Emergency Procedures

These procedures are derived from the efis-editor checklist file. Update the source JSON and regenerate to modify.

Engine Failures

System32 Restore Function

Run any time the engine is rough, faltering, or has quit.

• Controller Dark? … EMERG PWR ON

  a dark EFII controller means power failure, not logic — E-pwr restores the essential bus; then continue

• ECU Select … OPPOSITE ECU

  shifts fuel control to the other ECU; sensors are independent

• Fuel Pump Mode … 2

  covers a delivery fault that never tripped the 22 PSI auto-cutover

• Fuel Selector … OTHER TANK / VERIFY ON

• Fuel Pump Breakers … BOTH IN

• Fuel Trim … ADJUST

  if engine firing but rough — try richer (CW) then leaner

• Emergency Power Switch … ON

  catch-all — bypasses the Bus Manager even when the panel looks alive

Engine Failure During Takeoff Run

• Throttle … IDLE
• Brakes … APPLY
• Stop … STRAIGHT AHEAD
• Wing Flaps … RETRACT
• Fuel Selector … OFF
• Key Switch … OFF

Engine Failure Immediately After Takeoff

Pitch … ONSPEED

Landing Spot … WITHIN ±30º

above turnback altitude / per TLAR — see Turnback Procedure

• ECU Select … OPPOSITE ECU

  one shot — if no restart, commit to landing

• Fuel Selector … OFF

• Key Switch … OFF

• Wing Flaps … AS REQUIRED

  33º on short final

• Doors … UNLATCH PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN

Engine Failure In Flight

Airspeed … BEST GLIDE 95 KIAS

NRST Button … HOLD / AP ENGAGE

AP flies to nearest field at best glide; tunes comms

Best Field … DECIDE

is the nearest field actually best? terrain, wind, surface

• System32 Restore Function … EXECUTE

  Ctrl dark→E-Pwr / ECU Sel / Pump 2 / Fuel Sel / Brkrs / Trim / E-Pwr

If engine restored:

• Continue to Nearest Suitable … MONITOR

  do not switch back to test — leave the bad ECU off

If engine not restored:

• Forced Landing … EXECUTE

  as described in Emergency Landing Without Engine Power

Engine Failure On Approach

Airspeed … ONSPEED

best glide gives more distance, but already configured for landing

Best Surface … LAND

may not be the runway — pick what works

• ECU Select … OPPOSITE ECU

  if time / altitude permits — one shot

• Fuel Selector … OFF

• Key Switch … OFF

• Doors … UNLATCH PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN

Forced Landings

Emergency Landing Without Engine Power

• Squawk … 7700

• ELT … ACTIVATE

  do it EARLY and HIGH — an ELT transmits after a crash only about half the time, and altitude gets the signal out. Squawk plus ELT is about four seconds.

• Airspeed … BEST GLIDE / ONSPEED

  95 KIAS clean / ONSPEED with flaps

• Fuel Selector … OFF

• Key Switch … OFF

  kills ECUs; engine dies clean

• Wing Flaps … AS REQUIRED — 33º RECOMMENDED

  not available until below 90 KIAS — best glide is ABOVE the flap inhibit

• Radio Call … MAYDAY 121.5

  time permitting

• Doors … UNLATCH PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN

• Touchdown … SLIGHTLY TAIL LOW

• Brakes … APPLY HEAVILY

Note: If you walk away and the ELT is still transmitting, turn it OFF and call the nearest ATC facility or the AFRCC — an un-cancelled 406 alert launches a search.

Turnback Procedure

Decided on the ground per pre-takeoff brief.

⚠️ WARNING: Below 200 ft AGL, turnback is non-recoverable. Land ahead.

Note: 200 ft is a floor, not a gate. There is no altitude number — the call is TLAR against turning room, wind and where the runway actually is. ONSPEED is what makes that work: it holds best sustained turn rate and smallest radius regardless of weight, bank or density altitude.

• Pitch … ONSPEED IMMEDIATELY

  single AOA reference — best blend of turn rate and stall margin

• Turn Direction … INTO CROSSWIND

  wind drifts you toward centerline during reversal

• Bank … 45º

  any less wastes altitude; any more loses stall margin

• Coordinate … BALL CENTERED

  uncoordinated stall is non-recoverable at low altitude

• On Speed … MAINTAIN TO TOUCHDOWN

Note: If there is ANY doubt about the energy to reach the runway, do not commit to it — turn into the wind and slow to ONSPEED. That is the maneuver, not a consolation prize.

Note: If turn not working: WINGS LEVEL, LAND AHEAD AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE.

Don’t stall. Everything else is secondary.

Precautionary Landing With Engine Power

Lowest sustainable energy at touchdown — drag it in with power.

• Airspeed … ONSPEED
• Wing Flaps … 16º
• Selected Field … FLY OVER
• Terrain And Obstructions … NOTE
• Wing Flaps (On Final) … 33º
• Airspeed … SLOW TONE
• Power … CONTROL DESCENT RATE
• Avionics Master … OFF
• Doors … UNLATCH PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN
• Touchdown … SLIGHTLY TAIL LOW
• Key Switch … OFF
• Brakes … APPLY HEAVILY

Ditching

Goal is lowest sustainable energy at touchdown — fly the slow tone.

• Transmit Mayday … 121.5 MHZ, GIVING LOCATION

• Squawk … 7700

• ELT … ACTIVATE

  do it EARLY and HIGH — an ELT transmits after a crash only about half the time, and altitude gets the signal out. Squawk plus ELT is about four seconds.

• Heavy Objects … SECURE OR JETTISON

• Flaps … 16º - 33º

• Power … ESTABLISH 300 FT/MIN DESCENT, SLOW TONE

Approach:

High Winds, Heavy Seas — INTO THE WIND

Light Winds, Heavy Swells — PARALLEL TO SWELLS

• Cabin Doors … UNLATCH
• Touchdown … LEVEL ATTITUDE AT ESTABLISHED DESCENT
• Airplane … EVACUATE
• Life Vests and Raft … INFLATE

Landing With A Flat Main Tire

• Approach … NORMAL

• Wing Flaps … FULL DOWN

• Touchdown … GOOD TIRE FIRST

  hold airplane off flat tire as long as possible with aileron

Landing Without Elevator Control

• Airspeed … 80 KIAS

• Elevator Trim … LEVEL FLIGHT

• Glide Angle … CONTROL WITH POWER

• Elevator Trim … FULL NOSE UP

  in flare — rotates to horizontal for touchdown

• Throttle … CLOSE AT TOUCHDOWN

Fires

Engine Fire During Start On Ground

If engine starts:

• Fuel Pump Breakers … PULL BOTH

  stop feeding the fire — the engine runs a few seconds on residual rail pressure

• Throttle … OPEN SLOWLY / 1800 RPM

  slow push — a fast one fires the accelerator-pump squirt; airflow purges the intake until the engine starves and dies

• Key Switch … OFF

  after the engine dies

• Fuel Selector … OFF

• Doors … UNLATCH

• Evacuate / Extinguisher … AS REQUIRED

If engine fails to start:

• Fuel Pump Breakers … PULL BOTH

  fuel off FIRST — cranking with the pumps on floods the intake and feeds the fire

• Throttle … OPEN / DO NOT PUMP

  pumping the throttle fires the primer squirt

• Starter … CRANK ~10 SECONDS

  purge crank — injectors run dry in seconds once the pumps are off. Key stays ON: the starter is dead with the key off

• Key Switch … OFF

• Emergency Power Switch … OFF

  E-pwr re-powers the ECUs and the starter — must be off

• Fuel Selector … OFF

• Doors … UNLATCH

• Fire Extinguisher … AS REQUIRED

• Evacuate … IMMEDIATELY

Engine Fire In Flight

Fuel Pump Breakers … PULL BOTH

the pumps are the 45 PSI feeding a fuel fire — physical breakers beat switch logic in a fire

Key Switch … OFF

kills ECUs, both busses, and any wire-arc source

Fuel Selector … OFF

stops gravity/siphon feed to a firewall-forward leak

• Emergency Power Switch … OFF

⚠️ WARNING: With both busses dead the flaps and electric trim are gone — plan a FLAPS-UP landing. Vs1 is 61 KIAS against 48 KIAS at 33º.

E-pwr independently re-powers ECUs and pumps — both paths must be off

• Cabin Heat / Air … OFF

  close firewall vents

• Airspeed … INCREASE

  slip or dive to blow out fire

• Forced Landing … EXECUTE IMMEDIATELY

If fire not extinguished:

• Sideslip … INTO FIRE SIDE

  keep flames away from cabin

• Land … IMMEDIATELY

Electrical Fire / Smoke In Cockpit

Key Switch … OFF

the one keyed master — kills ECUs, fuel pumps, and both busses

Emergency Power Switch … OFF

⚠️ WARNING: With both busses dead the flaps and electric trim are gone — plan a FLAPS-UP landing. Vs1 is 61 KIAS against 48 KIAS at 33º.

now the airplane is fully dark

Vents / Cabin Air … OPEN

clear smoke

• Fire Extinguisher … AS REQUIRED
• Land … AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE

If engine required to reach landing site:

• Emergency Power Switch … ON

  restores engine power only — non-essential systems stay dead

• Monitor … FOR RECURRENCE

Note: If smoke returns, Emergency Power → OFF and re-isolate.

Cabin Fire

• Fire Electrical? … USE ELECTRICAL FIRE CL

  killing the key stops the engine — isolate electrics only if the fire IS electrical

• Vents / Cabin Air / Heat … CLOSED

• Fire Extinguisher … ACTIVATE

⚠️ WARNING: After discharging an extinguisher in a closed cabin, ventilate the cabin.

• Land … AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
• Airplane … INSPECT FOR DAMAGE

Wing Fire

• Navigation Light … OFF
• Strobe Light … OFF
• Pitot Heat … OFF

Note: Sideslip to keep flames away from fuel tank and cabin. Land as soon as possible. Flaps only as required for final approach and touchdown.

Electrical / Engine Malfunctions

Primary Alternator (Hartzell) Failure

Symptoms: Bat 1 voltage dropping, alternator amps zero, low-voltage indication.

• Bat 1 Voltage … CHECK

• Alternator Field Switch … CYCLE OFF / ON

  one attempt only

If still failed:

• Non-Essential Loads … REDUCE

  VPX may auto-shed; help it

• MZ-30 … VERIFY OPERATING

  Bat 2 voltage holding, generator amps positive

• Plan Diversion … NEAREST SUITABLE

  Bat 1 will eventually drain even with reduced load

If Bat 1 voltage critical:

• Emergency Power Switch … ON

  moves essential bus to Bat 2 / MZ-30

MZ-30 Generator Failure

Symptoms: Bat 2 voltage dropping, generator amps zero or low.

• MZ-30 Enable Switch … VERIFY ON

• Generator Amps … CHECK

  expect 5-30A in normal operation

• Bat 2 Voltage … MONITOR

If still failed:

• MZ-30 Enable Switch … OFF

  regulator may have OVP-locked; disable to prevent damage

• Continue on Hartzell / Bat 1 … FLIGHT NOT AT RISK

  Plan return when convenient — primary system intact

Bus Manager Failure / Switch to Endurance Bus

Symptoms: multiple essential systems unresponsive; primary bus dead.

Emergency Power Switch … ON

bypasses Bus Manager — connects Bat 2 / MZ-30 directly to essential bus

• Non-Essential Loads … OFF

  the main bus is gone: flaps, electric trim, pitot heat, transponder and audio panel are dead. Plan a flaps-up landing.

• Squawk … 7700

• Mayday Call … 121.5

• Land … AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE

⚠️ WARNING: If Emergency Power does not restore essential bus, both systems have failed. No further reversion available — land immediately.

Loss of Oil Pressure

• Confirm with Secondary Indication … OIL TEMP / NOISE

  if oil temp also rising — engine is losing oil. Likely seizure imminent.

• Power … REDUCE

  minimize damage; lowest power that maintains flight

• Best Field … LOCATE

  treat as if engine will seize

• NRST Button … HOLD

• Mayday … 121.5 / 7700

Note: Be prepared to execute Forced Landing — engine may quit at any time.

High Oil Temperature

• If Climbing … STOP CLIMB

• RPM … DECREASE

• Airspeed … INCREASE

• Fuel Trim … +10%

  richer mixture cools the cylinders

• Plan Diversion if Sustained … NEAREST SUITABLE

Runaway Trim

Avionics Master … OFF

kills power to SV-AP-PANEL — stops all trim servo commands

• Airspeed … REDUCE

  unload trim forces

• Trim … MANUALLY OVERRIDE

  with stick pressure

• Land … AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE

Note: There is no dedicated trim circuit breaker. The avionics master is the only kill switch for the trim servos.

Icing / Static

Inadvertent Icing Encounter

• Pitot Heat … ON

• Icing Conditions … EXIT

  turn back or change altitude for warmer/colder OAT

• Cabin Heat … ON

• Defroster … MAX AIRFLOW

• Engine Speed … INCREASE

  minimize prop blade ice buildup

• Land … NEAREST AIRPORT

⚠️ WARNING: With ¼ inch ice on leading edges, expect significantly higher stall speed.

• Wing Flaps … LEAVE RETRACTED
• Approach … 80-90 KIAS
• Land … LEVEL ATTITUDE

Static Source Blockage

Erroneous instrument readings suspected.

• Alternate Static Source … TOGGLE ON

  panel toggle, top left

• Airspeed … REFERENCE TABLE

  Cruise — 50 ft higher than normal

  Approach — 30 ft higher than normal

Unreliable Airspeed / Pitot Blockage

Airspeed unwinding, frozen, or disagreeing with pitch and power.

OnSpeed tone wrong or silent. AoA blank.

⚠️ WARNING: There will be NO ADAHRS cross-check error. Both units breathe the same probe, so they agree on the bad data.

Pitch and Power … SET AND HOLD

the airplane is still trimmed where it was — change nothing abruptly

• Pitot Heat … ON

  the only in-flight fix

• Altimeter / VSI … TRUST

  independent static system — unaffected by a pitot blockage

• GPS Groundspeed … CROSS-CHECK

  wind-corrected sanity check, not a replacement for airspeed

• Alternate Static … DO NOT USE

  wrong system — it corrupts altitude without helping airspeed

• Autopilot … USE IT — BUT NOT SPEED MODES

  any airspeed-driven mode chases the false reading

⚠️ WARNING: OnSpeed, Dynon AoA and the stall warning are all AoA-derived from the same probe. All three are GONE. No low-speed protection.

• Declare … IF IMC

• Land … LONG RUNWAY, SHALLOW STABLE APPROACH

  fly the profile numbers — most pilots fly too fast without airspeed

Note: Attitude itself uses airspeed and falls back to GPS, so the backup for attitude is GPS, not the second ADAHRS.

Inadvertent IMC / Upset

180º Turn In Clouds

• Wings … LEVEL ON AUTOPILOT

• Compass Heading … NOTE

• Time … NOTE

• Standard Rate Turn … INITIATE

  60 seconds for 180º

• Level Flight … MAINTAIN

• Heading … RECIPROCAL CONFIRMED

Emergency Descent Through Clouds

• Heading … EAST OR WEST

  minimizes compass swings during bank changes

• Power … REDUCE

  for 500-800 FPM descent

• Trim … STABILIZED 80 KIAS

• Turn Coordinator … MONITOR

  corrections by rudder alone; hands off the wheel

Upon breaking out:

• Normal Cruising Flight … RESUME

Upset Recovery — Power / Push / Roll

Power … ADJUST

nose-low: throttle back. nose-high: throttle forward.

Push … UNLOAD

Roll … WINGS LEVEL

shortest direction; coordinated rudder

• Recover … PITCH TO LEVEL

  after wings level, smoothly pitch to level flight

⚠️ WARNING: In a SPIRAL — airspeed and descent rate both increasing — letting go does NOT recover. Level the wings first, then raise the nose.

Spin Recovery — PARE

⚠️ WARNING: RV-10 is not approved for intentional spins, and Van’s has not demonstrated spin recovery for the type. PARE is the universal procedure if a spin is entered inadvertently.

• P - Power … IDLE

• A - Ailerons … NEUTRAL

• R - Rudder … FULL OPPOSITE ROTATION

• E - Elevator … FORWARD BRISKLY

  to break stall

Note: Hold inputs until rotation stops, then neutralize rudder and recover from dive.