# Initial climb - Type: NTSB phase of flight (CICTT main phase) - CICTT code: 350 - Cases: 20556 - Fatal cases: 3669 - In the older codes (1982 to 2007): 7924 - All cases: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350/cases.md - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350 ## Cases per year (current codes / all) - 1962: 3 / 3 - 1963: 4 / 4 - 1964: 505 / 505 - 1965: 555 / 555 - 1966: 582 / 582 - 1967: 587 / 587 - 1968: 577 / 577 - 1969: 582 / 582 - 1970: 552 / 552 - 1971: 541 / 541 - 1972: 507 / 507 - 1973: 482 / 482 - 1974: 556 / 556 - 1975: 543 / 543 - 1976: 521 / 521 - 1977: 556 / 556 - 1978: 566 / 566 - 1979: 502 / 502 - 1980: 505 / 505 - 1981: 499 / 499 - 1982: 0 / 490 - 1983: 0 / 507 - 1984: 0 / 466 - 1985: 0 / 418 - 1986: 0 / 394 - 1987: 0 / 380 - 1988: 0 / 368 - 1989: 0 / 348 - 1990: 0 / 351 - 1991: 0 / 324 - 1992: 0 / 306 - 1993: 0 / 307 - 1994: 0 / 292 - 1995: 0 / 289 - 1996: 0 / 244 - 1997: 0 / 272 - 1998: 0 / 266 - 1999: 0 / 239 - 2000: 0 / 221 - 2001: 0 / 219 - 2002: 0 / 200 - 2003: 0 / 227 - 2004: 0 / 210 - 2005: 0 / 204 - 2006: 0 / 180 - 2007: 0 / 202 - 2008: 212 / 212 - 2009: 173 / 173 - 2010: 162 / 162 - 2011: 177 / 177 - 2012: 193 / 193 - 2013: 122 / 122 - 2014: 130 / 130 - 2015: 165 / 165 - 2016: 141 / 141 - 2017: 149 / 149 - 2018: 155 / 155 - 2019: 146 / 146 - 2020: 112 / 112 - 2021: 165 / 165 - 2022: 161 / 161 - 2023: 163 / 163 - 2024: 143 / 143 - 2025: 135 / 135 - 2026: 103 / 103 ## CICTT sub-phases (1962 to 1981, 2008 on) - Initial climb (350): 12,632 cases ## Older codes counted here (1982 to 2007) - Takeoff - initial climb (522): 7,924 cases ## Defining events in this phase (2008 on) - [Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240): 595 cases - [Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341): 529 cases - [Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342): 400 cases - [Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241): 176 cases - [Fuel starvation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191): 124 cases - [Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000): 116 cases - [Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/340): 113 cases - [Collision during takeoff/land](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/490): 100 cases - [Fuel contamination](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/193): 69 cases - [Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120): 66 cases ## In the probable cause (2008 on) - [Aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): 686 cases - [Not determined, general](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): 400 cases - [Airspeed](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010): 327 cases - [Decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): 282 cases - [Angle of attack](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062042): 240 cases - [Fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): 227 cases - [Use of equip/system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015): 145 cases - [Performance/control parameters, general](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000): 125 cases - [Preflight inspection](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510): 124 cases - [Incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): 103 cases ## Aircraft models (registry, all years) - [Piper PA-28-140](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140): 599 cases - [Piper J3C-65](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65): 241 cases - [Piper PA-22-150](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22-150): 219 cases - [Piper PA-28-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180): 211 cases - [Piper PA-18-150](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18-150): 194 cases - [Cessna A188B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a188b): 191 cases - [Piper PA-25-235](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-25-235): 187 cases - [Cessna 152](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152): 180 cases - [Cessna 150F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150f): 176 cases - [Cessna 150L](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150l): 170 cases ## Newest cases - [NTSB DCA27LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA27LA013), Oct 17, 2026: Bombardier CL-600-2D24 (N574NN), St. Louis, MO, no damage, investigation ongoing - [NTSB WPR27LA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR27LA019), Oct 17, 2026: Cessna 177A (N30544), San Jose, CA, investigation ongoing - [NTSB CEN27LA014](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN27LA014), Oct 13, 2026: Cessna 210N (N1329U), Gonzales, LA, investigation ongoing - [NTSB CEN27LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN27LA013), Oct 12, 2026: Piper PA-28-140 (N9859W), Abita Springs, LA, substantial damage, investigation ongoing - [NTSB GAA27WA005](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA27WA005), Oct 7, 2026: Cessna R172 (CP-2646), Tarija, Bolivia, substantial damage - [NTSB WPR27FA012](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR27FA012), Oct 7, 2026: Gugger David RV-7A (N425DG), Petaluma, CA, 2 fatal, investigation ongoing - [NTSB ENG27LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ENG27LA001), Oct 6, 2026: Boeing 777-222 (N796UA), San Francisco, CA, incident, investigation ongoing - [NTSB WPR27LA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR27LA008), Oct 4, 2026: Hakala John Charles Lancair IV-P-T (N5UC), Ontario, OR, investigation ongoing - [NTSB CEN26LA330](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA330), Sep 29, 2026: Cessna 152 (N69009), Bolingbrook, IL, investigation ongoing - [NTSB WPR26LA358](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA358), Sep 27, 2026: Reynolds Dennis E Bearhawk Patrol (N240BP), Cottage Grove, OR, investigation ongoing From 1962 to 1981 and from 2008 on, NTSB codes phases with the CICTT phases; from 1982 to 2007 with its older phase codes, counted under the CICTT main phase each maps to. Each case counts once, on its first aircraft: by its defining event's phase from 2008, its first event's before 1982, and its first occurrence's from 1982 to 2007. Compare years within an era: a first occurrence (1982 to 2007) is often in flight, before the landing, so landings count lower then. Findings: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings.md. Defining events: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events.md. Phases of flight: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases.md. Every investigation, filtered by finding, event, phase, state, year or model: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb.md (for example ?state=MI&fatal=1). NTSB's definitions: Accident and incident, 49 CFR 830.2 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-VIII/part-830/subpart-A/section-830.2), CICTT occurrence categories (PDF) (https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/data/Documents/datafiles/OccurrenceCategoryDefinitions.pdf), CICTT phases of flight (PDF) (https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/data/Documents/datafiles/PhaseofFlightDefinitions.pdf), and NTSB coding manual, before 2008 (PDF) (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). NTSB publishes no definitions for its findings, only their names. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.