7 minute read
IM-Possible
By Connor A. Clinkscale
The Impossible Turn
By definition, The Impossible Turn in the world of aviation is a low altitude, 180-degree turn back to a departure airport after experiencing engine failure on takeoff. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), this maneuver is performed when a pilot elects to turn back and attempts a dangerous downwind arrival when conditions are more or less ideal for a forced landing. The maneuver is deemed impossible because it is very difficult – almost impossible – to avoid crashing, combustion, and fatalities.
On Thursday, February 16, 2023, my instructor and I were forced to perform The Impossible Turn. On that day our plane crashed. Miraculously, it did not combust upon impact, and we ultimately defied what is deemed impossible: we literally walked away.
Recounting My Experience Performing The Impossible Turn
I remember the day of our plane crash like it was yesterday.
I arrived at Centennial Aviation Academy (CAA) at Peachtree Dekalb Airport (PDK) for my scheduled flight with Captain Patrick Holder, my Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). We headed to CCA’s hangar row and retrieved Piper PA-28-181 Archer II, affectionately known as Annie.
About PDK
Peachtree Dekalb (PDK) Airport is a municipal general aviation airport located in Chamblee, Georgia, just northeast of Atlanta. It is classified as a general aviation reliever airport for the Atlanta metropolitan area. Reliever airports help reduce congestion by providing services for smaller general aviation aircraft. PDK has eight runways, two restaurants (The 57th and Downwind), and one helipad.
I am no stranger to PDK. I have been flying out of this airport as a student pilot with Centennial Aviation Academy for over a decade. I am also familiar with the aerial views of an 11-mile ramp, highway and intersection system consisting of two major interstates – I-85 and I-285 known as Spaghetti Junction. This complex and massively intertwined network of roads, bridges and ginormous concrete beams is in close proximity to PDK, a shopping plaza, and numerous skyscrapers dotting its circumference. Flying over, above and beyond Spaghetti Junction is second nature to me and all pilots who frequently takeoff and land at this reliever airport.
And yes! My love for aviation began when I was a toddler. I wrote an article chronicling the early beginnings of my aviation journey and passion for space travel for AviNation Magazine’s Winter 2021 Edition.
Back to the Impossible
After preflight inspection, start-up, taxi, and engine run-up, Patrick and I were cleared for departure on runway 21L. We applied full power and did our standard call-out procedure where I audibly called out that the engine instruments were “in the green” and the airspeed was “alive.” Upon reaching rotation speed, I pulled back on the yolk and we proceeded with our normal rotation, lift-off and climb-out.
At about 1,100 feet, mean sea level (msl) – about 100 feet above ground level (agl), the engine “sputtered” and we lost total power. Patrick immediately reduced the angle of attack. We scanned the area ahead and to the right for an emergency landing site. With less than half of a second to make a decision and seeing no safer options, Patrick executed an immediate, steep and tight left turn back, pitching the controls forward towards a large grass field. The left wing hit the ground first and we quickly came to a stop.
First and foremost, my faith has increased tremendously. Before the crash, I was familiar with a passage of scripture that says, “Life is like a vapor. It appears for a little while and then it vanishes away”. Having survived a plane crash, I now have a deeper understanding of that scripture. My faith is stronger and the teachings in the Bible affirm my faith. I know that plane crashes are rare. Surviving a plane crash is even more rare. But walking away from a plane crash with relatively minor injuries is somewhat unheard of. While the maneuver we performed on February 16, 2023 is known as the Impossible Turn, my faith tells me that “with God all things are possible”…even surviving a plane crash. My life as a vapor is still ever-present. It has not vanished away because I have more living to do, goals to achieve and a God-given purpose to fulfill.
Patrick secured the aircraft. We quickly evacuated and literally walked away from a plane crash. A patrol car was dispatched to the scene of the accident. The officers picked us up and drove us to a nearby Fire Station. Two ambulances were waiting there for us. I was transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Eggleston – Georgia’s first Level 1 pediatric trauma center. Patrick was taken to a different hospital.
The injuries I sustained were relatively minimal. Patrick’s injuries were more involved. But we both survived…the impossible.
Life Lessons Learned from the Impossible Turn
Surviving a plane crash has taught me a lot about life.
Surviving a plane crash also reinforced another important life lesson: quick, calculated, and decisive decision making can help you avoid catastrophic outcomes. Patrick and I had less than half a second to make a decision. Deciding to attempt the Impossible Turn saved our lives and the calculated precision of how and where the plane was brought down, kept others safe and sound. It takes a great amount of courage to make those types of split-second decisions. Being courageous, therefore, is another important lesson I learned from surviving a plane crash.
To me, being courageous means pushing past my fears to exceed ambitious goals. I tested the boundaries of my courage by returning to PDK one week and three days following the plane crash and a brief hospital stay. On February 26, 2023 at 1400 hours, I climbed into the cockpit with Captain Spencer H. Clark, CAA’s Chief Instructor who is not only one of my aviation mentors, he’s also my friend. On that day, Spencer and I boarded “Ellie”, Piper Archer PA28-181, N11CA. We conducted a preflight inspection. We started her up, taxied, and performed an engine run-up. Once cleared, we took off. That day, Spencer and I flew higher, further, and longer.
One week and three days after performing The Impossible Turn and surviving a plane crash, I learned that courage, like the great expanse of our Universe, has no boundaries. Courage is instinctive. Courage is in abundance. And courage is always present for me to tap whenever I need to make a tough decision.
As I look towards my future and continue charting an ambitious path towards pursuing greatness in aviation, medicine, and ultimately space exploration, I will do so with faith, decisive decision making and courage. These three core values – among others – will gird me up and carry me forward, upwards, and onward. How can I be so certain? Because I’M Possible.
