Why are planes more at risk of crashing after take off?

Question

Yet are safe during flight and usually landing?

Answer 1

planes crash after take off because before take off they are not flying

Answer 2

Why are planes more at risk of crashing after take off?

It's really very simple. Aeroplanes are flying at their slowest during takeoff and the engines are roasting away at (almost) full power.

Planes fall from the sky if they fly 'too' slowly but It takes time to build up safe speed after the slow takeoff roll.

Pilots don't lift the plane off the runway until it reaches a safe lift-off speed but it still has to speed up more to safely climb away from the ground (it is always the ground that causes the problems!)

So, maybe an engine stops working during takeoff (cause its at full power and that isn't so good for aero engines) and the plane doesn't quite get enough speed to stay airborne.

A modern airliner cannot 'belly-land' except on a runway without ripping itself into 1000 little aluminium bits.

Remember this is what happened to that Air France Concorde some years back. Fire stopped two of its engines and it could not fly fast enough to stay in the air.

Light aircraft are a different story. They weight so much less (say half-ton for a Cessna compared to 200 tons for a 747.

So it is possible to 'belly-land' (force-land) a light plane in a field or on a road and survive with the plane mostly intact.

So the most dangerous time is during departure although for the pilot, the most difficult time is actually during landing.

But don't worry. Modern airliners can fly safely away from the runway if they lose the power from an engine.

Each runway has a point-of-no-stop (the exact point depends on the aircraft and the weather).

If the airliner has not reached this point along the runway (known as Vee-One) the pilot flying the plane will stop the takeoff roll and bring the airplane to a stop.

If the aircraft as passed the V1 speed the pilot will elect to continue the takeoff on the remaining engines. He will climb to 2000 feet and circle back and land amid emergency vehicles just for safety's sake.

If the engine failure is really bad, say, the wing is on fire or two engines are lost, he will probably try to stop the plane irrespective of the remaining distance left because its better to keep a burning plane on the ground where the fire service can put it out, than take it off on a joy ride while passengers suffocate from toxic smoke.

Get it? It's all rehearsed and practiced. Whatever happens on takeoff the pilots know exactly what to do at each stage to keep us safe.

Answer 3

Ohhhh gosh....where do I start after reading some of these answers........Take Off is the most critical phase of flight because, The engine is being operated at full power under load climbing. It is during this phase of flight that the loss of power is most critical. Altitude is minimal and airspeed is low. If a problem arises the pilot must take positive and correct action immediately. Given circumstances of altitude and position there may be very little time to troubleshoot the problem so one must be prepared for an imminent landing. If there is enough remaining runway your in good shape, even if there is not runway but an open area.....your still good. Trees, Highways, buildings and housing, power and utility lines are all major concerns. While I would agree with one of the other answers "never turn back", It has been done successfully, it depends on the aircraft and circumstances. A Cub for instance at two or three hundred feet agl has a good chance of pulling this one off due to the high aspect ratio of the wing and excelent gliding characteristics. During cruise at altitude the loss of power is more manageable due to the fact that you have more time to plan. Your most major concern here is the terrain under you at the time, water, forest, flat lands, mountains......If power is lost on approach to landing chances are that you were already committed and if you are flying your aircraft properly i.e. not to wide and low in the pattern, then you should be able to make the airport. To all you fledgling pilots: Never fly a pattern to low or to wide.....if you look out the side of the aircraft you should visualize a forty five degree line to the center of the runway you intend on landing from pattern altitude on downwind....key position for turning base is forty five degrees off your shoulder to the touchdown zone ....do not descend before turning base....if you have to extend for traffic maintain your altitude until you are once again within gliding distance to the airport. If you lose power anywhere in the pattern remember, you can modify your pattern to get yourself aligned with the active runway, an alternate runway or clear area..Trim for best glide speed the point that remains fixed in your vision through the windscreen and is not drifting up or down will be your point of touchdown unless you modify it by slipping or using flaps, use a normal flare and touchdown at the least amount of speed as possible. I might add that in multi engine aircraft either general aviation or commercial an engine failure at take off may not necessarily prevent the continuation of flight and the ability to return for landing although it is still in a critical phase of flight and must be dealt with correctly.

Answer 4

Probably just because of the fact that during take off, the plane is under the greatest load. The plane has to get enough speed to lift in a certain distance and the engines are at full throttle. During flight it's just cruising and landing is just slowing everything down, but when they touch down they go into full reverse.

Answer 5

If you have a problem at 35,000 feet you have a lot of time to decide what to do about it. However, if you have a problem at 100 feet and you are travelling at around 200 mph there isn't a great deal of thinking time before a problem becomes a calamity.
Also, there is a minimum speed at which the plane can actually fly. The closer to that speed it is, the less control you have over it. Most jets can cruise at around 500 mph, but take off at less than 200 mph, which is clearly close to the "stall speed", the minimum speed that they can actually fly at.
Therefore, the risks are higher, and the manuverability is lowest just after take-off and just before landing.
Either way, flying is STILL incredibly safe!

Answer 6

Safe flight is a function of optimized altitude and airspeed. An aircraft with enough energy can convert that energy into altitude or airspeed. On take off, the energy of the plane is at its lowest energy (heaviest load, slowest speeds) and add to it the close proximity of the terrain. Without the optimum airspeed the aircraft is reluctant to change, it cannot sacrifice airspeed for altitude or vice versa because it doesnt have enough of either.

You may consider the simple analogy of the bicycle. Without the required forward speed the bicycle is pretty clumsy to handle and accident prone. Once you build up speed, you have the controls to negotiate hazards.

Answer 7

Not "after", but during take off and climb, that is, below 300 feet.
On take off, the plane is at maximum load (fuel), hence it is in its heavier state, and more susceptible to "stall" (loosing the lift that keeps it in the air).
Stalling at (relatively) high altitude is of no consequence, as the recovery is very easy. However, the plane will need to drop a bit to recover speed and lift: it must fall to recover.
Stalling during take of happens at very low altitude: there is not enough hight to recover (unless the pilot is pretty fast, put back full power if it is not, full flaps, and tries to land straight on the runways - if there is any left -)
Addition: Georgy...
Take off and landing are always IN the wind. It is not facing the wrong way! (you probably meant that the runway is BEHIND the plane, and it would have to turn 180º). WRONG! In case of engine failure on take off, NEVER-EVER try to turn back! The (crash) landing zone is within 20º left or right in front of you. Nowhere else: you have no time nor altitude.

Answer 8

Maybe it's the time when the engines are running at full power, the chance that loose articles or birds can be sucked into the engines and when the hydraulics in the flying controls are newly performing after the time the plane has been sat on the ground.

The aircraft is also at it's heaviest with all the fuel

Answer 9

At take off the A/C is at it's heaviest (full fuel load) and will not have full lift devices deployed as they also cause drag. Engine(s) are also working near full power and there is usually little margin for error.

By landing the fuel will have burnt off, the engines are at a mid power setting and lift devices (flaps & slats) are extended for maximum lift.

Answer 10

Right after TKOF you usually don't have much altitude below you, airspeed is in low range, your usually heavy on fuel so when anything goes wrong you have 3 things going against you right off the bat

Answer 11

its all to do with the lift on the wings, the air speed travelling over the wing on take off is greater than when in mid-flight or landing so the plane is fighting more downward force which is why the flaps angle is critical for actual lift.

Or the pilots are still drunk?they would have sobered up by landing.