11) LOTOT
7 fatal accidents on record
The NTSB refers to these accidents as LOC-I or loss of control, Inflight. One of the highest category fatal accidents for all of General Aviation is LOTOT. In this scenario the primary power plant fails during takeoff when the aircraft is lowest to the ground, and the pilot is least prepared for it. The airplane may be climbing slightly steeper at Vx for obstacle purposes or closer to Vy as normal. The sudden shock of the sudden loss of thrust has been proven to cause pilots to unconsciously pull aft on the yoke or stick during the brief time of confusion. The aircraft typically has between 2 and 8 seconds before the wings stall and the aircraft departs controlled flight. Traditional FAA stall recovery is always practiced up high, and is always recovered through use of both pitch and power. In this real-life scenario, the pilot is expected to make a stall recovery without the use of any power, a maneuver that has never been taught or checked by FAA at any time for single engine planes. The aircraft typically turns left and pitches as much as 80 degrees nose down and impacts nearly vertical. The LOTOT accident scenes are often obvious due to witness reports of engine failure sounds, the resulting near vertical flight profile, and the entire resting wreckage being located just to the left side of the runway (not always) and inside of a very tight circle. More than 80% of these crashes involve an impact explosion or a post impact fire that makes survival completely impossible.
Trend
- Accidents per quarter
- Rolling 12-month average
| Period | Accidents | Rolling 12-month average per quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2025 | 0 | 1 |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | 0.8 |
| Q3 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Q4 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Q1 2026 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Q2 2026 | 0 | 0.3 |
| Q3 2026 | 2 | 0.8 |
| Q4 2026 QTD | 0 | 0.8 |
Lessons
Short reads from the DTSB lesson library for this category.
No lessons for this category yet.
Practice scenarios
What to practice to keep this from happening to you. Fly drills with a qualified instructor at a safe altitude, or in a simulator.
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Recent accidents in this category
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11) LOTOT