Ask the Captain: Protocol for emergency landings
Question: I used to travel 100k miles a year and over the years have had four emergency landings. My co-workers stopped flying with me because they thought I was unlucky, but is four in about 1.5M miles flown average, or am I truly a jinx? How many emergency landings have you done during your career?
— Submitted by reader Ken, Tampa
Answer: Your term "emergency landing" requires a definition. I will define it as either a diversion for something other than weather or a condition where the airport rescue and firefighting services were activated to meet the airplane during the landing. Over my 45 years in aviation, I have had 10-15 such cases, none of which resulted in any injuries or damage to the airplane.
No, you are not a jinx. Having four landings with abnormal circumstances is not a bad average. I would be glad to fly with you, regardless of what your co-workers say.
Q: How soon after an emergency is detected does the captain announce it to passengers?
— Angie Sbravatti, Costa Rica
A: A passenger announcement is made when the pilots have taken care of the essential actions and have a plan for the remaining portion of the flight. This can take several minutes. Passengers want to hear from the pilots as soon as possible, but taking the time to handle the problem is the correct course of action. There is not a specific time to make such an announcement, it is up to the captain.
Q: Recently, an airline departing from New York experienced an engine failure on takeoff, requiring a return to the airport. Air-traffic control offered the aircraft vectors to land, but the crew chose to delay the landing in order to focus on the checklist. Why didn't the crew bring the plane in for an immediate landing, instead of risking time troubleshooting the problem?
— Rob T., Salem, Ore.
A: They were not "troubleshooting," they were accomplishing the tasks necessary for a safe landing. Pilots are trained to carefully follow the checklist if there is an abnormal situation. It is much safer to take the time to methodically complete the checklist than it is to rush back for a landing. The crew did the right thing.
Q: Do airports have the right to reject an emergency landing request?
— Submitted via e-mail
A: Some airports have blocked a runway to prevent a landing with airport vehicles. Usually this has been during a hijacking. So yes, an airport can deny a landing request; however, it is very rare. When an airplane has an emergency condition in flight, airports, air-traffic control and all other services are made available to the crew. There is a joint effort to have the best outcome.
John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.