Can a Modern Airliner Stall?
2 min read
The short answer
In flying, a "stall" has nothing to do with the engines — it means the wing is tilted too steeply to make enough lift. Modern airliners are built to keep well away from that. Many have flight computers that won't let the plane get close, every airliner gives strong early warnings, and pilots train for it regularly.
Not What It Sounds Like
When a car stalls, the engine stops. In flying, a stall means something completely different — and the engines can be running perfectly.
A wing makes lift when air flows smoothly over it. If the wing is tilted up too steeply, the air can't follow its curve, and the wing makes less lift. That's a stall. Read why planes don't fall.
Modern Airliners Keep Well Away From It
Today's airliners have several layers that keep them far from a stall.
1. Computers That Won't Let It Happen
Many modern airliners, including the Airbus family, are flown through flight computers that protect the plane. In normal operation, these computers won't let the wing tilt up too steeply, however the pilot moves the controls. If the plane gets slow, they can even add engine power automatically.
2. Unmistakable Early Warnings
Every airliner warns the pilots long before a stall could happen. Warnings include loud alerts, and on many planes the control column shakes — a "stick shaker" that's impossible to miss. Some planes even push the controls forward automatically.
3. Pilots Who Train for It
Since 2019, airline pilots in the US must practise stall prevention and recovery in full-motion simulators, as part of their regular training. Pilots practise until the right response is automatic — even though they'll almost certainly never need it.
4. Speeds Planned With Big Margins
Before every flight, the pilots calculate the speeds for take-off and landing. These include generous margins above the speed where a stall could happen. The autopilot and the automatic engine controls then hold those speeds precisely.
What You Might Feel
Nothing. Normal take-offs, climbs, turns and landings are all flown well inside these margins. A steep-feeling climb after take-off is normal and comfortably within the plane's limits.
The Takeaway
A stall isn't something that suddenly happens to a modern airliner. Computers, warnings, careful planning and well-trained pilots all keep the plane far away from it — on every flight.
Sources
- SKYbrary, Stall: https://skybrary.aero/articles/stall
- SKYbrary, Flight Envelope Protection — how flight computers keep the plane within safe limits: https://skybrary.aero/articles/flight-envelope-protection
- Code7700, Airbus control laws — high angle-of-attack protection prevents stalling in normal law: https://code7700.com/airbus_control_laws.htm
- FAA, Advisory Circular 120-109A — Stall Prevention and Recovery Training: https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_120-109A.pdf
Keep reading
Why Planes Don't Fall
The four simple forces that keep a plane in the air — and why they're so reliable.
Autopilot: What It Does and What It Doesn't
What autopilot really does — and why the pilots are always in charge.
How Pilots Are Trained
The years of training and regular testing that make airline pilots some of the most qualified professionals anywhere.