Anatomy of a Cirrus Stall Accident

So-called over-the-top or cross-control stall accidents have been common among general aviation pilots for years. But no one has ever really documented what happens in one--until now. Thanks the widespread use of glass cockpits, this fatal stall accident has been extraordinarily well documented by accident investigators and includes a video re-creation.

[Jman]

I just start watching AvWeb and Paul hasn't aged in 11 years....

[TheAirplaneDriver]

Did a flight review with an experienced pilot a few years ago in an RV 10. We were on right downwind to land simulated engine out. We were high and as he started his base turn he banks hard right and starts pulling. I asked him what he was doing and his answer was to “load up the plane to lose altitude.” I immediately leveled the bank and relaxed the pitch and told him he was going to kill us if he did that.

I have no idea where people learn this stuff.

[LordSandwichII]

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
fools." Douglas Adams

[cherokee]

This is the deadly classic:
1. Low
2. Steep turn
3. Pull because airplane starts to lose altitude rapidly i steep turn
4. Step in opposite rudder because turn gets too steep
5. Make a snap roll opposite to the direction of the turn and ...
6... die
It has happened hundreds of times. And no matter how often we flight instructors warn students about steep turns near the ground ... there is always another one.

[scottstewart]

I'm a student pilot. Thank you so much for doing videos like these. I learn something every time I watch one your presentations.

[AVLife]

I’d imagine if the FAA were a person, it would look like this guy.

[BlueBaron]

I believe Paul was among the first aviation writers to dismiss the initially high number of fatal accidents in the Cirrus as being the fault of the airplane. John King, a few years back, may not have used the term, affluenza, as a cause of aviation accidents but he accurately, though diplomatically, spelled it out. As aviation left the realm of middle-class avocations many of those with the means to pursue it were, due to the very root of their financial success, temperamental ill-suited to pursue it. Aviation is not about what you want. If you approach it in the no-excuses manic success at all costs manner that gave you to the ability to purchase a new aircraft, it will kill you.

[jimfree]

Paul Bertorelli 2020; folksy, truthful, relate-able - and one hell of a 'stache.

[stewartgrant]

This is the best briefing I've seen to show a student pilot. It also touches on why an aircraft can try to roll out of a descending turn and roll in to a climbing turn. Excellent.

[cjad]

Who the hell allows an aircraft to enter a 60 degree bank at 300 ft AGL? Regardless of the design of your damn wing.

[tricknfa]

This was posted in 2009 and he references a 2010 magazine article. I think the matrix is broken again

[anythingthatflys]

Just for some background information on the instructor, he was a very experienced and proficient pilot. He was a one of the best IA/AP mechanics and understood airplanes better than most, but did not even want to do the flight review because he hated the Cirrus. He also was a aerobatic and antique pilot who had just earned his sailplane rating. Before you judge these guys ability just relize that we all make mistakes no matter our experience. He was one of my good friends and missed greatly!

[yztyzt]

Even when I flew model RC air planes, I was always very careful about the final turn and approach. I took long approaches that avoids anything even close to sharp turns.

[intrepid_wandering]

What in the love of god was he trying to do? You think the instructor would have jumped in at some point. =/

[MyTubeUtoo]

The words of my first instructor from 1979 have never left me, *"Just fly the airplane."*

[beechcraftpvp]

If I may, I am a 22 year old commercial pilot. It is, in fact, less dangerous to fly than to drive. You don't think that 20 year olds should be allowed to fly? I've been flying solo since I was 18. Many airline pilots are 23 years old. Most Air Force pilots are 26 or under. Young people can be responsible as well as old. A person that is 18 can go buy a car or motorcycle, so why can't they buy an airplane? Please use common sense before making a senseless post that makes you look stupid.

[daffidavit]

More stall-spin accidents occur when the engine quits after take off than what is commonly believed to be the from the "base to final" approach turn. See AOPA magazine statistics for authority. It's quite rare for the airplane to stall in the traffic pattern when things are going well. But imagine you have just departed and are climbing through five hundred feet when the engine abruptly quits. Studies show most people need at least five seconds to figure out they need to immediately react. Buy that time, the energy has been greatly depleted and the airspeed is slow. The airplane is about to stall and the nose is still in a climb attitude. Unless the pilot is cocked and ready to instantly pitch over, an incipient stall-spin will likely occur.
We need to teach pilots prior to departure to be ready at an instant to get the nose over into below level attitude and fly the plane as slowly as possible into the inevitable crash. As Bob Hoover has always pounded into our thick skulls: "fly the damn thing into the crash as long a possible". This way the energy will be dissipated slowly so that there will be at least a chance of survival. The force of the crash is quadrupled with respect to speed as the craft dissipates its energy along the ground. The longer it takes to land in the crash the better chance you have to survive. Simple as that.
Guys, the base to final stall spin event is extremely rare. Yes, we should pay attention to high "G" loading and steep turns while low to the ground. But the biggest killer of people in GA accidents is when the engine quits after take off. We need to be hair-triggered and ready to push the nose over. Better to crash into something where it takes time to dissipate the energy than to go straight down. In that event, there is no chance at all.

[thesunking]

Great video. CFI must have been sleeping. This was a go around. That said pilot traning doesn't include hands on spin training. For that reason pilots should play with flightsims where you can develop muscle memory and technique and gain a very deep understanding of stalls, spins and in this case snap rolls. So any aspect or scenario can played out until you know how you will deal with it as here, just abort and go around.

[ultraflt]

Paul great analysis and a very educational message for all to remember. What I find truly tragic with this accident was that they had an out being a Cirrus yet the BRS was not used. I hope if I am in that situation or another airframe failure I will remember that handle

[johnnybartlett]

As a cfi I can say this was so totally unnecessary. Why would the instructor giving the review even allow this? So sad and unnecessary 😞