Year after year, the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA nag pilots about accidents caused by “loss of control – in flight,” which usually means a stall. The topic is well covered in training too. Dozens of questions on the subject appear on the knowledge test, and stalls are performed on the practical test and are part of any decent flight review. And yet while accidents caused by weather and controlled flight into terrain are declining, stalls remain one of the leading causes of fatal accidents in general aviation. Clearly, something is not working.
Stalls Aren’t a Maneuver, They’re an Emergency
Key Takeaways:
- Despite extensive training and warnings, stalls remain a leading cause of fatal general aviation accidents, indicating that current, procedural training methods are largely ineffective.
- Commonly proposed solutions like new technology (e.g., AoA indicators) or reintroducing spin training are deemed insufficient, as many fatal stalls occur at unrecoverable low altitudes or stem from factors beyond basic stick-and-rudder skills.
- Many stall accidents are rooted in poor performance planning, weight-and-balance errors, or basic proficiency lapses, often occurring during critical phases like takeoff or go-around, rather than just the base-to-final turn.
- Effective stall prevention requires a shift to realistic, scenario-based training that emphasizes immediate instinctive reactions to impending stalls (unloading the wing), maintaining thoughtful safety margins, and fostering overall aircraft mastery to avoid stalls as mistakes.
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