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CEN22LA390

2022-08-13 · Pueblo, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KPUB

Current FAA registration · N3727X

Make / Model
AERO COMMANDER 100-180
Year of manufacture
1968 · 54 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19680529
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A43E9C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight instructor’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the demonstrated soft-field takeoff, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that the flight instructor was attempting to demonstrate a soft-field takeoff with 10° of flaps after having completed a short field landing. The flight instructor had the student pilot “follow along on the controls” during the demonstration. After takeoff and while in ground effect, the stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane drifted to the right. Unable to gain airspeed by pitching the nose down due to their low altitude, the flight instructor instructed the student pilot to retract the flaps to 0°. The student pilot reported that immediately following the flap retraction, the airplane stalled to the left and impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to left elevator. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Instructor/check pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Performance calculations-Instructor/check pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_CEN22LA390.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers