 miles and land safely

Answer 14

Yes, but the airplane is now turned into a glider.

Answer 15

for at least 2 hours then it crashes

Answer 16

maybe small plane could

Answer 17

you will have time to put your head and kiss your *** good bye

Answer 18

if the wheels r out it can