Engine failure on takeoff (EFTO) is a situation, when flying an aircraft, where an engine has failed, or is not delivering sufficient power, at any time between brake release and the wheels leaving the ground / V₂. The phases of flight are delineated to allow simplified standard procedures for different aircraft types to be developed. If an aircraft suffered

engine failure A turbine engine failure occurs when a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine unexpectedly stops producing Power (physics), power due to a malfunction other than fuel exhaustion. It often applies for aircraft, but other turbine engines can also fail, ...

takeoff Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a tr ...

, the standard procedure for most aircraft would be to abort the takeoff.Peppler, I.L.: ''From The Ground Up'', page 327. Aviation Publishers Co. Limited, Ottawa Ontario, Twenty Seventh Revised Edition, 1996. In small airplanes, if the engine failure occurs before V_R (Rotation Speed), the pilot should reduce throttles to idle, deploy speed brakes (if equipped), and brake as necessary. If the engine failure occurs just after liftoff, the pilot must make a decision if there is enough runway to achieve an emergency runway landing, or if an off field landing is required. One of the biggest mistakes a pilot can make is attempting to turn around and return to the airport for an emergency landing. If altitude permits, this could be an option (i.e. if at or above 1,000 feet AGL) but most pilots are trained to avoid the obvious tendency to turn around and instead land the plane straight forward. Common first steps after an EFTO would be to fly at the best glide speed (V_BG), retract flaps if airspeed permits, unlatch the door, and land straight ahead. Returning to the airport with a steep turn has a high probability of resulting in a stall or

spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

. Although it seems counterintuitive, the

NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inc ...

has recorded numerous fatal crashes due to this mistake. In large airplanes e.g. commercial airliners, before the takeoff is commenced, the highest speed from which a safe stop can be achieved on the remaining runway is calculated. This speed is called V₁. If the pilot has not initiated a stop when accelerating through V₁ during the takeoff run, the takeoff generally must continue even in the event of a single engine failure. The takeoff weight will have been limited to ensure it is safe to continue takeoff with one engine inoperative after having accelerated to V₁ with all engines operating.

References

{{reflist Aviation accidents and incidents Emergency aircraft operations