Small airplanes usually use an internal-combustion piston engine, which are not that reliable, and often very old. An emergency landing is an expedited landing made by an aircraft in response to an emergency involving an imminent or ongoing threat to the safety and operation of the aircraft, or involving a sudden need for a passenger or crew on board to terminate the flight (such as a medical emergency). There are three types of off-airport landings. Precautionary landings are made with power in anticipation of a real emergency. Forced landings are made with a dead engine. And a ditching is a forced landing in water. Speed | Control | Failure | Mode of Transport | Journey