LSA Safety Concerns/Fears

[LBK]

Hello everyone -

I recently started training and I only have a handful of hours logged. I have worked myself into a bit of a frenzy over certain situations that could occur primarily, what if I have a an engine failure while climbing right after take-off. This seems like a rather disasterous situation. I can only make sure that this doesn't happen by taking appropriate steps to make sure my aircraft is safe and I follow my checklist procedures. But obviously, this kind of event could happen despite safety measures. It makes me think that perhaps flying an LSA just isn't a good idea. And I read reports about high accident rates per 100,000 hrs. for LSA etc . . . Anyone out there have an encouraging comment to help deal with this kind of fear. Thanks.

[fatsportpilot]

The "high LSA accident rate" is typically because of some kinds of LSAs that are almost certainly not what you will be flying eg "fat ultralights". These planes usually have very tiny, 2 stroke engines that are notorious for failing without warning. A modern 4 stroke engine like a Rotax 912 will be very reliable and is absolutely not unsafe. In fact Rotax makes certified engines as well and their uncertified engines come off the same assembly line, just without the paperwork saying they're certified. https://www.rotax-owner.com/en/912-914- ... d-the-912s

Engine failures after takeoff are an issue with any airplane, not just LSAs (even multi-engine airplanes, and in fact sometimes WORSE in them if the critical engine fails). What you need to do is mentally think about where you would land if you had a failure in between the altitude that you can just put the plane back down on the runway in the same direction, and the altitude where you can turn around and land on the runway in the opposite direction. The higher you are, the more you're able to turn, until eventually you'll be able to get back onto the runway. The most important thing is to immediately pitch to best glide and don't keep pulling up into a stall, and don't try to do a 180 if you're too low (this is called the impossible turn for a reason). Statistically if you recognize and react to the engine failure then you'll survive. If you don't and you keep pulling up or you try to do a 180 at only 400' AGL, then you could stall and spin and that is where those fatalities come from.

Make sure your engine isn't past TBO. Make sure you have read the engine maintenance manual and adhere to it. Make sure your fuel is the correct type and is uncontaminated. If you do that then it's not going to fail. A properly maintained, modern 4 stroke engine in a properly maintained, modern LSA will be no less safe to fly than a certified airplane of similar qualities.

[LBK]

Thanks. I'll be sure to go over all of thee things with my instructor.

[fatsportpilot]

Thanks. I'll be sure to go over all of thee things with my instructor.

Be sure to remember that your instructor is trained to deal with these kinds of scenarios, and he won't sign you off to fly on your own until he is confident that you can deal with it too. As long as you have a safety oriented mind and you don't cut corners, you'll be fine and you'll have a blast!

[LBK]

That's what I need. Thumbs up!

[ShawnM]

Flying itself is inherently dangerous but for many of us the reward outweighs the risk.

The Rotax engine is practically bullet proof, go enjoy your training and have fun.

[JimParker256]

Great responses from other here... I'd add that you should ask your instructor to work with you to practice (at a safe altitude) what you should do in the event of an engine failure in takeoff configuration for the plane you're flying. In my plane, pulling the power off while configured for takeoff (1 notch of flaps and trim set to the "takeoff" position) would result in rapidly bleeding off airspeed if you don't lower the nose immediately. It requires a bit of a "push" to do so, and I trained (again, at altitude) until I became comfortable with that push, and it became "muscle memory" for me.

The other thing is to ALWAYS expect an engine failure on takeoff. EVERY TIME. Be prepared, and it may be helpful to do what many professional pilots do: State out loud exactly what you will do if the engine quits, before you start the takeoff run.

When I first got this airplane, and didn't have much experience (or training) in it, my "routine" was to brief the takeoff like this: "If the engine quits before I reach pattern altitude, I will push the stick forward to maintain 65 mph (best glide speed), and select a landing area within 30º of the runway heading. If there is time, I'll make a MAYDAY call. But I will FLY THE AIRPLANE above everything else. If I'm at pattern altitude, I will return to the runway." (By the way, I always fly the pattern such that I can "make" the runway if the engine quits. No B-52 patterns for me!)

Now that I have more time and experience in my airplane, and have practiced (at altitude) many, many time, my routine is slightly different. Well before takeoff, I note the field elevation, and memorize the altitudes that represent 400 ft AGL and 800 ft AGL. The first (400 AGL) is the minimum altitude above which I've consistently been able to complete a 90º turn before arriving at the "airport elevation" during my practice sessions. The second (800 AGL) is the altitude above which I've consistently proven that I can complete a 180º turn (actually more than 180º to get back aligned with the runway) during my practice sessions. Keep in mind that I'm basically at sea level (580 ft field elevation), so I might adjust upward quite a bit in Denver...

So my current takeoff briefing (repeated out loud, even if I'm by myself) is: "If the engine quits, I'm going to push the stick forward to maintain 65 mph (best glide) and then check my altitude. If I'm below [400 ft AGL altitude], I will select the best landing area within 30º of the runway heading. If I'm above that, but below [800 ft AGL altitude], I will pick a the best landing area within 90º of the runway heading – preferably on the upwind side. If I'm above [800 ft AGL altitude], I will immediately initiate a turn back to the runday and land. If there is time, I'll make a MAYDAY call, but above all FLY THE AIRPLANE."

That's the result (for me and for my airplane) of many practice repetitions (at altitude) to ensure I react promptly (and correctly) to lower the nose, assess the situation, and make the proper response. Note that in my scenarios, the decision about what to do has already been made ... During the actual emergency, I need to "recognize and execute" what's already been decided...

And do this with an experienced instructor. You'll find it requires a pretty steep bank angle to make that 180º+ turn back to the runway with minimum altitude loss. I target a 45º bank angle, and have selected my altitudes accordingly. At 30º bank angles, the turn radius is almost twice as large as is is at 45º of bank, and when you reach the 180º point in your turn, you'll be almost twice as far away from the runway centerline. Using 60º angle of bank would (in theory) give even better results (tighter turn, less altitude loss in the turn), but the increased stall speed leaves less "cushion" for pilot error in maintaining best glide speed in that turn. I'm just more confident that, given the pressure-packed, highly distracted state that might result in an actual emergency, I can reasonably stay fairly close to 45º of bank while also maintaining fairly close to 65 mph (which gives me a 16 mph "cushion" above the stall speed in a 60º bank). I selected somewhat higher altitudes to go along with my slightly reduced bank angles, to accommodate that personal preferences. Your mileage may vary...

Good luck!

[LBK]

Thanks! Appreciate the help.

[AGLyme]

I actually feel safer in my Flight Design (Light Sport) than the traditional heavier, metal GA planes we all know and love... I grew up flying Cessna's and Pipers. The reasons why I feel safer are:

1) it is a lighter plane, lower stall speed and better in a forward crash.
2) New avionics; I can see traffic, terrain, weather and unlike the GA planes I used to rent, the stuff actually works (extremely well).
3) beefed up seatbelts compared to metal GA.
4) I have a parachute... when all else fails.
5) That beautiful Rotax... literally runs like Grandma's sewing machine.
6) I burn about 4 gals/hour and can carry 34 gals... I'd have to really try hard to run out of gas mid-flight.

The downside of an LSA is that they (at least my type) use far more rudder inputs than say a Cherokee 140 or a Cessna 172. In intentionally received a tailwheel endorsement to get over the C-172 "look ma, no rudder" culture ingrained in my shallow brain...

I believe the vast majority of the LSA accident issues is lack of training, especially in the early days of LSA... I'll bet the accident numbers are improving as the market has more experience and best practices in the category. Like you I was concerned about the LSA safety record. However I decided that I would extend my transition training from factory recommended 10 hours to say... 15 hours. I actually used 19 hours of transition training. My instructor tried to get out 3 times and I asked him to stay in... let's try that slip one more time...

My light sport loves to fly, it doesn't want to land, so, I had to figure out how to land it. Now I am landing on grass routinely and taking off out of some short fields and fortunately the power to weight ratio is superb because my plane is built out of modern carbon fiber as opposed to old school metal. When taking off and landing a Light Sport, I would say that the attention level is a 10, similar to a tail-dragger. There is no adjusting the next airport frequency while barrelling down the runway. You have to pay attention to the winds as the plane is light.

Suggest you reach out to real pilots who fly the various low wing and high wing LSA's and ask their opinions about strengths and weaknesses of LSA flying and their particular models... enjoy the adventure.

[MrMorden]

I think it's generally true that accident rates are higher in LSA, but *fatal* accident rates are not.

You're dealing with low weight, low inertia, low stall speed airplanes. While there are certainly fatal accidents, most accidents are landing or takeoff directional control accidents as a result of poor control inputs, inexperience, wind conditions, or a combination of all three. Most of these accidents result in bent airplanes and wounded egos, but rarely serious injuries.

The fatalities you do see are generally a result of the same "stupid pilot tricks" that all pilots fall prey to: inadequate maintenance or pre-flight checks, flying in poor weather, "hot dogging" and flying the airplane in a manner that courts danger, etc. Almost all fatal accidents in airplanes of any type are "self inflicted", and good risk management can eliminate the chances of 90% of them. While there are inherent risks and just plain bad luck, aviation is as safe as you choose to make it. You have much more control over the dangers involved than you do driving a car or motorcycle.

I think LSA require better aircraft handling skills than most certified light singles, but end up making one a better pilot. An acquaintance that had been flying LSA for some time transitioned to a Cessna 172, and he told me that in comparison flying the 172 was "easy mode".