By Robert N. Rossier, EAA 472091
This piece originally ran in Robert’s Stick and Rudder column in the February 2025 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
As part of our pilot training, we’re trained to deal with any number of emergencies, from engine failures and fires to instrumentation failures and stall recovery. We learn how to pick a location and make an emergency landing. What we’re seldom taught is how to deal with what happens after a crash or off-field landing emergency when we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with no help in sight.
Search and rescue capabilities have improved greatly over the past couple of decades. However, circumstances can occur when stranded pilots and their passengers must wait hours, or even days, before they’re located and assisted.
Over the years, I’ve participated in numerous seminars and in-the-field survival training events that shed considerable light on how to prepare for such an unlikely — but perilous — emergency situation. Although this column is too short for thorough treatment of the topic, a few thoughts can be helpful as we contemplate our next flight.
Flight Plans and Communications
The first item to consider is some preplanning to help reduce the time for rescuers to locate and assist us in the event of an off-field landing or crash scenario. If nobody knows where we are going or how we’re getting there, it might be a long time before we’re missed, and even longer before rescuers come to our aid. It pays to lay some groundwork for would-be rescuers.
The best insurance we can have for a timely rescue is an IFR flight plan. The moment we disappear from radar, somebody knows we’re missing and the alarm will be sounded.
For those not instrument rated or flying on an IFR flight plan, the next best thing is ATC flight following, which is available to any of us flying VFR. Again, if we have a squawk code and are being watched, someone will know immediately if we suddenly go missing. Being in communication with ATC also means we can tell them what’s happening before we pull our disappearing act.
Next is the VFR flight plan, which alerts the authorities when we fail to arrive at our destination, and gives searchers a good idea of our planned route of flight. Making position reports to Flight Service, either directly or through other aircraft or FBOs along the way, helps narrow the search area and speeds up the process.
Other technologies such as ADS-B and an emergency locator transmitter also provide authorities with an effective means of tracking our route of flight and locating our position on the ground.
Stay or Go
Let’s say we have an emergency and must make an off-field landing in a remote part of the country. One of the first questions we might ponder is whether it is best to stay with the downed aircraft or attempt to extricate ourselves and make our way back to civilization.
Experts suggest that, in most cases, the best tactic is to stay with the aircraft. A downed aircraft is typically much easier to find than humans tromping around in the wilderness. It also provides a wealth of resources that can help us survive until help arrives.
Medical Needs and Emergencies
Among the most common injuries in a crash or off-field landing are lacerations, contusions, and other trauma. Having the skills to deal with such maladies can make all the difference in a survival situation. Consider some basic first aid training or carry a first aid resource book and some basic first aid supplies. If we or our passengers rely on any prescription medication, it’s a good idea to bring some extra along when flying — just in case.
Shelter and Warmth
After tending to any medical emergencies, the next order of business is often to find warmth and shelter. Again, some previous planning goes a long way. A sleeping bag and tarp can provide the necessary protection from rain, snow, and cold, so if we have the room, we should carry them as we fly over cold terrain. Sometimes we’re left with only the clothes on our backs to survive, so we should dress for the terrain we’ll be flying over, rather than just the conditions at our departure point or destination. Otherwise, a thick covering of leaves and grass provides remarkable insulation.
Typically, the cabin of the airplane can provide needed shelter. In cold conditions, it may help us stay dry and out of the wind. In hot climates, we may need to be out of the sun in the daytime to avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration, and again, the aircraft may provide such shelter. With a few simple tools available, we may be able to disassemble parts of the aircraft, including engine cowls, cables, and wiring to help improve our shelter.
Nothing lifts our spirits more in a wilderness survival situation than a crackling fire, but we may need some skills and practice in building a fire. Note that the prop spinner (or metal coffee can) can make a good, improvised stove. Place the spinner nose-down in the ground, fill it partially with sand or dirt (or even snow), and add some avgas as a fuel. The dirt or sand acts as a wick and prevents the gas from flashing or exploding. While sitting beside a fire can help keep us warm, another tactic is to heat some fist-sized stones beside the fire and then put them into our clothing to provide added warmth.
Food and Water
Also high on our list of concerns is food and water, but not necessarily in that order. Although many variables are involved, evidence suggests a person can survive one to three weeks without food, but only two to four days without water.
Depending on where we’re traveling, we might consider carrying some water on board the airplane. Several small bottles are better than a single large one in case of damage during an off-field landing.
Having some emergency food available also improves our mental state and keeps our decision-making from degrading.
Communications
An important ingredient in a survival situation is making ourselves more findable, and that means implementing a variety of forms of communication. First, if we have an ELT, we should make certain it is turned on. In wooded areas, tree damage can be a sign for searchers, but we can take steps to be more visible.
Green wood and pine needles can create a smoky fire that helps attract attention. Many pilots carry a handheld radio for emergency communication, and these can be used to help guide rescuers to us. Note that cell service may not be available in remote areas, but in some instances it might be available if we can reach higher elevations. In addition, some of the newest smartphones offer emergency satellite connectivity. If yours is so equipped, take a moment to learn how to use that feature — before you need it.
Real-Life Survival Training
It is one thing to contemplate survival while sitting in the comfort and safety of our own home, but it’s quite another, and much more instructive and enlightening, to actually go out and put our survival skills into action under the oversight of survival experts. Chances are we’ll never need these skills, but they can make the difference between life and death if a survival situation does arise. It is always better to be prepared than surprised.
Robert N. Rossier, EAA 472091, has been flying for more than 40 years and has worked as a flight instructor, commercial pilot, chief pilot, and FAA flight check airman.