A regional passenger flight in the United Kingdom narrowly avoided a potentially serious accident after a breakdown in cockpit coordination during takeoff resulted in the aircraft lifting off into a stall warning.
On February 19th 2026, a Loganair ATR 72-212A, registration G-LMTJ, operating flight LM-551 from Jersey Airport to Southampton Airport, was accelerating for departure on runway 26 when the crew encountered a critical moment during the takeoff roll.
According to investigators, the pilot monitoring called “STOP” during the departure run and delayed the power levers in an attempt to initiate a rejected takeoff. However, the pilot flying continued with the takeoff rotation. As the aircraft lifted off, the pilot monitoring re-applied power in response to the developing situation.
The aircraft became airborne but immediately triggered the stick shaker, a stall warning system designed to alert pilots that the aircraft is approaching an aerodynamic stall. Despite the dangerous condition, the crew successfully recovered from the warning, stabilized the aircraft and climbed away safely.
After assessing the situation in the air, the pilots decided to return to Jersey. The aircraft landed safely back on runway 26 approximately 13 minutes after departure.
The occurrence was classified as a serious incident by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which opened a formal investigation. In its initial statement, the agency summarized the sequence of events succinctly: “PM called STOP and delayed the power levers. PF rotated and the PM re-applied power but the aircraft lifted off into the stick shaker.”
Investigators will examine cockpit procedures, crew coordination and the exact circumstances that led to the conflicting actions during the takeoff roll.
