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assessment of the indications and airplane status, and prioritization of responses when the need to get down– the engine fire–was combined with the perceived need to go back up–the gear anomaly. Again, we’ll never know.An inflight emergency of this severity can be met by processing through a series of checklist procedures. In this case, the order would have been:• Engine fire in flight• Engine shutdown/securing• Single-engine approach and landing • Ground evacuationExtraneous indications, like the gear unsafe indication, must be recognized but then ignored when the great need is to get the aircraft on the ground. Even a “routine” engine shutdown (i.e., engine failure not involving fire, and a feathered propeller), generally means resisting any attempt at a single-engine go-around from less than traffic pattern altitude in most piston twins.But, you’ll only be able to triage inflight emergencies; do what you need to do and ignore the rest, if you are extremely familiar with the checklists and have made some general-conduct decisions ahead of time, before you are under extreme stress. So, pull out your Pilot’s Operating Handbook and become very familiar withthe Emergency checklists. Sit in the cockpit and run through them until your muscle memory matches your intellectual mastery of the procedures–you can safely do everything except move the landing gear handle up while you’re parked on the ramp or in the hangar, then use the Shutdown checklist to ensure everything is set correctly when you’re done.Afterward, visualize some scenarios and make some decisions–such as, if an engine is on fire you’ll shut it completely down, and if you’re close to the ground on one engine you’re committed to land, even if you have an unsafe gear indication. Bounce ideas off of other pilots of the same airplane type, if you have the chance...the internet chat lines are great for this sort of brainstorming. Only if you’ve developed a high level of command of your aircraft ahead of time, making well-thought-out decisions when there is no adverse stress on you at all, will you be prepared to act on these decisions in the event you have conflicting priorities during the worst flight of your life. T&T•Thomas P. Turner is an ATP CFII/MEI, holds a Masters Degree in Aviation Safety, and was the 2010 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year. Subscribe to Tom’s free FLYING LESSONS Weekly e-newsletter at www.mastery-flight-training.com.Northeast Air Inc. Half Page4/C Ad22 • TWIN & TURBINEFEBRUARY 2016