2023-05 · NASA ASRS report 1996487
Tower Controller and Flight Instructor reported during initial climb the aircraft lost power and had to perform an air turnback. The Tower Controller cleared the aircraft to land on the nearest runway but the aircraft could not make it to the runway and was forced to land on a taxiway.
Cleared Aircraft X for takeoff from Runway XX. After witnessing Aircraft X airborne and 200 - 300 ft. off the ground over XX intersection I coordinated Runway XX back to Ground Control. Simultaneously; Aircraft Y was departing Runway XYR. I visually scanned back to Aircraft Y to transfer to Departure East. Seconds later Aircraft X declared they had lost their engine. I immediately scanned Runway XZ/XX and cleared them to land Runway XZ. I told Ground Control to stay clear of the runway for the landing. Aircraft X is extremely small and I couldn't locate it from the Tower visually. Aircraft X responded that they had landed on [Taxiway] XX.Having a fleet of small aircraft - 50 plus at ZZZ - that are extremely hard to locate visually due to their size is extremely dangerous to the environment of this airport. We control a fleet of Company heavy aircraft as well as a busy commercial terminal with GA itinerants with consistent volume. Controllers routinely lose visual contact with the aircraft due to their size. It is extremely difficult to impossible to make quick decisions to assist these aircraft in dire circumstances when they're so hard to see.
The aircraft passed the run-up and taxied to the runway without incident. It departed from Runway XX at Point XX and began a normal climb until reaching an altitude of 400 ft. AGL. At this point; the instructor took control and [requested priority handling] to ATC as the aircraft began to slow down. By the time the aircraft reached an altitude of 400 - 500 ft. AGL; its airspeed was marginally above stall speed and there was no remaining runway to land on. The airspeed continued to decrease drastically and the airplane began to shake; with the propeller making large; random changes. The pilot attempted to turn back around for airport property; lowering the nose of the aircraft. However; it was too low to make it back to Runway XX and was forced to land on Taxiway XX. Fortunately; the taxiway was clear and there were no collisions or injuries. The aircraft was inspected by Airport Operations and no issues were found. However; the firemen noted that the pilot was rattled and pale in the face after landing.The airplane was then run up by Maintenance; but they struggled to create power and noticed abnormal oscillations at around 65% power. An A&P inside the hangar also reported that the plane was making weird noises during the run-up. After further tear down and reassembly; the airplane was run up again; but it still made abnormal noises; with an A&P mentioning a knocking noise around 90% power. The fuel was sumped and no water was found.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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