Crash investigator urges better stall training for pilots

• Says a stall may have played role in four fatal crashes
• New FAA rule is expected soon
• Voluntary reporting by pilots found stalls 28%25 of the time while cruising at high altitude

WASHINGTON — A federal crash investigator urged a conference of aviation safety officials Tuesday to better train pilots to avoid stubborn problems such as stalls.

Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, recalled four separate fatal crashes over the past two decades that he said involved stalls, with pilots basically pulling the plane's nose up too much until the aircraft fell to the ground.

"The question in my mind is why did the crew continue to pull back on the elevator all the way to the ground," Weener told about 300 people attending the Flight Safety Foundation's International Aviation Safety Summit, rather than leveling off to regain power and speed.

Lack of training is feared to be one culprit.

Weener's comments came as the Federal Aviation Administration is finishing a new rule to require more pilot training to avoid stalls. The rule, which grew out of the Colgan Air 3407 crash in February 2009, was supposed to be completed this month, but was delayed by the government shutdown.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told reporters Thursday that he was working to complete the rule "very quickly."

The crashes Weener cited were Colgan, Air France 447 in June 2009, Pinnacle Airlines 3701 in October 2004 and USAir 427 in September 1994. In the Air France and Pinnacle crashes, the planes plummeted several minutes from tens of thousands of feet in the middle of flights, rather than near the landing.

A NASA study of voluntary reporting by pilots found stalls 28% of the time while cruising at high altitude, Weener said. And an airline database study by the International Air Transport Association found 27% of stalls occurred while cruising, he said.

But a survey found only 26% of airlines trained for high-altitude stalls – even though 71% of stalls occur when the autopilot is typically engaged, Weener said.

"Maybe these crews were startled by the autopilot disconnecting and handing them an airplane" out of kilter and going slow, Weener said.

He noted that a pilot must recover from a stall to get a private license, but only recover from nearly stalling to get a commercial pilot's certificate. He also said there was room for improvement in commercial simulator training to recover from stalls.

"At the board, we have come to realize we need continued emphasis on stall prevention and recovery," Weener said. "And stall training should be more than just an approach to stall, but should include fully developed stall."