Definition
A deliberate, careful evaluation of how an aircraft is responding to control inputs after a suspected change in its handling characteristics — most commonly performed after an inadvertent icing encounter. The pilot tests pitch, roll, and stall behavior at altitude, with adequate margin, to determine whether the aircraft is still safely controllable and to identify what airspeed and configuration changes can be made before committing to an approach and landing.
Plain English
A check the pilot performs in flight to see whether the aircraft is still flying and handling normally after something may have changed how it behaves — for example, after picking up ice. The pilot gently tests the controls and slows the aircraft in stages to find out what is still safe to do.
Context Anchor
Seen in inadvertent icing procedures when a pilot needs to confirm the airplane can still be safely controlled before continuing, changing flap or gear settings, or landing.
Why Pilots Care
Confirms the aircraft remains controllable before committing to an approach or landing, directly reducing the risk of loss of control in icing conditions.
Grounding Statement
After ice has formed, the airplane may look flyable but feel different through the controls, so the pilot checks its response gently before asking more of it.
Intuition Check
Do not assume this means moving the controls fully or making a hard maneuver. In this context, a controllability check means small, careful control inputs to confirm the airplane is still responding safely.
Example Sentence 1
After exiting the icing layer, the crew climbed to a safe altitude and performed an aircraft controllability check before configuring for the approach.
Example Sentence 2
The aircraft controllability check showed normal handling, so the crew continued to the destination rather than diverting.