20230404002959I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Jaeger Robert T-18 · Lake City, FL · April 4, 2023

Date: April 4, 2023 · 19:10 local
Place: Lake City, FL
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N41RJ
Reported as: Jaeger Robert T-18
Reported engine: Lycoming O-320-D2C
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot statement: "taking off to the east on our grass strip I began drifting to the left without applying enough right rudder. Just lifting off I noticed I was coming close to a large tree I pulled the power back to land but was too close to a culvert and the left side which caught my wheel and caused the ensuing crash."

Aircraft hit a culvert, ripped off the landing gear, propeller struck the ground and the aircraft skidded across a public road that parallels the runway. Damage to landing gear, propeller , firewall and right wing.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATEMENT: "TAKING OFF TO THE EAST ON OUR GRASS STRIP I BEGAN DRIFTING TO THE LEFT WITHOUT APPLYING ENOUGH RIGHT RUDDER. JUST LIFTING OFF I NOTICED I WAS COMING CLOSE TO A LARGE TREE I PULLED THE POWER BACK TO LAND BUT WAS TOO CLOSE TO A CULVERT AND THE LEFT SIDE WHICH CAUGHT MY WHEEL AND CAUSED THE ENSUING CRASH."

AIRCRAFT HIT A CULVERT, RIPPED OFF THE LANDING GEAR, PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED ACROSS A PUBLIC ROAD THAT PARALLELS THE RUNWAY. DAMAGE TO LANDING GEAR, PROPELLER , FIREWALL AND RIGHT WING.