Prevent Aerodynamic Stalls At Low Altitude – NTSB Safety Alert

NTSB Safety Alert “Prevent Aerodynamic Stalls at Low Altitude”

The problem: While maneuvering an airplane at low altitude in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), many pilots fail to avoid conditions that lead to an aerodynamic stall, o recognize the warning signs of a stall onset, and o apply appropriate recovery techniques.

Many stall accidents that occur in VMC result when a pilot is momentarily distracted from the primary task of flying, such as while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern, during an emergency, or when fixating on ground objects.

Aerodynamic stall accidents fall into the “loss of control in flight” category, which is the most common defining event for fatal accidents in the personal flying sector of general aviation (GA).