What causes a nose-down pitch when power is reduced and the pilot does not adjust the controls, in a typical airplane (not a T-tail)?

• A. The downwash on the elevators from the propeller slipstream is reduced and elevator effectiveness is reduced
• B. The wing stalls and air is separated from the tail
• C. The elevator loses its hinge moment
• D. The rudder becomes more effective

Answer: (A)

When power is reduced, the propeller slipstream that normally bathes the tail with downwash slows down, so the horizontal stabilizer receives less downwash and the elevator becomes less effective. With reduced elevator authority, the aircraft’s nose tends to drop if the pilot doesn’t push on the control column to hold or raise the nose. This is a normal result of losing tail-down force from the propwash in a typical airplane with a conventional tail, not a stall, a hinge-moment failure, or a change in rudder effectiveness.