The background of this incident involves an unexpected engine failure on a Piper PA-28 Cherokee during a night training flight as part of an Instrument Rating (IR) course.

1. Situation

The instructor and the student were conducting a night flight training session in a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, practicing approaches and landings at their home airfield, which had full ATC coverage.

The weather was calm with clear skies and good visibility, ideal for night flying.

Everything was proceeding normally until the aircraft was on final approach for a touch-and-go landing on runway 09 when the engine suddenly lost power and quit.

2. Task

The task was to perform a series of night landings and approaches to help the student become proficient in night operations and prepare for their upcoming IR check ride.

3. Action

Upon noticing the engine failure, the instructor immediately took control and declared an emergency with ATC, using the MAYDAY call to ensure priority handling.

Simultaneously, the instructor initiated a glide approach, aiming to make a safe landing on the remaining runway.

The student assisted by turning on the landing light, securing the engine, and ensuring the fuel selector was in the correct position, while the instructor focused on flying the aircraft.

Despite the sudden power loss, the approach was stable, and the instructor maintained a proper glide speed to maximise the remaining lift and distance.

As the aircraft descended, the instructor confirmed that the landing gear was down and locked, and verified that all other critical systems were configured for landing.

ATC cleared the runway of all other traffic and prepared emergency services as a precaution.

The instructor smoothly guided the plane to the runway, executing a textbook power-off landing.

The aircraft touched down without incident, rolling to a stop safely on the runway.

4. Result

The aircraft made a safe, controlled landing with no damage and no injuries to the occupants.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the engine failure was due to fuel starvation caused by an unnoticed switch to an empty fuel tank during the previous phase of flight.

ATC and emergency services commended the instructor and student for their calm and effective handling of the situation.

A debrief with the flight school highlighted the importance of regular fuel checks and the proper management of fuel tanks during flight.

The key lesson learned from this incident is the critical importance of proper fuel management and regular checks during flight to prevent fuel starvation.

Additionally, the value of remaining calm and methodical during an emergency cannot be overstated.

Clear communication with ATC and a solid understanding of emergency procedures were essential in resolving the situation safely.

The flight school reinforced these practices in subsequent training sessions to ensure all students are well-prepared for similar scenarios.

Warning signs to notice earlier

• A touch-and-go plan creates pressure to restore power even though the runway is already available.
• Troubleshooting tasks compete with maintaining the aircraft's approved glide speed and landing area.
• Configuration assumptions are stated generically instead of being checked against the actual PA-28 variant.

Decision analysis

On final approach the time and height available are limited. Flying the aircraft and securing a reachable landing area take priority; attempts to diagnose the engine must not destabilise the glide. Task sharing is useful only when controls and responsibilities are explicit.

The original scenario refers generically to confirming landing gear, but many PA-28 variants have fixed landing gear. That illustrates why a learning story cannot supply a type-specific checklist. Use the approved procedure for the exact registration and configuration rather than carrying details across a family name.

Safer alternatives to discuss

Discuss landing on the remaining runway, an overrun area or another reachable surface without inventing a universal answer. Wind, height, obstacles, runway remaining and aircraft energy determine the safest option. Declare the emergency early enough for traffic and services to respond.

Instructor or group debrief

1. Which actions directly preserve flight path?
2. Which checks are genuinely applicable to the exact aircraft?
3. How does a touch-and-go plan affect the landing decision?
4. What tasks can a second pilot complete without distracting the person flying?

Do not copy actions from this learning scenario into an aircraft checklist. Transfer the decision-making lesson, then use current official information, approved aircraft procedures and qualified instruction for the operation itself.