The Float and the Stall
A balked landing, improper flap configuration, and a low-altitude stall in ground effect — the Cirrus SR22's energy trap
The scenario
Departing Clearwater Air Park (KCLW), Clearwater, FL — Runway 16, on final approach after a local training flight. Elevation 71 ft MSL. The runway is 4,108 ft, heading 155° on descent. You are a Private pilot with roughly 150 hours total, 45 hours in the Cirrus SR22. This is a familiar airport and a routine landing.
Conditions are VFR, clear skies, light wind from the northeast at 4 kt. OAT 24°C. Altimeter 29.98. Visibility 10 SM. A perfect afternoon for flying. You are on a 3° glide slope, configured for landing: gear down (fixed), flaps 50%, power reduced, airspeed 77 KIAS (Vref, short-field approach speed). The runway is made.
At 200 ft AGL on short final, you notice the airplane is floating — not descending as expected. The runway is still ahead, but the float is obvious. You have two choices: land long and use the remaining runway, or abort the landing and go around. You decide to go around. You advance the throttle to climb power.
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22, solo, within limits. Continental IO-550-N (fuel-injected, 310 hp), constant-speed prop, glass Perspective panel, fixed gear. Fuel selector on LEFT tank. Nothing was written up; the airplane is airworthy.
Pilot: you — a Private pilot, current, 150 hours total, 45 hours SR22. You have done go-arounds before, but not many. You know the SR22 is a high-performance airplane — fast approaches, long floats, quick energy changes. But in this moment, at 200 ft AGL with the runway below you, you are focused on getting the airplane climbing again.
- {'label': 'Field', 'value': 'KCLW · Clearwater Air Park'}
- {'label': 'Runways', 'value': '16/34'}
- {'label': 'Elevation', 'value': '71 ft'}
- {'label': 'Aircraft', 'value': 'SR22'}
- {'label': 'Dominant phase', 'value': 'Landing / Approach'}
The decision
Before we get into the decision tree — what do you already know about go-arounds and stall risk in the SR22? (Pick all that apply; this records your baseline.)
What the record shows
What the NTSB files show
NTSB WPR11LA169 (2011, Falcon Field, Arizona): A Cirrus SR22 on return to its home base encountered excessive float during landing flare. The pilot aborted the landing and retracted flaps to climb out, but the aircraft stalled at low altitude and lost control. The airplane struck the runway, veered left, and collided with a parked Cessna 172. The probable cause was the pilot's attempt to correct a landing float by adding power, followed by his premature attempt to climb the airplane out of ground effect during a balked landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to properly configure the flaps for the balked landing attempt.
NTSB WPR20FA019 (2019, fatal, Arizona): A Cirrus SR22 stalled during landing approach while maneuvering in the traffic pattern at low airspeed and descended into a residential area. The accident was attributed to the pilot's exceedance of the critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing. The airplane impacted terrain in a residential neighborhood. The pilot and passenger were killed.
NTSB CEN18FA204 (2018, fatal, New Mexico): A Cirrus SR22 on a personal flight stalled during initial climb at 200 feet and entered an uncontrollable descent, impacting terrain. The accident was attributed to an inadvertent stall, with contributing factors including high density altitude and the student pilot's limited experience. The pilot and passenger were killed.
The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports and in other aircraft types — NOT at Clearwater Air Park. KCLW has its own accident history (dominant patterns: forced landing 22.2%, loss of control 18.5%, gear-up landing 18.5%, hard landing 11.1%, fuel starvation 11.1%), but these specific NTSB events happened elsewhere. The scenario is localized to KCLW to make the off-field environment real and consequential for you as a student here.
The consistent thread across all these events: the SR22's high wing loading and speed stability make it prone to floating in ground effect. A go-around is the correct response to a float. But the go-around itself is a trap if flaps are retracted too quickly or at too low an airspeed. The sudden loss of flap-generated lift causes a pitch-up; if airspeed is below Vs0 (59 KIAS in landing configuration, 70 KIAS clean), the airplane will stall. At 200 ft AGL, there is no altitude to recover by control inputs alone. CAPS is the primary recovery method for an unrecoverable stall at low altitude.
Off Runway 16's departure end (heading 155°), the off-field environment is dense development — houses, trees, power lines. A forced landing there is into a residential area, not an open field. The CAPS parachute is designed for exactly this scenario: unrecoverable stall/spin at low altitude over terrain where a conventional recovery is impossible. Deploying CAPS at 150 ft AGL in a stall/spin descent is the correct decision.
Key lesson — In the SR22, a go-around after a float requires a controlled, gradual flap retraction. Retract flaps only as airspeed increases — do not retract flaps fully at approach speed (77 KIAS). The sudden loss of lift will cause a pitch-up and a stall at low altitude. If a stall occurs and is unrecoverable by control inputs, deploy the CAPS parachute immediately. CAPS is not a last resort — it is the primary recovery method for loss of control at low altitude. Off Runway 16 at KCLW, the off-field environment is dense development; a conventional recovery is not an option.
Debrief — teaching points
The SR22 floats in ground effect — this is normal and not a reason to panic.
The SR22's high wing loading (weight per unit wing area) and speed stability mean it floats in ground effect — the airplane wants to stay airborne. A long float is normal. The correct response is to land long and use the remaining runway, or to go around. Panicking and trying to force the airplane down with forward pressure on the yoke is the wrong response. Accept the float, make a decision (land long or go around), and execute it calmly.
On a go-around, flaps must be retracted gradually — not all at once.
When you retract flaps, you lose the lift they were generating. In the SR22 at approach speed (77 KIAS), retracting flaps fully causes a sudden pitch-up because the wing is no longer generating the same total lift. If airspeed is below Vs0 (59 KIAS in landing configuration, 70 KIAS clean), the airplane will stall. The correct procedure: advance power, maintain airspeed, retract flaps incrementally (50% → 25% → 0%) as airspeed increases. Do not retract flaps fully until airspeed is at least 88 KIAS (best glide) or higher.
Vs0 and Vs are your stall speeds — know them and respect them.
Vs0 (stall speed, landing configuration with flaps) is 59 KIAS in the SR22. Vs (stall speed, clean) is 70 KIAS. Below these speeds, the airplane will stall regardless of pitch attitude or engine power. In a go-around, if you retract flaps at 77 KIAS (approach speed), you are only 7 KIAS above the clean stall speed. There is no margin. The correct target for full flap retraction is 88 KIAS (best glide) or higher — at least 18 KIAS above the clean stall speed.
Ground effect is real — the airplane can feel like it is climbing when it is actually still descending.
Ground effect reduces induced drag and makes the airplane feel lighter and more responsive. At 200 ft AGL on a go-around, the airplane may feel like it is climbing when it is actually still descending or barely maintaining altitude. Do not trust the feel — trust the altimeter and the airspeed indicator. If you are below 300 ft AGL and airspeed is below 88 KIAS, you are in danger.
CAPS is the primary recovery method for unrecoverable stalls and spins at low altitude.
The Cirrus SR22's whole-airframe parachute (CAPS) is designed for exactly the scenario in this training: an unrecoverable stall or spin at low altitude where conventional control inputs cannot recover the airplane. If you stall at 150 ft AGL and the nose is low or a wing is dropped, and you cannot recover by lowering the nose and regaining airspeed, deploy CAPS. The parachute will deploy and the airplane will descend at a survivable rate (approximately 17 ft/sec). CAPS is not a failure — it is the correct system to use when the airplane is unrecoverable by controls.
Built from the real accident record
Scenario built from NTSB WPR11LA169 (2011 SR22 balked landing stall), WPR20FA019 (2019 SR22 landing stall, fatal), CEN18FA204 (2018 SR22 initial climb stall, fatal), and ATL06LA035 (2006 SR22 icing/stall). Anonymized and localized to KCLW.
NTSB reports: WPR11LA169 · WPR20FA019 · CEN18FA204 · ATL06LA035
ACS tasks: PA.VIII.A — Preflight Inspection · PA.VIII.C — Takeoff and Climb · PA.VIII.D — Cruise · PA.VIII.E — Descent · PA.VIII.F — Landing · PA.IX.C — Emergency Approach and Landing · PA.I.H — Human Factors
Relevant FARs: §91.3 · §91.13 · §91.21
Step through the full decision tree, make the calls, and see where each choice leads — then debrief it with your CFI.
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