Stall Warning Flight Test Turns Disastrous - Episode 216

A Beech Hawker 900XP jet crashed while doing a flight test of a stall warning system. Special guest Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia deconstruct the February 2024 aviation incident.

The accident occurred during a positioning flight that happened after completion of maintenance of the anti-icing component on the leading edge of the wing. The flight crew was performing a required test of the stall warning system. The aircraft lost control and crashed about 11 minutes after takeoff.

Stall tests are often done early in a flight so the crew can easily return to the maintenance facility if an issue is found. However, this crew did not follow standard procedures.

The crew took risks during the flight test, including flying over high terrain with limited visibility due to overcast conditions. The stall characteristics were more intense than what most pilots would experience in a small training aircraft.

This accident is compared to two earlier events. In 1979, a 727 crew had a loss of effectiveness of the flight control system and were barely able to recover the aircraft after a spiral dive and rapid loss of altitude. In the other event, a DC8 crew crashed while conducting a stall test after the aircraft had completed an extensive overhaul and modifications.

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