Subscriber question:
"If I lost my engine over nothing but solid forest, where do I go?" — José R.
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Jason:
“Where you go matters far less than how you arrive.
Let me start with some good news about landing in the trees: About 90% of pilots walk away from an off-airport forced landing. The less good news is you’ll likely get banged up. Serious injuries happen roughly a third of the time. The trees don’t decide that outcome, though. You do.
Aim into the wind. Then pick the tallest, densest canopy you can reach. Your target is the top third of the trees. You want the thinner branches to catch and break to soak up the energy. The thick trunks don’t break, and the ground certainly doesn’t.
Fly the airplane first: wings level, coordinated, and best glide. Arrive at the treetops slow and level—and under control—then bleed off speed to just above the stall. If possible, you want just enough forward motion to settle onto the canopy instead of punching through it.
Then let the wings, gear, and belly tear away. They’re expendable; the cabin and its occupants are not. Fly it all the way in—and keep flying until everything stops moving.
When the engine goes quiet, every instinct screams for a perfect, flat place to set the airplane down. But that ideal spot usually isn’t there for the choosing. And attempting to stretch the glide for what looks ideal is exactly how good pilots stall and lose control.
Sometimes all that’s below you is forest. Accept that and land under control into the treetops.
Worry about how you’ll get down later … maybe even when help arrives.”
Have you ever had an off-airport landing?