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Private pilot · ACS PA.VII.B · lesson pack

Power-Off Stalls

Why this one matters

Power-off stalls happen for real in the traffic pattern: a slow, overshooting turn to final, a distracted approach, too much rudder to tighten the turn. Close to the ground there is little room. This task is about recognizing the stall coming and recovering correctly by instinct, so it never gets that far.

1 · Know these cold

  • •Recovery, every time: Disconnect any autopilot or wing leveler; reduce the angle of attack (pitch down until the stall warning stops); then level the wings with coordinated aileron and rudder; add power as needed (with right rudder for the left-turning tendency), retracting any speed brakes; then return to the desired flight path. The POH procedure governs.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
  • •Reducing the angle of attack comes first. Power alone does not recover a stall.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
  • •The power-off stall simulates the approach and landing: the approach or landing configuration (as the evaluator specifies), coordinated throughout, a stabilized descent (about 500 fpm at approach speed), then a smooth pitch-up to the stall.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S3-S5)
  • •Know the cues: the stall warning, mushy controls, buffet, quieter air noise, a high nose.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • •Pulling back too soon in the recovery causes a secondary stall.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • •A skidding turn (too much rudder, opposite aileron) at low speed causes a cross-control stall, which can become a spin.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • •Clear the area with clearing turns and a look for traffic and terrain, and pick an entry altitude so the whole task is completed no lower than 1,500 feet AGL (3,000 in a multiengine airplane); bank no more than 20° in turning stalls.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S1-S2, S6)

2 · The lesson

Why wings stall
  • The wing stalls when it exceeds its critical angle of attack. Airflow separates from the upper surface and lift drops.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Stall speed depends on load factor, weight, CG, power and configuration; for a given configuration the critical angle of attack doesn't change. It rises with the square root of the load factor (a level 60° bank is 2 G, about 41% higher), and with weight and a forward CG; an aft CG lowers it but degrades recovery and spin resistance. A stall can happen at any airspeed, in any attitude, at any power setting.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Attitude and yaw matter too: in a skidding turn the inside wing stalls first and the airplane rolls toward it.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • Many trainers are designed so the root stalls before the tips (washout), which delays the loss of roll control; that's a design tendency, not a guarantee. Near the stall the ailerons are weak and produce strong adverse yaw: don't use aileron to pick up a dropping wing while stalled; reduce the angle of attack first and coordinate with rudder. Some airplanes break sharply or drop a wing; know yours from the POH.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Impending stall cues: the stall warning, mushy controls, buffet, quieter wind noise, a high nose and falling airspeed. Full stall: a nose-down pitch break or a high sink rate you can't arrest with back pressure. On the checkride, acknowledge the cues of the impending stall out loud, then recover promptly after the full stall.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S7)
How it happens, and the recovery
  • Real power-off stalls come from turning too steeply or too slowly onto final, stretching a glide, or pulling the nose up to avoid landing short.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • The recovery: Disconnect any autopilot or wing leveler; reduce the angle of attack (pitch down until the stall warning stops); then level the wings with coordinated aileron and rudder; add power as needed (with right rudder for the left-turning tendency), retracting any speed brakes; then return to the desired flight path. The POH procedure governs.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
  • Lowering the nose is what un-stalls the wing. Adding power without reducing the angle of attack can make things worse.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
  • After the recovery, establish a positive rate of climb before retracting flaps to the recommended setting (or the gear, if retractable); accelerate to VX (obstacles) or VY before the final flap retraction; then return to the altitude, heading and airspeed the evaluator specified.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S9-S10)
  • Prevention: fly a stabilized approach at the right speed, avoid steep turns low, and go around early.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Warnings, other stalls, and the environment
  • A stall warning device typically activates 5 to 10 knots above the stall in the configuration flown (see the POH). Treat it as a command to reduce the angle of attack now. It can fail, be dead with the electrical power off, or be masked, so use sight, sound and feel together (buffet, mushy controls, attitude) rather than the horn alone.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • A brief stall horn just before touchdown in a full-stall landing is normal. Anywhere else, it's a warning.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • Secondary stall: pulling back too hard or too soon during recovery stalls the wing again.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • Accelerated stall: a stall at higher than normal airspeed from abrupt or excessive back pressure or a steep turn.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • Cross-control stall: in a skidding turn with too much inside rudder and opposite aileron, the inside wing can stall first and roll the airplane toward a spin. Keep turns coordinated.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
  • Gusts, turbulence, wind shear and microbursts change the angle of attack and airspeed suddenly. At high density altitude the climb after recovery is weaker.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
Doing it safely
  • Clear the area and keep looking for other aircraft, terrain, obstacles and wires, during the clearing turns and the recovery; you'll lose altitude and change heading.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S1, R7)
  • Distraction, poor task management and lost situational awareness or disorientation are how real stalls start. Fly the airplane first; radio calls and checklists can wait.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
  • In the pattern, on a low overshoot from base to final, be reluctant to exceed about 30° of bank, and never skid the turn to correct it: keep it coordinated or go around.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

  • Heading ±10° in straight flight; bank no more than 20°, ±10°, in turning flight.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S6)
  • Recover promptly after a full stall; complete no lower than 1,500 feet AGL; return to the specified altitude, heading and airspeed.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S2, S7, S10)

What your instructor is watching for

Your instructor watches for a prompt nose-down recovery (not power first), coordinated rudder throughout, no secondary stall, and the correct POH clean-up and climb.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

  1. Remember Recall it

    “What is the first step in recovering from a stall?”

  2. Understand Explain why

    “Why doesn't adding full power recover a stall by itself?”

  3. Apply Use it on a flight

    “You overshoot the turn to final and feel tempted to add rudder to tighten it. What do you do?”

4 · Common mistakes

  • Adding power before lowering the nose.

    The wing stays stalled until the angle of attack comes down.

    Instead: Pitch down first, then wings level, then power.

  • Pulling up too early in the recovery.

    It causes a secondary stall.

    Instead: Let airspeed build, then raise the nose smoothly.

  • Using ailerons to pick up a dropping wing at the stall.

    Down aileron raises that wing's angle of attack and can deepen the stall on that side.

    Instead: Reduce the angle of attack first, keep coordinated with rudder, then level the wings.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

  1. 1. What configuration is used for a power-off stall?

  2. 2. What are the steps of stall recovery?

  3. 3. What is a secondary stall?

  4. 4. How steep may the bank be in a turning power-off stall on the checkride?

  5. Scenario5. You're skidding a turn to final with lots of inside rudder. What stall are you setting up?

  6. 6. Does the critical angle of attack change with weight?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice power-off stalls out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · Slow Flight & Stalls

A gusty crosswind gives you a tailwind on base, and the higher groundspeed carries you through final on the turn. You're slow and tempted to add bottom rudder to tighten the turn.

What links slow flight, stall recognition and spin awareness here? Decide, then see the worked answer

The tailwind on base raised your groundspeed and carried you through the final course; that's the setup, so recognize the setup rather than wait for stall cues, because a cross-controlled stall gives little warning. Rudder doesn't tighten a turn the way you want. Bottom rudder yaws the nose in and steepens the bank, so you hold opposite aileron to stop the roll and pull to keep the nose up. Bottom rudder, opposite aileron and back pressure together drive the inside wing to its critical angle of attack first, and the airplane can roll into a spin too low to recover. Overshoot plus inside rudder plus opposite aileron plus back pressure means unload and go around, now. The go-around is the default for this overshoot; continue only if you can rejoin with a gentle, coordinated, shallow turn and a stabilized approach. Bank raises the stall speed, and at pattern altitude about 30° of bank is a common warning limit. If it does stall: reduce the angle of attack first, roll the wings level with coordinated controls, add power as appropriate, and go around. Don't pull through it, and don't try to raise a dropping wing with aileron alone.

AFH (FAA-H-8083-3C), Maintaining Aircraft Control; AC 61-67

Brings together: Maneuvering During Slow Flight · Power-Off Stalls · Spin Awareness

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C); Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C); AC 120-109A; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C); Your airplane's POH/AFM. Checked against current sources 2026-11-12.