Stall Recovery Procedure | EASA Community

Michel MASSON • 16 May 2025

in community General Aviation

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Loss of Control in Flight

Although some pilots think that stalling and spinning will only happen during training and skill tests, qualified pilots and their passengers continue to die after losing control at or near the stall and failing to properly recover.

Loss of Control Inflight is regularly identified in the EASA Annual Safety Reviews and other reference safety statistics as the major accident category in light (as well as in heavy) aeroplanes.

EGAST has addressed stall and spin loss of control inflight is their leaflet GA 8.

EGAST Leaflet Stall and Spin Loss of Control

This EGAST Leaflet GA 8 Stall and Spin Loss of Control was published in 2013:

EGAST stands for European General Aviation Safety Team. This team was closed in 2016 and its safety promotion role allocated to EASA and its GA advisory bodies.

This leaflet has two objectives:

It helps light aeroplane pilots recognise situations potentially leading to stall. The leaflet also provides generic principles for stall and spin prevention and recovery but does not address the differences between aeroplane types. Aircraft Flight Manuals should provide the procedures specific to each aeroplane.
It is also beneficial for leisure pilots seeking an airline pilot career. Acquiring the right reactions from the beginning of a flying career is key.

This GA Community article focuses on stall prevention and recovery.

Avoiding stall loss of control

The angle of attack is the angle between the aerofoil chord line and the free stream velocity vector:

Figure 1 Angle of Attack — *Figure 1: Angle of Attack*

A stall occurs when the angle of attack exceed the stall angle of attack:

Figure 2 Stall Angle of Attack — *Figure 2: Angle of Attack vs. Lift*

Some key points:

The angle of attack and the lift are low.
The angle of attack is higher and so is the lift.
The airflow has separated from a large part of the upper surface. The curve gets flatter: the lift ceases to increase with the angle of attack in the same proportion.
The critical angle of attack and the maximum lift are reached. This is the stall entry point or critical point.
The flow is almost fully separated from the upper part of the aerofoil. The angle of attack is higher than the critical value and the lift is dropping.

The stall corresponds to point 4 where the lift exceeds the critical point.

Speed and angle of attack

The stall angle of attack can be reached in any attitude, at any speed and with any control force.

Aircraft Flight Manuals and Pilots Operating Handbooks recommend speeds to fly in most situations. Maintain the correct airspeed, especially when flying close to the ground.

Many light aeroplanes provide no direct indication of the angle of attack. The main available parameter is Indicated Airspeed. The indicated speeds for the stall in level flight may be available in the Aircraft Flight Manual in the Performance and Stall Chapter.

Always think angle of attack when reading the speed: if you are in a turn, the same speed does not provide the same margin from the stall as in level flight!

Asymmetric stall

On an aeroplane, the stall can be more complex because the wing doesn’t have a constant profile on the entire span, with sometimes minor manufacturing differences between the left and the right wing.

Besides, in the case of propeller aircraft, the airflow from the propeller(s) can create a significant asymmetry on the wing. For all these reasons, even if the pilot manages to keep the aircraft in perfect balance, it may happen that one wing stalls slightly before the other one when increasing the angle of attack, leading to some wing drop or yaw motion.

Stall recovery

Added by the author of the article: CAUTION: In the event of an aerodynamic stall, resist the ‘instinctive’ urge to pull back on the controls — the usual action when willing to climb. This response is intensified by the startle and surprise effect, and acute stress. However, pulling back is inappropriate in a stall! The correct recovery action is to push the control forward (lower the nose) to reduce the angle of attack and restore lift.

To recover from a stall and eventually regain altitude, you must therefore first accept a temporary loss of altitude. This may feel counterintuitive, but that’s the correct recovery action

Relax any back pressure on the control column or move it forward centrally (ailerons neutral) to reduce the angle of attack on both wings together. In a turn, release the pull but avoid inducing roll by replacing the control in the centre.

If prompt action is taken while approaching the stall - just when the stall warning device sounds for instance, the attitude change required is usually small and the loss of altitude, if any, will be minimal.

Once you have recovered from the stall, level the wings. Do not roll the aeroplane until all symptoms of the stall have disappeared to avoid asymmetrical inputs at high angle of attack. Then adjust speed with power appropriately for the remainder of your flight.

Other aspects addressed in the leaflet

Parameters affecting stall: angle of attack, aircraft configuration, load factor, engine power
Signs of stall and spin, stall warning devices
Risky situations
Preventing a developed spin
Training

Take aways

A stall occurs when the angle of attack is above the stall or critical angle of attack. To safely avoid and recover from stall:

Be alert and prepared to face the unexpected.
Keep your wings and airframe clean and clear of ice, anticipate bad weather and stay in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC).
Keep a safe margin from the stall angle of attack by always keeping a safe speed. When manoeuvring, the load factor and the stall speed increase, so keep the speed up!
Apply immediate recovery action whenever the stall warning rings or if the aeroplane does not normally react to your control inputs. Relax any back pressure on the control column or move it forward centrally to reduce the angle of attack. In a turn, beware not to induce yaw by roll while moving the column to the centre.
Be gentle on the control to avoid secondary stall or spin.
Apply power with care so that resultant forces do not make the situation worse.
Read, understand and remember the contents of the Aircraft Flight Manual and Pilot Operating Handbook for your aeroplane: remember the stall indicated airspeeds for the different flap configurations.
Know the behaviour and feel of the aircraft at high angle of attack, so that you can use this behaviour and feel to detect that you are close to stall.
Recognise the stall warning indications for YOUR aeroplane and practice your airplane specific stall avoidance and recovery procedures regularly at safe altitudes to maintain your handling skills – best with an instructor.
Seek advice from an instructor if you are unsure of any technique.

Standard stall recovery procedure

Use the stall recovery procedure provided in your Aeroplane Flight Manual.

In case your Aeroplane Flight Manual doesn’t include such a procedure, EGAST has provided a standard stall recovery procedure suitable to aeroplanes.

This procedure is not applicable during the flare phase or when the intent is to correct a landing.

Seek advice from an instructor if you are unsure of how this technique would apply to your aircraft.

This stall recovery procedure is consistent with the standard approach described in the EASA Safety Information Bulletin 2013-02 on Stall and Stick Pusher Training and FAA AC 120-109 Stall Prevention and Recovery Training.

The procedure

At the first indication of a stall, for example aural or visual warning, uncontrolled lateral departure, pitch down, stick shaker, stick pusher, buffeting, etc.:

Disconnect the autopilot (if applicable) Rationale: Autopilot disconnection allows taking manual control of the airplane for the recovery. Beware of possible pitch variation at disconnection.
a. Apply nose down pitch control until the stall indications have disappeared.Rationale: The priority is to reduce the angle of attack to recreate lift. b. If necessary: apply nose down pitch trim Rationale: If the authority of the elevator is not sufficient, it may be necessary to trim down.
Level the wings Rationale: Direct the lift vector vertically to ease the recovery.
Adjust thrust as necessary Rationale: The stall may happen at any power between idle and maximum power. During the recovery, it might not be necessary to apply maximum power. Thrust is adjusted as a function of the stall conditions and of the power of the engine(s) mounted on the airplane. Insure as much as possible the symmetry of the flight.
Retract the airbrakes (or speedbrakes) (if applicable) Rationale: This will improve acceleration and may also increase lift.
Return to the desired flight path Rationale: Apply a smooth action to avoid secondary stall and come back to a suitable trajectory. The priority is to recover from the stall, not to minimise loss of altitude: altitude aspects will be dealt with after full stall recovery.