20240411005199I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 140 · Grand Junction, CO · April 11, 2024

Date
April 11, 2024 · 17:00 local
Place
Grand Junction, CO
Airport
Grand Junction Regional
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Rotation
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N2252V
Reported as
Cessna 140
Reported engine
Continental C85 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
7,420 total

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.

Student pilot and certified flight instructor began their training flight with taxi practice in the conventional gear aircraft. The CFI decided the student had satisfactory control during taxi and went to active runway to take-off. During the initial portion of the take-off roll everything was normal. Once the aircraft began rotation and reached approximately 50 feet AGL multiple wasps started to come out of the left pilot vent on to the student pilot. The student pilot started to swat the wasps and bumped the yoke forward. The CFI grabbed the yoke to stop the descent. During recovery the aircraft came in contact with the ground resulting in a hard landing and propeller strike with the aircraft coming to rest between the runway and taxiway.

As the FAA filed it

STUDENT PILOT AND CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR BEGAN THEIR TRAINING FLIGHT WITH TAXI PRACTICE IN THE CONVENTIONAL GEAR AIRCRAFT. THE CFI DECIDED THE STUDENT HAD SATISFACTORY CONTROL DURING TAXI AND WENT TO ACTIVE RUNWAY TO TAKE-OFF. DURING THE INITIAL PORTION OF THE TAKE-OFF ROLL EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN ROTATION AND REACHED APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AGL MULTIPLE WASPS STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE LEFT PILOT VENT ON TO THE STUDENT PILOT. THE STUDENT PILOT STARTED TO SWAT THE WASPS AND BUMPED THE YOKE FORWARD. THE CFI GRABBED THE YOKE TO STOP THE DESCENT. DURING RECOVERY THE AIRCRAFT CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING AND PROPELLER STRIKE WITH THE AIRCRAFT COMING TO REST BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY.