Go-Around Stall at Venice
Partial power loss on approach, go-around attempt, and the margin between recovery and a spin — low altitude, uncoordinated flight, and the Warrior's forgiving but finite envelope
The scenario
Departing Venice Municipal Airport (KVNC), Venice, FL — Runway 13, on approach to land after a local training flight. Elevation 18 ft MSL. It is a warm, humid Gulf Coast afternoon in late spring: OAT 27°C, dew point 21°C, altimeter 29.91. Scattered clouds at 2,500 ft, light rain showers two miles to the west. Visibility 9 SM. The conditions are classic for carburetor icing in the Piper Warrior's carbureted Lycoming O-320 — warm, moist air at reduced power.
You are on a 3-mile final for Runway 13 (heading 135°), descending through 800 ft AGL at 70 KIAS with 20° of flaps. The runway is in sight. You are planning a normal landing. The Warrior is light — you and one passenger, roughly 2,200 lb gross. The engine has been running smoothly all flight.
At 600 ft AGL, 2 miles from the runway, the engine begins to run rough. The tachometer drops 150 RPM. Power is noticeably down. You have not applied carburetor heat during the descent because the engine was running fine and you were focused on the approach.
Aircraft: Piper PA-28-161 Warrior, light loading, within limits. Carbureted Lycoming O-320-D, 160 hp, fixed-pitch prop, steam panel, fuel selector on RIGHT (you switched to the right tank 30 minutes ago). Nothing was written up; the airplane was airworthy at departure.
Pilot: you — a Private pilot, current, roughly 250 hours total. You have 40 hours in the Warrior. You are familiar with the go-around procedure, but you have never executed one with a partial power loss. You did not brief a go-around contingency before this approach.
- {'label': 'Field', 'value': 'KVNC · Venice'}
- {'label': 'Runways', 'value': '4/22 · 13/31'}
- {'label': 'Elevation', 'value': '18 ft'}
- {'label': 'Aircraft', 'value': 'PA-28-161'}
- {'label': 'Dominant phase', 'value': 'Landing / Takeoff'}
The decision
Before we get into the decision tree — what do you already know about the Piper Warrior's stall characteristics and go-around procedures? (Pick all that apply; this records your baseline.)
What the record shows
What the NTSB files show
NTSB LAX03LA238 (2003): A Piper PA-28-161 encountered carburetor icing during initial climb from Torrance, California. The engine lost power. During a go-around attempt, the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and the airplane stalled, colliding with power lines and terrain. The probable cause was carburetor icing and the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat and maintain airspeed during the go-around.
NTSB CHI05LA226 (2005, FATAL): A Piper PA-28-161 on an instructional flight from Culver, Indiana, lost engine power due to left magneto failure during initial climb after takeoff. The flight instructor failed to maintain airspeed and the airplane stalled. The probable cause was partial magneto failure caused by improper maintenance, with contributing factors including the instructor's failure to maintain airspeed and follow emergency procedures. The stall was unrecoverable from the altitude at which it occurred.
NTSB CEN12FA188 (2012, FATAL): A Piper PA-28-161 stalled during takeoff from a soft grass airstrip with a quartering tailwind and struck trees at the departure end of the runway. The probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing factors included inadequate preflight planning for soft-field conditions and failure to obtain a weather briefing.
The consistent thread across all these events: the Piper Warrior is a forgiving airplane, but it has limits. A stall at low altitude — whether from a go-around with inadequate airspeed, an uncoordinated turn with a degraded engine, or a soft-field takeoff with a quartering tailwind — is unrecoverable. The margin between control and a spin is measured in knots and feet. The Warrior's best glide speed is 73 KIAS; stall speed in landing configuration is 44 KIAS. That is a 29-knot margin — but only if you maintain coordination and do not attempt a steep climb or turn.
These real accidents occurred at other airports and in other contexts — NOT at Venice Municipal Airport. KVNC has its own accident history (see field dominant patterns: LOSS_OF_CONTROL_INFLIGHT 24.4%, FORCED_LANDING 12.2%, SPATIAL_DISORIENTATION 12.2%, HARD_LANDING 12.2%, LOSS_OF_CONTROL_GROUND 12.2%). The scenario is localized to KVNC to make the approach and go-around decision real and consequential for you as a student here.
The key lesson: on a go-around with a partial power loss, maintain 73 KIAS (best glide / go-around speed), apply full carburetor heat immediately, and do NOT attempt a steep climb or turn. The Warrior will climb at 400+ fpm with full power and correct airspeed. If you try to climb steeply or turn steeply with degraded power, you will stall. At 600 ft AGL, a stall is a spin, and a spin is unrecoverable.
Key lesson — In warm, moist Gulf Coast air, the Warrior's carbureted Lycoming O-320 can accumulate serious carburetor ice even at cruise power and above-freezing temperatures. On approach or during a go-around, apply full carburetor heat at the first sign of engine roughness. On a go-around with partial power, maintain 73 KIAS (best glide / go-around speed), do NOT climb steeply, and maintain coordination. An uncoordinated turn at low altitude with a degraded engine is a stall/spin trap — the Warrior's margin is thin.
Debrief — teaching points
Carburetor ice forms in conditions you would not expect — and the Warrior is vulnerable.
The FAA icing probability chart shows 'serious icing at glide power' at temperatures between roughly 20°C and 30°C when relative humidity is high — exactly the Gulf Coast afternoon conditions at KVNC. The Warrior's Lycoming O-320 is carbureted; it has no fuel injection, no alternate air system. Carburetor heat is the only tool. The engine can accumulate ice even at cruise power. On approach or during climb, especially at reduced power, the risk is real. Apply carburetor heat proactively in conducive conditions — do not wait for the roughness to appear.
The first symptom is subtle — a dropping tachometer and engine roughness.
In the Warrior, carburetor ice first shows as engine roughness and an unexplained RPM decrease. There is no dramatic power cut. Pilots who are not actively monitoring the tachometer miss the early warning. By the time the roughness is obvious, significant ice has accumulated. Scan the tachometer as part of your regular instrument scan, especially in conducive conditions. At 600 ft AGL on approach, you have roughly 90 seconds to diagnose and act — not much time.
Apply full carburetor heat — not partial — and expect an initial RPM drop.
When you apply carb heat to an iced carburetor, the RPM will drop further before it rises. This is expected and normal: the heat is melting ice and the resulting water is briefly disrupting combustion. Do not remove carb heat when the RPM drops — that is the heat working. Hold it full on. The RPM will recover as the ice clears, typically within 15–30 seconds depending on ice accumulation. Partial carb heat can worsen the situation by partially melting ice into water ingestion without fully clearing the restriction.
On a go-around, maintain 73 KIAS (best glide / go-around speed) and do NOT climb steeply.
The Warrior's best glide speed is 73 KIAS. On a go-around with full power, you will climb at roughly 400–500 fpm at this speed. If you try to climb steeply — nose up, trying to gain altitude quickly — you will slow down and approach the stall speed. At low altitude, a stall is a spin, and a spin is unrecoverable. The correct go-around procedure is: (1) apply full power, (2) lower the nose to maintain 73 KIAS, (3) retract flaps only after establishing a positive rate of climb. The Warrior will climb; be patient.
An uncoordinated turn at low altitude with a degraded engine is a stall/spin trap.
The Warrior's stall speed in landing configuration (full flaps) is 44 KIAS. In a 25° bank, stall speed increases to roughly 48 KIAS. At 600 ft AGL with a degraded engine and a steep bank, if you slip or skid uncoordinatedly to maintain airspeed, the wing can stall asymmetrically and the airplane can snap into a spin. The Warrior's semi-tapered wing is forgiving, but it is not invincible. Maintain coordination — keep the ball centered — and do not attempt a steep turn at low altitude with a sick engine.
The Warrior's fuel selector is LEFT / RIGHT — no BOTH position. Tank management is your job.
Unlike some aircraft, the Warrior has no BOTH position on the fuel selector. You must actively switch tanks. A contaminated tank or fuel starvation from forgetting to switch is a Warrior-specific risk. Before takeoff, verify which tank you are on and plan your tank switches. On this scenario, you switched to the right tank 30 minutes ago — that is good practice. But do not let a rough engine on approach make you second-guess a tank switch you made in good faith. Diagnose the actual cause — carburetor ice — before you start switching tanks.
Built from the real accident record
Scenario built from NTSB LAX03LA238 (2003 PA-28-161 carburetor ice / go-around stall / power lines), CHI05LA226 (2005 PA-28-161 magneto failure / stall on climb, fatal), and CEN12FA188 (2012 PA-28-161 soft-field takeoff stall / trees, fatal). Localized to Venice Municipal Airport (KVNC), Venice, FL.
NTSB reports: LAX03LA238 · CHI05LA226 · CEN12FA188
ACS tasks: PA.I.F — Weather Information · PA.II.A — Preflight Assessment · PA.II.B — Engine Starting / Systems Preflight · PA.III.A — Normal Takeoff and Climb · PA.III.D — Forward Slip to a Landing · PA.IV.C — Go-Around / Rejected Landing · PA.IX.C — Emergency Approach and Landing · PA.I.H — Human Factors
Relevant FARs: §91.3 · §91.13 · §91.185
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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