The commercial pilot took off for a personal flight in a Cessna 162 and flew uneventfully for about 44 minutes, including a touch-and-go landing at another airport about 10 minutes before the fatal accident, after which he made several turns in the area around Borrego Springs, Calif.
According to the recovered flight data from the avionics system, during the last minute of the recorded data, the plane was in a gradual climb with a pitch-up attitude of about 7° and a left bank of about 5°. The airspeed was gradually decreasing. In the next 30 seconds, the pitch increased to a maximum of 28° nose up, and the airspeed decreased to a minimum of 38 knots indicated airspeed. The engine maintained about 2,200 rpm during this time.
The airplane’s Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) states that the stall speed for the airplane is 41 knots indicated airspeed with the flaps up and power at idle. The data were consistent with a power-on stall.
The POH states that for power-on stall recovery, the pilot is to simultaneously decrease power and lower the nose.
Following the stall, the airplane’s pitch then decreased to a maximum of 69° nose down before it stabilized about 30° nose down for the remainder of the recording with a descent rate of about 4,500 ft per minute.
The airplane then banked from 76° left to 75° right in about 1 second; at this point, the engine power began to decrease. The bank stabilized about 10° right for the remainder of the recording.
Spins completed about every two seconds were recorded during the final 20 seconds. Further, during this final 20 seconds, the airplane’s engine rpm decreased from 2,100 to 1,800 rpm.
The POH lists recovery procedures to accomplish should an inadvertent spin occur. The first step is to immediately retard the throttle to the idle position. The next steps are to place the ailerons in the neutral position and then apply and hold full rudder opposite to the direction of rotation.
The POH has a warning that recommends spin procedures be memorized to ensure prompt and proper recovery techniques are used in the event that an inadvertent spin is encountered.
The recorded data revealed that, although the pilot pitched the nose down following the power-on stall, he did not simultaneously reduce the power. Further, the airplane’s engine throttle was not immediately retarded to the idle power position when the spin began, and the pilot did not apply the appropriate controls.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s failure to recover from a stall, which resulted in a subsequent spin from which he did not recover because he did not immediately apply the proper stall and spin recovery techniques.
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA381
This September 2014 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
PARE
Power- reduce
Ailerons- Neutral
Rudder- opposite
Elevator- nose down (as needed)
this is what i was taught and memorized.
What does medical have to do with flying proficiency?
Is the doctor visit going to improve his flying skills?
If your News Letter is going to publish a spin recovery procedure and quote it as the POH approved method, you need to get it right. Your article states the POH recovery is, “The first step is to immediately retard the throttle to the idle position. The next steps are to place the ailerons in the neutral position and then apply and hold full rudder opposite to the direction of rotation”. You leave out the most important step in the recovery, down elevator.
Cessna’s spin recovery technique is not the most effective technique, proven in flight tests, but it is more effective than what your article claims is in the Cessna POH approved method..
Please proof read your articles before putting it out to new pilots that might take it as fact.
The real problem is the failure of our FAA to require spin recovery training as part of pilot certification.
Why does my comment require moderation?
Seems kind of odd that an experienced pilot could not recover but then the step of reducing power after a power on stall does not sound like the technique that my instructor taught me, That was a long time ago but as I recall it was more about lowering the nose and using the high power to accelerate you out of the stall since you were already very nose high. Maybe a CFI out there can enlighten us on which way is normally taught. I also recall that Cessna crashed a prototype during stall testing and had to make changes to the airframe, maybe their changes were to minimal given the expense of changing a composite design after the production molds are made.
Your right about the power on stall Sarah, this article has more than one inaccurate statement or procedure.
If you have any doubts, please discuss this article with an experienced flight instructor.
Tom
Frozen like the proverbial deer in headlights and waiting for impact would seem to describe what happened to this pilot after the airplane departed controlled flight and entered what is described as the incipient phase of a spin.