★ PTS mapping: This lesson aligns to FAA-S-8081-20A (Nov 2023), Area of Operation VI — Landings and Approaches to Landings (per Lesson→Area map). It is a PTS, so items are Tasks/elements (no ACS K/R/S codes); read the exact Task lettering and tolerances from the current published PTS.
Fly the one-engine-inoperative approach, commit at the right point, and arrive under control.
On a multi-engine helicopter, losing one engine during the approach phase leaves only OEI power. Depending on weight, density altitude, and the certification performance class, the remaining engine may not support a zero-groundspeed (to-the-hover) landing or an out-of-ground-effect hover. The approach therefore becomes a managed energy problem: maintain airspeed for the most efficient OEI flight, protect rotor RPM, and plan a termination — often a running landing — that uses translational lift and ground contact with forward speed to make up for the missing power.
Multi-engine helicopter operations define decision points: a Landing Decision Point (LDP) on approach and a Takeoff/Critical Decision Point (CDP/TDP) on departure. Before the LDP, an engine failure means you fly away (go around on the operating engine); at or after the LDP you are committed to land. Knowing where that point is — and briefing it — is the heart of OEI approach airmanship. The decision is driven by the published OEI performance for the actual aircraft, weight, and conditions, not by feel.
| Situation | Before LDP | At / after LDP |
|---|---|---|
| Engine failure on approach | Fly away — go around on the operating engine, accelerate, climb | Committed to land — continue to a controlled (often running) landing |
| Primary concern | OEI climb capability & obstacle clearance | Energy management, Nr, touchdown control |
When OEI power will not support a zero-groundspeed termination, a running landing is used: arrive with forward groundspeed so the rotor keeps the benefit of translational lift, and touch down moving forward on a surface suitable for a ground run. Keep the aircraft aligned with the direction of travel (no drift at touchdown to avoid dynamic rollover), cushion with collective as energy and Nr allow, and use the available run to decelerate. Surface suitability (length, slope, firmness) is part of the plan — a running landing onto an unsuitable surface trades one emergency for another.
Throughout the OEI approach, rotor RPM is life: protect Nr within limits, because over-pitching the collective to arrest sink bleeds Nr and reduces both lift and tail-rotor authority. Use OEI power within its limits and time-limited ratings as published for the aircraft, lead power changes, and avoid the slow/high-rate-of-descent corner that invites settling with power. Coordination of collective, cyclic, and pedals to hold heading and track — while watching Nr and torque — is the ATP-level skill being tested.
✈️ Your test aircraft: the R-44 fill-in values cover its single-engine, piston, VFR figures. ATP-H practical tests are normally flown in a turbine and/or multi-engine helicopter — use your actual test aircraft's data (OEI/systems/§3-§4 procedures as relevant) from its RFM/POH for items marked aircraft-specific. For OEI (lesson 19): the single-engine R-44 has no OEI condition — that task can only be flown in a multi-engine test aircraft.
Curated reference clip — “How to land a helicopter in a running landing #helicopter #training” · Anthelion Helicopters (YouTube), verified via oEmbed. Embedded with the creator's player; we don't host or alter it.
✈️ Your test aircraft: the R-44 fill-in values cover its single-engine, piston, VFR figures. ATP-H practical tests are normally flown in a turbine and/or multi-engine helicopter — use your actual test aircraft's data (OEI/systems/§3-§4 procedures as relevant) from its RFM/POH for items marked aircraft-specific. For OEI (lesson 19): the single-engine R-44 has no OEI condition — that task can only be flown in a multi-engine test aircraft.