Understanding Emergency Water Landing Training in Simulators

Emergency water landings, also known as ditching, are among the most challenging scenarios a pilot can face. While statistically rare, the consequences of an unprepared response are severe. Modern flight simulators offer the only safe and repeatable environment to practice these high-stress manoeuvres without endangering lives or equipment. This expanded guide details the comprehensive procedures for conducting emergency water landing training in aircraft simulators, from pre-simulation preparation to post-training analysis, ensuring pilots develop the muscle memory and decision-making skills required for real-world survival.

Simulator training for ditching is not merely about practicing a checklist; it involves replicating the psychological pressure, environmental cues, and system failures that accompany an actual water landing. By the end of this article, training captains, simulator instructors, and airline safety departments will have a structured framework for building effective water landing sessions.

Pre-Simulation Preparation and Configuration

Effective simulator training begins long before the first engine warning light illuminates. Proper preparation ensures the scenario is both realistic and educationally valuable.

Aircraft-Specific Ditching Procedures Review

Before entering the simulator, pilots must review the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) or Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) sections dedicated to ditching. Different aircraft types have unique requirements. For example, the Boeing 737 ditching checklist specifies landing gear position (typically up for water landings to prevent the aircraft from flipping), flap setting for optimal lift-to-drag ratio, and activation of the ditching switch which seals vents and valves. Instructors should ensure pilots understand why each step exists, not just the sequence of button pushes.

Simulator Environment Configuration

The quality of the simulation directly impacts learning transfer. Key environmental settings include:

  • Water State: Calm water, choppy seas, or swell conditions. Each affects impact dynamics and post-landing floatation.
  • Visibility: Day, dusk, or night. Night water landings are particularly disorienting due to lack of horizon.
  • Wind and Weather: Crosswinds, rain, and low-level turbulence add realism and challenge.
  • System Faults: Partial engine failure, hydraulic leaks, or electrical malfunctions that compound the emergency.
  • Time Pressure: Fuel remaining or distance to suitable water area to force decisive action.

Instructors should also configure the FAA's recommended simulator fidelity parameters for ditching scenarios, including realistic wave heights and motion cueing if available in full-flight simulators.

Crew Resource Management (CRM) Briefing

A pre-simulation briefing should assign roles: pilot flying (PF), pilot monitoring (PM), and possibly a cabin crew member (in multi-crew simulations). The briefing should cover communication protocols, decision-making triggers (e.g., when to declare an emergency, when to begin descent), and the plan for passenger evacuation if that element is included. Emphasize that the goal is not a perfect landing but a controlled, survivable outcome.

In-Simulation Procedures: Step-by-Step Execution

Once the simulator is "flying" and the emergency scenario is introduced, the following phased approach ensures comprehensive training.

Phase 1: Emergency Recognition and Assessment

The simulation often begins with an in-flight emergency—an engine failure, fire, or depressurization—that forces a water landing. Pilots must quickly confirm the nature of the emergency, assess the aircraft's capability to reach land, and decide that ditching is inevitable. Key actions:

  • Confirm the need for ditching: Verify fuel, distance, and remaining engine performance. Use navigation aids to identify the nearest suitable water area (avoiding shipping lanes or icebergs).
  • Declare Mayday: Use appropriate phraseology: "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, [Callsign], declaring emergency, water landing required, position [coordinates]."
  • Notify Cabin Crew: Activate the cabin crew interphone or passenger address to prepare for landing. Standard announcement: "Attention cabin crew, prepare for ditching. Prepare passengers for ditching briefing."

Time management is critical. Simulators can inject additional complications, such as a failure of the public address system, forcing pilots to use alternate communication methods.

Phase 2: Aircraft Configuration for Ditching

This phase focuses on configuring the aircraft to maximize survivability. Procedural steps vary by aircraft type, but the following are common:

  1. Activate the Ditching System: Turn the guarded ditching switch ON (closes outflow valves, pressurization system vents, and certain electronic doors).
  2. Set Landing Gear to UP: For most transport aircraft, gear up reduces the risk of the nose digging into the water and causing the aircraft to cartwheel. Some aircraft (e.g., turboprops with fixed gear) may require different procedures.
  3. Configure Flaps: Use the manufacturer-recommended flap setting (often Flaps 30 or full flaps) to optimize low-speed handling and touchdown speed. Too much speed increases impact forces; too little speed risks stall or high vertical descent rate.
  4. Arm and Test Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT): Ensure ELT is set to automatic or activate manually after landing if required.
  5. Secure Loose Items: In the flight deck, stow charts, bags, and coffee cups. Simulator fidelity may include virtual objects that can distract.
  6. Brief Ditching Passengers: If simulation includes cabin crew, the PF or PM should broadcast a ditching briefing: "Brace, brace, brace, heads down, stay down until the aircraft stops."

Instructors should observe checklist discipline: does the PM read items from the QRH or rely on memory? Memory items are acceptable for critical actions (e.g., ditching switch, gear up), but confirmation from the QRH is required when time permits.

Phase 3: Approach and Descent

The approach to a water landing mirrors a visual approach to a runway, but with no glideslope or runway lights. The pilot must judge altitude over featureless water, which can be deceptive. Procedures:

  • Establish a Constant Descent Path: Aim for a 3-degree glide path, similar to a normal approach. Use the flight director or reference the altitude over distance using DME or GPS groundspeed.
  • Manage Airspeed: Maintain the reference speed for the selected flap setting (VREF + wind/ gust add). Do not slow excessively; a slight speed increase (e.g., VREF + 10 knots) helps with control authority in turbulence or swell.
  • Aim for the Water Surface Parallel to Swell Direction: If the swell is visible (simulator can model), land parallel to the wave crests to minimize rolling forces. If no swell, land into the wind.
  • Use Autopilot if Available: Autopilot can reduce workload until the flare. Disengage at 100 feet AGL (or earlier if the system cannot handle overwater capture).
  • Maintain Situational Awareness: Monitor heading, altitude, descent rate, and airspeed. Do not allow sink rate to exceed 300 feet per minute in the flare.

A critical training point is illusion of height over water. Simulator instructors can add haze or sun reflections to degrade depth perception, forcing pilots to rely on instruments and using the radio altimeter callouts ("50…40…30…20…10…") for the flare.

Phase 4: The Landing Flare and Touchdown

The flare for a water landing is similar to a runway landing but with a crucial difference: the pilot must hold the aircraft off the water longer to bleed off speed and achieve a minimum vertical speed.

  • Start the Flare at Approximately 20–30 Feet: Gently increase pitch attitude to reduce descent rate while maintaining airspeed just above stall.
  • Aim for a "Grease Job": Touchdown with the lowest possible vertical speed and with the nose slightly higher than level (tail-first attitude if applicable). The tail contacting the water first is desirable for most aircraft designs, as it helps decelerate the aircraft smoothly.
  • Maintain Directional Control: Keep the wings level. If a bank develops, immediately correct using aileron and rudder. A wingtip digging into the water can cause a violent roll.
  • After Touchdown: Maintain pitch attitude as the aircraft slows down. Do not apply brakes—there is no friction. Reverse thrust may be used cautiously on water to slow down, but avoid asymmetric application that could cause turning.

In the simulator, instructors should include realistic motion cues (if available) or visual effects of water spray. The post-landing deceleration may be simulated by reducing groundspeed based on a physics model.

Phase 5: Post-Landing Actions and Evacuation

Survival depends on actions after the aircraft stops moving. Simulators can continue the scenario after water impact to practice egress.

  • Establish Aircraft Status: Check for fire, structural integrity, and flooding. Use checklists for "After Landing" if available.
  • Initiate Emergency Evacuation: The PF/PM commands "Evacuate, evacuate!" and ensures life vests are on. In the simulator, the cabin crew (or instructor role-play) commands passenger evacuation.
  • Deploy Life Rafts: If equipped, activate the automatic inflation system or manually deploy. Simulators can simulate the difficulty of deploying rafts from a partially submerged aircraft.
  • Activate ELT Manually: If not done earlier, flip the ELT switch to "ON" to transmit distress signal.
  • Abandon Aircraft: The flight crew exits through the overhead hatch or side window, ensuring life raft and survival equipment are secured.

This phase trains decision-making under pressure: when is the aircraft stable enough to evacuate? Should the crew stay to shut down engines? Practice with a time limit, as the aircraft may sink within minutes.

Post-Simulation Debrief and Performance Analysis

The debrief is the most valuable part of training. After the simulation ends, the instructor guides a structured review.

Objective Performance Metrics

Review recorded parameters: touchdown sink rate, landing speed, descent path deviation, time to complete checklists, and communication accuracy. Simulator software often provides replay with data overlays. Discuss why the sink rate was high (e.g., late flare) or why the speed was excessive (e.g., failure to extend full flaps).

Subjective Observations and CRM Assessment

Evaluate decision-making: Did the pilot initiate the ditching earlier than necessary (too cautious) or too late (risking impact in a non-survivable configuration)? Assess cockpit communication: was the PM assertive in calling out deviations? Did the PF accept inputs? Use the CRM model (SKYbrary resource) to discuss leadership, workload distribution, and situational awareness.

Lessons Learned from Incidents

Reference real-world water landings to add context. The "Miracle on the Hudson" (US Airways Flight 1549) demonstrated the importance of immediate crew coordination, passenger management, and post-ditching discipline. The NTSB final report on Flight 1549 is an excellent resource for highlighting how simulator training can prepare crews for ditching. Another case: the 2009 Air France Flight 447 was not a ditching but a stall, but it underscores the need for maintaining aerodynamic control in critical phases. Use such cases to reinforce why procedural adherence matters.

Advanced Training Scenarios and Variations

To deepen proficiency, instructors should periodically introduce non-standard scenarios:

  • Partial Ditching System Failure: The ditching switch fails to seal vents. Pilots must manually perform some sealing actions or decide to evacuate earlier due to increased risk of flooding.
  • Night or Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC): No visual reference to water. Pilots must perform an instrument approach to the surface using radio altimeter and pitch/ power settings.
  • Engine Failure After Water Contact: One engine still running, creating asymmetric thrust on the water, causing a turn. Pilots must shut down both engines immediately.
  • Post-Landing Fire: Fuel spill ignition. Simulate firefighting procedures while still on water.
  • Egress from Inverted Aircraft: (Advanced full-flight simulators only) Simulate a capsized aircraft, requiring crew to release seatbelts underwater and exit the flight deck.

Each scenario should be preceded by a brief briefing on the objectives and followed by a focused debrief.

Regulatory Requirements and Guidance

Training for emergency water landings in simulators is mandated by many aviation authorities. For example:

  • FAA Part 121 and Part 135: Require crewmembers to complete ditching training in an approved simulator every 12 months for some operations.
  • EASA ORO.FC.220: Mandates that flight crews practice ditching procedures in a flight simulation training device (FSTD) during recurrent training.
  • ICAO Annex 6: Recommends that "crew members shall be trained in the use of emergency and survival equipment and in the procedures for ditching and evacuation."

Instructors should ensure their training syllabus aligns with the latest FAA Advisory Circular AC 120-112 (Simulator Training for Flight Crews) for best practices in scenario-based training.

Conclusion: Building Competence Through Realistic Simulation

Emergency water landings are among the low-probability, high-consequence events that define expert pilots. Simulator training provides the only safe environment to practice the complex interplay of procedures, crew coordination, and judgment required for a successful ditching. By following a structured approach—thorough pre-simulation preparation, disciplined in-simulation execution, and insightful post-training debrief—airlines and training organizations can ensure their pilots are ready to handle a water emergency with confidence.

The key takeaway is that ditching is not a lost cause; it is a survivable event if the correct procedures are followed. Simulators allow that survival probability to be optimized through repetition, analysis, and continuous improvement. Every simulator session brings a pilot one step closer to turning a potential catastrophe into a controlled outcome.