Cirrus SR22 · NTSB accident record

Undershooting a Power-Off 180ERA25FA151

A commercial-track power-off 180 comes up short over the numbers at LaFayette

Date
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Time
~2:19 PM EDT
Weather
VMC · scattered 4,100 ft · 10 SM · wind 260 at 7 kt · 46°F
Location
Barwick LaFayette (K9A5), LaFayette, Georgia — Runway 20
Age
52
Hours in type (Cirrus SR22)
310.6 hrs
Hours, last 90 days
16.5 hrs
Cockpit moment

Third Circuit — Coming Up Short

You're flying power-off 180s at LaFayette on a cold, clear afternoon.

Your instructor is beside you; you're sharpening the maneuver toward your commercial.

Idle abeam the spot, glide it around, land on your mark.

Two circuits down — both consistent with the maneuver.

On the third, you fly the same pattern.

At 2:29:59 PM you close the throttle abeam the point, about 1,700 ft MSL.

You begin the turning descent toward Runway 20.

Coming around final, the runway is coming up short under the nose.

You're going to land in front of your spot.

The power is at idle, and only a few hundred feet remain.

Do you accept the short landing — or reach for the spot you're about to miss?

By the numbers
1,614
low-altitude stall/spin accidents
108
a year
53%
were survivable
1,284
lives lost in them
81%
of Cirrus parachute pulls survived
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NTSB accidents, 2011–2025
The decision

The glide is falling short of your spot, power at idle, only a few hundred feet left. What do you do?