Minecraft wiki entry for Elytra, associated text: Trying for too high a pitch reduces the player's lift. At a pitch of 30° above the horizon, the player has the lowest possible airspeed of 7.2 m/sec. Above that, the player might be considered to be in a stall. Increasing the pitch gets closer to a free-fall, and stalled flight at 60° is enough to cause fall damage. Stalling at 90° is a true free-fall.