Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 40
Situational Awareness
Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
General None Reported / Taken
Aircraft; Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related
I was pilot flying. We were light with only XX passengers. Vref was 125. FO called Ref plus 6 at 100 foot call-out. I started reducing power smoothly and power was idle at about 50 feet AGL. Flare was initiate at about 25 feet AGL. We received stick shaker just prior to 10 feet call-out. Slightly lowered the nose and landed normally with mains first. I believe that the main cause of the shaker activation was the Vref being so low due to the lower than normal weight due to less passengers and fuel. Vref being so low and closer to low speed cue may have caused the stick shaker to activate while flaring. Another cause could have been from reducing the power too early however I'm unsure if this is the cause due to being on speed at 100 feet with a speed of Vref +6 and slowly reduced power until the 50 foot call-out from the RA. I would however like any insight that can be given so that this does not reoccur. I believe I should have kept the power in a little longer and possibly even kept the aircraft a little faster even though we were on speed at 100 feet. Also a go-around should have been performed as soon as the stick shaker activated due to an unstable approach. The aircraft was still flying and was close to the ground so I gently relieved back pressure to reduce angle of attack until the aircraft touched down; but could have performed a balked landing and came around to try again.
Air carrier Captain reported experiencing a stick shaker at 10 feet on final and cited a low Vref due to the aircraft being light in weight as a contributing factor.