Plan for the worst
painless said:
common causes of losing power on take-off. My thoughts are as follows:
1) Carbice
2) Contaminated fuel
3) Induction system blockage (eg snow in the intake)
4) Drawing fuel from a depleted fuel tank
5) Steep climb angle and not having auxiliary fuel pump on (read that no or very low fuel pressure)
6) Blocked fuel vents
7) Loose/leaking fuel system fittings
Any other possibilities?
Accidents happen and it makes you think.
Fortunitly loss of power on take off is rare. Often engine failures are preceded by signs that go unnoticed or ignored. One guy rebuilt his fuel tank and got the line blocked with junk. Any thing can happen. With that in mind, PLAN for it.
The OK accident looks like a stall? The airframe is all there in one spot, but I don't know. Vertical impact can cause massive spinal and internal injuries. You have to be ready to take your lumps, but take them under your terms not gravity's and stall-spin terms.
We really are not prepared to intentionally crash our planes, but that is what you must do if the engine quits sometimes. The idea is make it hurt the least and walk away. That means flying into the ground. We just are not use not seeing a runway. My primary CFI made me commit my forced landings fairly low. Its amazing what you see down low. Not so sure decades later if that was a safe thing to do, but it taught me a lot. I think pwr off landings to a runway is great practice and safer.
In the airlines we say OUT LOUD a detailed plan for what we'll do in the event of an engine failure to the whole crew, every flight. We'll even rehearse or repeat the engine out procedures, speeds, especially on the first flight of day. Of course with 2 plus engines you have options, but the principle applies to single engine. I do this when flying my RV single pilot, at least in my head. What am I going to do, but I'll say it out loud sometimes. The choice is easy if the engine quits in a single engine plane, land or stop.
When will you abort the takeoff or go back and land on runway?
What will you do if you can't stay on or land on takeoff runway?
Where will you land, straight, slight turn left or right?
Forced landing procedures:
speed, flaps, elect, fuel, belt, trim, radio call?
Engine trouble shoot procedures:
boost, c-heat, tank, mixture, ign, min altitude to attempt re-start
Min safe altitude is safe for a 225 + 45 degree turn back or if safe at all?
(winds, runway length, obstacles may make a turn back very dangerous or impossible)
If you fly the plane and land under control at min flying speed, injury to crew can be minimal. You have to believe that and practice it. Power off (idle) spot landing practice can help.
With full power RV takeoff the noise is way up, but if the engine fails you have to be ready to dump the noise down almost as much below the horizon as it was above in the climb with power. Failure to lower nose and take what is coming can cause a stall or high sink. You are basically climbing near best glide, so you can't afford to hold the nose up. Push the nose down, flaps, and land in that forward quadrant either side of stright ahead depending on altitude.
If you have altitude to trouble shoot or maneuver fine, but plan "A" is land near straight ahead at min speed, flaps down, elect off, fuel off, belts tight. That may be all the time you have.
Think about that every takeoff. What are you going to do.
Van told a story in the RVator years ago of a new plane he flew off his grass field in Oregon. He took off in the opposite direction than he had first planned based on his brothers advice who was visiting. His brother pointed out the other direction, even with a slight tailwind, had more off field options. Guess what. The engine lost powered and the field, off the side of the runway end, saved the day.