Instructor’s Last Words: ‘Let Go’ as Student Pilot Pulls Back Controls Into Fatal Stall

The Flight

On the afternoon of 8 September 2022, a Czech Sport Aircraft Piper Sport, registration N126WK, was on short final to Santa Monica Municipal Airport. In the left seat was a student pilot. In the right seat was his flight instructor. What began as a routine instructional landing ended seconds later when the airplane pitched aggressively nose-up, climbed nearly vertically, stalled, spun left, and struck the ground. Both occupants were killed.

A transmission captured on the common traffic advisory frequency recorded a low-pitched grunting sound followed by the instructor’s voice screaming: “Let go, let go……. let go, let go, let go.” The grunting continued. Witnesses on the ground saw the airplane climb almost vertically with the engine at high power, level briefly at 100–200 feet, then enter a left spin and impact.

What the Investigation Found

The airplane was equipped with dual control sticks, each fitted with a push-to-talk microphone switch. Analysis of the radio transmission showed that the instructor’s desperate commands were coming through the background of the student’s microphone. Investigators concluded it was likely that the student pilot was holding his stick firmly and, in the process, was continuously pressing the push-to-talk switch. Because the student’s switch was active, the instructor’s own microphone was blocked. The student may not have been able to hear the instructor clearly.

The responsive flight characteristics of the light sport airplane meant that any large aft stick input produced a rapid pitch-up. When the student’s control input held the stick aft while the airplane was in the landing flare, the angle of attack quickly exceeded the critical value. An aerodynamic stall followed almost immediately. At such low altitude there was no room to recover.

NTSB Probable Cause

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be:

“The pilot’s inability to maintain control of the airplane during the landing flare due to the passenger’s excessive control inputs, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and entering an aerodynamic stall.”

The report noted that the student pilot’s continuous pressure on the stick, combined with the blocked radio communication, prevented the instructor from effectively taking control in the critical seconds available.

Accident Facts

Closing Reflection

This accident underscores one of the most fundamental principles of dual instruction: clear, unambiguous transfer of aircraft control. When a student freezes on the controls or continues to input large forces, the instructor must be able to override immediately and must be heard. Continuous activation of a push-to-talk switch can silence the very person trying to save the flight. Instructors and students alike must brief positive transfer of controls before every flight and practice the physical ability to overpower an unresponsive or frozen student. At 100 feet above the runway there is no second chance.

Sources

• https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?NTSBNumber=WPR22FA338