Power on Stall Develops Into a Spin

You've got to expect things are going to go wrong. And we always need to prepare ourselves for handling the unexpected.
— Neil Armstrong, 2005 movie Magnificent Desolation: Walking On The Moon.

December 18, 2012, Tombstone, Arizona. This was a practice power on stall exercise with a student in a Cessna 172 (180HP STC). Notice aircraft is yawing left due to lack of right rudder. When the left wing drops the student attempted recovery by trying to lift the down wing with aileron (a very natural yet incorrect response) , this only aggravates the stall (by further increasing the wings AOA, and more deeply stalling the wing) and the development of a spin begins as we go into the vertical. The correct response to a wing drop is quick and pronounced opposite rudder.

In 15 seconds we went from 7600ft MSL to 6600ft MSL before recovering. The descent was 4000ft a minute! We leveled off at 2100ft AGL and would have had only an additional 30 seconds before impact.

The student goes hands off as I go hands on. We were able to recover after only half a turn (incipient phase) so the spin never fully developed. While pointed in the vertical directly at the ground I will tell you I had to mentally force myself to release the back pressure on the yoke. The urge to keep the yoke fully aft was very strong. As soon as I applied opposite right rudder the rotation stopped (again we were in the incipient phase so the rudder had a ton of authority still, this would not have been the case had the spin fully developed).

It was an intense experience where training I received over a year ago suddenly kicked in. I am very thankful to my CFI spin instructor & air show pilot, Marcus Paine (RIP 8/2016), and the great aerobatic instructors at Chandler Air Service, for preparing me to handle this situation which I was told would eventually happen.

A pilot who wants to train out the natural response to lift a wing with aileron should practice the falling leaf exercise with a CFI.

[mikekessinger]

I dont understand why people have disliked the video! This is the perfect example of a student pilot who made a real life mistake and, more than likely, learned from it. Many student pilots go through flight training with only being told how to recover from a spin and have never been through one. Perfect example of what not to do and what to do in the event of a spin.

[JohnRobertson]

To any student pilots watching this, notice how he reacted to the left wing drop by inputting right aileron. If you do this, it further agitates the stalled wing and can induce a spin. Don’t use ailerons in a stall. Minor corrections are okay, but only if coordinated. Use the rudder to prevent this from happening to you.

[BillNeilan]

The student is like “ ya know what? I’m taking up guitar!!! “

[ModanoTheBest]

I can still hear my instructor yelling... RIGHT RUDDER. xD

[thierryvt]

Textbook example of why not to use ailerons when stalling. Thanks for sharing

[charleskelly]

Good video! I made the same mistake 57 years ago in a Cessna 150. Let go of the controls and it came right out. Landed and got an Instructor and we went right back up and I learned a lot in the next hour with one of the "Old Timers." Now, 57 years and 30K+ hours later, I've taught spins to upcoming aviators. Never stop learning. "Mike" Kelly, now myself, an "Old School" Aviator and CFI.

[sizzlingsteak]

I didn’t realize there were so many CFI’s in the YouTube community

[capceo]

This is a fantastic video of a flight instructor who knows where the "mistake threshold" lies. Too many CFI's want to intervene to prevent the student from making mistakes. There's sometimes a fine line between a mistake that will teach a lesson, and a mistake that will bend the airplane. A good CFI knows where the line is, and when he needs to intervene, and when he can let it play out so the student has an opportunity to realize what he did wrong, and learn from it. Fantastic demonstration of the latter.

[jakejones]

I can tell that was his FIRST spin, as he tried to correct with aileron.

[thomthumbe]

Despite not being required as a student, I specifically asked for a day or two with spins. I’ve never regretted it since. In fact I’ll force one every now and then nowadays just to stay current with how a spin feels just before it begins and how to make it stop.

[letsgofly]

As CFI who provides spin training, I am SO GRATEFUL for this video. I can explain inadvertent spin entries all day long and foot stomp “do not use the ailerons to bring up a dropping wing” but that doesn’t carry near the weight of an actual real life example. I show this video when I give spin instruction. Classic. Thank you for posting!

[timmorris]

I got my license back in 1982 with a group of 4 friends who all lived on a private airstrip. (We are all still alive and flying today thanks to him) Our instructor was also an airline's captain. He made certain that we learned rolls, loops, stalls, spins, and that we became comfortable with them. He knew that straight and level flight was only enough knowledge to get us into trouble, so he gave the extended course. All of our students now take 10 hours aerobatics training before getting licensed. The best thing you'll Ever do for safety. 9 out of 10 aircraft accidents are pilot error due to panic, confusion, and lack of knowledge for that situation. If you watch this video and get scared or have a negative comment, then get the training or stay home.

[firemedictv]

I remember one of my first power on stalls with my instructor and I did this exact same thing. My hand went straight up and I was prepared to die as my instructor took over while he was laughing! It was a very good experience and one that I will never forget. In my opinion, spin training should be done for all levels of pilots. Especially private pilots, we teach them how to get out of a stall but not a spin? It could save lives.

[TheFlyingChef]

I can hear my instructor in the back of my head.. "right rudder, Right Rudder, RIGHT RUDDER, I have control"

[avr]

ATC- “DECEND 1000 IMMEDIATELY”
Pilot- *induces spin*

[robertvaughan]

Great example of how aileron input only exacerbates the spin.

[murilovsilva]

These were very good words of wisdom. I would like to thank you for sharing them and this wonderful video!

I worked as a CFI for almost four years, flying almost exclusively in Cessna 152s. And the threat of a stall progressing into a spin is very real. I've had it happen with me a handful of times, and with all kinds of students - PPL students, proficient private pilots and even during CFI training with proficient commercial pilots. As you mentioned, when a stall maneuver goes badly and the airplane surprises you with a spin, it can be really hard to ignore your instinctive urges to apply aileron and keep the column pulled back. This just goes to show the importance of understanding the aerodynamics of the spin, and also the importance of always thoroughly briefing the maneuvers of the day.

Thanks again for the great video!

[lucaas]

Great video and learning moment! Would you be okay with me featuring this in an episode of Weekly Dose of Aviation? Of course you will be credited both in the video and in the description.

[josephdittrich]

Great video thanks for sharing! THIS is exactly why I require spin training for my student pilots training for private pilot.

When I was going through flight training myself, I knew of two people in my same class who inadvertently entered spins on solo flights practicing maneuvers in the practice area, both had practiced spins in the simulator, but hadn't had any flight training with spins. I want every one of my students to have their first spin in a controlled environment with an instructor in the right seat.

Once you have practiced spins, they become very safe, and actually are one of my favorite things to do in an airplane (provided you're in an airplane that is rated for spins and there's no AD's against spins).

I'll be doing some upset recovery training soon in a Citabria, where we'll be doing inverted and flat spins, and I can't wait.

[skyhawk_]

I took flight lessons in the '90s with a fairly young instructor. 
He never talked to me about the importance of maintaining coordinated flight into and through the stall, or the dangers of abrupt aileron inputs at or near stalls.  I ended up putting us in a spin and it scared the shit out of me.  I got us out of it without his assistance in about three rotations, but stalls still totally scared me after that, because he never explained to me why it happened and how I could avoid it in the future.
After a lot of years of not flying, I decided to take up flight training up again.  This time, I had an instructor who explained to me why rudder input is so important, and why I should always compensate for a wing drop with rudder and not aileron control.  After it was explained, it made sense, and now I'm not terrified of stalls anymore.
Communication and explanation was the key.