Brian Parsley in the cockpit of his 1968 Cessna 150 descending to land at a field in Concord, North Carolina as he experiences engine failure.
One student pilot’s solo cross-country flight took an unexpected turn when he lost the engine in his 1968 Cessna 150 at 2,200 feet.
The 180-mile round-trip flight was the last step in Brian Parsley’s journey to becoming a pilot, a goal he wanted to accomplish before his 50th birthday. Having flown the route with his instructor, Parsley felt prepared to face the final challenge.
“Could I have done things better… the short answer is absolutely,” Parsley said in a YouTube video debriefing his flight.
Parsley was originally using the camera so that he could debrief the landings with his instructor. He turned it on early when, roughly 12 miles from his home airport, he began experiencing rough engine. Assuming it was carb ice, the student pilot checked the aircraft’s gages and felt secure enough to continue his flight.
Video feed from the cockpit shows Parsley’s reaction moments later when the engine began to sputter and ultimately fail less than 10 miles from Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (JQF). Parsley’s hands shook as he experienced what he called “pure panic mode.”
The student pilot pulled from his seven months of training experience to determine the next steps. In the event of an emergency, pilots should declare the emergency to Air Traffic Control (ATC) and squawk the appropriate transponder code. In this scenario, Parsley entered squawked 7500 instead of 7700, before correcting his mistake.
The pilot then informed ATC that he was flying over a residential area and was using the aircraft’s pitch to maintain altitude. The controller initially issued clearance to land at Concord-Padgett, but Parsley knew his aircraft wouldn’t reach the runway in time.
Instead, he prepared for an off-airport forced landing. Looking out the aircraft’s windows the pilot searched the residential area, finally spotting an open field. ATC responded with emergency personnel sent to Parsley’s location.
“You have to be careful flying it in because you don’t want to stall or spin and go into the ground,” the student pilot noted in his YouTube debrief.
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Parsley said muscle memory kicked in, and he pitched to keep optimum speed and maintained it all the way down.
Once he came to a stop, Parsley immediately called his wife and then his instructor who was waiting at the Concord-Padgett Airport for his return.
Thankfully, neither the pilot nor anyone on the ground was injured during this incident. No damage to the aircraft has been specified.
The experience helped Parsley to reflect on all that he has learned during his flight training.
“I would suggest a lot of training – scenario training. I know that, for me, saved my life.”
What caused the engine failure? A simple enough answer, the aircraft ran out of fuel.
Parsley admitted in his YouTube debrief that he did complete his flight plan, checked fuel, and all the additional necessary checks before taking off. However, he accepted complete responsibility for the aircraft running out of fuel.
In the aftermath of the incident, several lessons may be learned from this situation.
This incident stresses the importance of a thorough preflight check and being aware of your aircraft’s fuel quantity and reserves. Prior to takeoff, pilots should be aware of the fuel quantity of the aircraft being flown and ensure that it will meet all fuel requirements, including reserves. Similarly, oil quantity must also be checked.
Additionally, Parsley’s mis-squawk, while a minor mistake in an otherwise well-handled emergency, emphasizes the importance of knowing transponder codes.
“Hi, Jack! Can’t talk right now. Planes on fire.”
If you already know the 7500, 7600, and 7700 squawk codes but can’t remember their order, recalling the phrase above can help in an emergency situation.
Hi, Jack represents code 7500, which is used when a pilot is experiencing a hijacking in their aircraft. Can’t talk right now represents code 7600, used by a pilot when their radio isn’t working. And Planes on fire represents squawk code 7700, used for any other emergency.
An in-flight emergency creates an urgent and stressful environment, which is why it is important for pilots to practice reacting to these situations so they are prepared if they experience one.
As always, pilots should prioritize what is necessary to first aviate, then navigate, and then communicate in the cockpit.
“We’re always staying a student,” said Parsley. “But did I land and did I live? Yeah, I’ll take that as a win.”
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