Definition
A stall in which the pilot's control inputs make the stall worse rather than allowing it to recover. Typically this means continuing to hold the elevator back, or applying rudder or aileron in a way that increases the angle of attack or yaws the airplane while one wing is more stalled than the other. An aggravated stall is the usual entry point into a spin.
Plain English
A stall that the pilot accidentally makes worse by holding the wrong controls instead of letting the wing fly again. Doing this is what usually turns a simple stall into a spin.
Context Anchor
Seen in spin awareness training when explaining how an ordinary stall can develop into a spin.
Derivation
From Latin aggravare, meaning 'to make heavier' or 'to make worse.' In aviation use it keeps that everyday sense — the stall is being made worse by what the pilot is doing.
Why Pilots Care
Improper inputs during an aggravated stall greatly increase the chance of an unintentional spin, a leading cause of fatal loss-of-control accidents.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane slowed too much, the nose or a wing starting to swing, and one wing losing lift more than the other.
Intuition Check
Aggravated does not mean the pilot is annoyed, and stall does not mean the engine quit. Here it means the wing stall has become more severe and may start the airplane rotating.
Example Sentence 1
If the pilot keeps the yoke pulled back after the wing stalls, the stall becomes aggravated and the airplane may enter a spin.
Example Sentence 2
The instructor demonstrated how adding power without coordinated rudder can create an aggravated stall on the left wing.