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Nobody thinks it will happen to them. But before you know it, there you are, low, slow, and approaching a stall.
Where Do Stall-Spin Accidents Happen The Most?
The Air Safety Foundation conducted a study of 450 stall-spin accidents from 1993 to 2001 to find out where they occurred and how they compared to other types of accidents. And to focus on general aviation, they only looked at accidents involving aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds.
So where did the accidents happen? At least 80% of them started from an altitude of less than 1000′ AGL. What’s the significance of 1000′ AGL? It’s the traffic pattern altitude at most airports.
This brings up the major problem with stall-spin accidents at low altitudes. The altitude loss during a stall recovery for most GA aircraft is estimated to be 100-350 feet. Which, in many cases, gives you enough room to recover from a stall in the pattern.
But spins are a whole different story. In the 1970s, NASA studied altitude loss in spins of several aircraft, one of which was the Piper Arrow.
What they found was astonishing. The Arrow had an average loss of 1,160′ in spin entry through recovery. And, keep in mind, that’s in an aircraft flown by a test pilot.
It doesn’t take a math genius to figure out the problem here. If you’re flying a 1,000′ AGL traffic pattern and you get yourself into a spin, you won’t have enough altitude to recover, no matter how quick your reaction or your recovery technique is.
Who Do Stall-Spin Accidents Happen To?
“But this would never happen to me.” You’ve probably already thought this. So who are these stall-spin accidents affecting?
According to the ASF study, student pilots and ATPs were the least likely pilots to have a stall-spin accident. That leaves the majority of stall-spin accidents to private and commercial pilots.
It makes sense that the most experienced pilots, ATPs, are among the least likely to get into a situation like this. But student pilots? They have the least flight time and experience. This study, and many like it, suggest that students are still under enough supervision and are still cautious enough to keep themselves away from a stall-spin scenario.
But private and commercial pilots like you and me (who make up the vast majority of GA pilots) are the prime candidates for a stall-spin accident.
There are many reasons for this. Lack of proficiency and complacency are two of the leading factors. (When was the last time you practiced stalls, or better yet, turning stalls?)
What’s Being Done To Prevent Stall-Spins?
So what’s being done to help prevent stall-spin accidents? The FAA’s rules for slow flight in the ACS are a clue.
In the old Private Pilot PTS, slow flight was performed at “an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or reduction in power would result in an immediate stall”.
So in the old way of doing things, you would experience the stall warning horn and aircraft buffet throughout the maneuver.
Now, with the ACS, things have changed.
According to the ACS for slow flight, you now need to “Establish and maintain an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or reduction in power, would result in a stall warning (e.g., aircraft buffet, stall horn, etc.).”
And here’s how the FAA suggests pilots set up the maneuver:
One way to set up for the maneuver is to slow the airplane to the stall warning in the desired configuration and note the airspeed. Next, reduce the pitch or AOA slightly and eliminate the stall warning indication, adjust power to maintain altitude, and note the airspeed required to perform the slow flight maneuver in accordance with the standard. For example, the pilot may first note the stall warning indication at 50 knots. A slight pitch down to eliminate the stall warning, while adjusting the power to maintain altitude, might then cause the airspeed to increase to 52 knots. That 52 knot airspeed would be the base airspeed to perform the slow flight maneuver. The pilot can adjust pitch and power as necessary during the maneuver to stay within the ACS airspeed standard without the stall warning indication. By setting up the maneuver this way, the pilot can achieve a similar AOA for the maneuver, regardless of weight or density altitude, and meet the objectives of the slow flight task. If a stall warning occurs while maneuvering in slow flight, the expectation is that the pilot will take the appropriate action to correct it.
So why the change?
The FAA recently said this: “The FAA does not advocate disregarding a stall warning while maneuvering an airplane. With the exception of performing a thoroughly briefed full-stall maneuver, a pilot should always perform the stall-recovery procedure when a stall warning is activated.”
The FAA clearly doesn’t want pilots to be complacent about the stall warning horn. By changing the maneuver, their hope is that the stall warning horn will be as ear-piercing as ever, grabbing your attention as you approach a stall. In addition to that, there have been cases of student-instructor training accidents that resulted from slow flight. By speeding up the maneuver, the FAA is, in theory, making the training environment safer.
Staying Alert, Especially Down Low
This, like most things in aviation, always comes back to the basics.
There’s no substitute for flight proficiency. And when things start to go wrong in the pattern, going around and giving yourself another chance is almost always the best option.
So the next time you’re flying, climb to altitude and practice some stalls and slow flight. And if it’s been a long time since you’ve done either, get an instructor so they can give you feedback on how you did.
A little practice and proficiency can go a long way.
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