NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX90LA166
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER PREFLIGHT, IMPROPER RAISING OF THE FLAPS AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE, AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE FLYING SPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL.
Factual narrative
THE PILOT FAILED TO RETRACT THE FLAPS BEFORE TAKING OFF. AFTER TAKEOFF, SHE NOTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT 'GAINING AIRSPEED OR ALTITUDE.' THE TOWER CONTROLLER ADVISED THE PILOT THAT THE 'FLAPS LOOKED WRONG.' THE PILOT SAID SHE REACHED TO CHECK THE FLAP SWITCH, BUT COULD NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT THE ACCIDENT AFTER THAT. ACCORDING TO GROUND WITNESSES, THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING AFTER TAKEOFF WITH THE FLAPS EXTENDED, THEN IT STALLED AND CRASHED AFTER REACHING ABOUT 100 TO 200' AGL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A TRANSMISSION LINE, A SOLAR COLLECTOR ON THE ROOF OF A HOUSE, AND A FENCE. AN EXAM REVEALED THE FLAPS HAD BEEN RETRACTED BY THE TIME THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1990_LAX90LA166.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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