If the CG is located aft of the aft CG limit, which undesirable flight characteristic might the pilot experience?

• A. Difficulty in recovering from a stalled condition.
• B. Immediate nose-down pitch at takeoff
• C. Excessive elevator authority
• D. No effect on controllability

Answer: (A)

When the center of gravity is behind the aft CG limit, the aircraft becomes significantly less stable in pitch. That means it’s more sensitive to nose-up or nose-down tendencies and less able to right itself without pilot input. In a stall, you rely on a natural nose-down moment and adequate elevator authority to reduce angle of attack and recover smoothly. With an aft CG, that nose-down restoring tendency is weaker and the required control input to break the stall is larger, so recovery can be slower or more difficult.

The other options describe conditions more associated with forward CG (nose-down pitch on takeoff) or with excess control effectiveness, which isn’t the issue here, or with no noticeable effect, which isn’t accurate for an aft CG scenario.