How should a flight crew respond to a single engine failure in cruise?

• A. Follow abnormal procedures, maintain control, select the best landing option, and coordinate with ATC for routing.
• B. Immediately descend to the nearest airfield regardless of procedures.
• C. Turn off all nonessential systems and continue as planned.
• D. Ignore the failure and continue climb at best effort.

Answer: (A)

Reacting to a single engine failure in cruise centers on staying in control, following the established abnormal procedures, quickly evaluating landing options, and coordinating with ATC. Maintaining control means keeping the aircraft stable and within safe flight parameters despite asymmetric thrust, using coordinated inputs and appropriate airspeed to avoid loss of control. Following the abnormal procedures means executing the engine-out checklist: identify the failed engine, secure it as required, verify systems and fuel on the operating side, and set the aircraft up for the best single-engine performance. Once control and engine management are under way, you evaluate the best landing option—looking at altitude, distance to suitable airports or fields, terrain, weather, and potential landing sites to maximize safety and make a controllable approach. Coordinating with ATC ensures you get priority routing, possible vectors to a suitable aerodrome, and the necessary emergency communications and support.

Descending immediately to the nearest airfield without completing procedures can waste energy and lead to an unsafe landing decision; turning off nonessential systems and continuing as planned ignores the need to secure the faulty engine and adjust for OEI performance; ignoring the failure and continuing climbing is obviously unsafe.