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"If your car engine stops running, you're not going to fall to your death for lack of speed." You know, to even get your private pilot's license, you have to p

"If your car engine stops running, you're not going to fall to your death for lack of speed." You know, to even get your private pilot's license, you have to pass a simulated engine-out. Fixed-wing craft are perfectly capable of gliding without power.

delinka 9y ago
Indeed. They're not required to crash with engines out. But on a passenger jet, the odds of crashing and causing deaths from several miles up when the engines fail is tremendously higher than death being caused by an engine failure at speed on the highway.
- jsjohnst 9y ago
  Actually, if engines fail at altitude there's much lower risk than you'd think. Even in the case where the damn engines fall off the plane (yes, this really did happen), there's surprisingly few if any fatalities. Complete engine failure is mostly risky in two situations, over water and low altitude. Ask Sully about having both happen at once and still no deaths! (Edit to add sources) Commercial flights with engine failures in the past 30 years w/o fatalities: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_855 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_855 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapag-Lloyd_Flight_3378 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapag-Lloyd_Flight_3378 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_Flight_751 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_Flight... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 Commercial flights with engine failures and fatalities (one fatality, a flight attendant): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda_Indonesia_Flight_421 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda_Indonesia_Flight_421

delinka 9y ago

Indeed. They're not required to crash with engines out. But on a passenger jet, the odds of crashing and causing deaths from several miles up when the engines fail is tremendously higher than death being caused by an engine failure at speed on the highway.

jsjohnst 9y ago
Actually, if engines fail at altitude there's much lower risk than you'd think. Even in the case where the damn engines fall off the plane (yes, this really did happen), there's surprisingly few if any fatalities. Complete engine failure is mostly risky in two situations, over water and low altitude. Ask Sully about having both happen at once and still no deaths! (Edit to add sources) Commercial flights with engine failures in the past 30 years w/o fatalities: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_855 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_855 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapag-Lloyd_Flight_3378 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapag-Lloyd_Flight_3378 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_Flight_751 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_Flight... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 Commercial flights with engine failures and fatalities (one fatality, a flight attendant): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda_Indonesia_Flight_421 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda_Indonesia_Flight_421