Stabilized Approach Criteria: Which item is NOT a criterion?

• A. Airspeed +/- 5 Knots
• B. Course or Glide Slope +1 Dot
• C. Descent Rate +1,000 FPM
• D. Aircraft Not Properly Configured

Answer: (D)

In a stabilized approach, you’re looking for the airplane to fly the final approach path with consistent performance: the speed stays within a tight range, the track stays aligned with the intended course or glide slope, and the descent rate remains within a controlled, expected range. The common criteria used to declare stabilization are that your airspeed is within a small band (typically plus or minus a few knots), you’re on the localizer or glide slope within a small deviation (often within one dot), and your descent rate stays within a specified limit (such as around 1,000 feet per minute or less, depending on the procedure).

The item describing the aircraft not being properly configured isn’t a stabilization criterion because it’s a status of how the aircraft is set up rather than a numeric tolerance or path-tracking parameter. Proper configuration (gear, flaps, landing checklist, etc.) is a prerequisite for a stabilized approach, but “not properly configured” itself does not define a stable path or performance tolerance. If you’re not configured correctly, you cannot be considered stabilized, so that statement indicates a failure to meet stabilization, not a criterion used to declare it.

So the option about the aircraft not being properly configured is the one that does not fit as a stabilization criterion.