ATL04CA129

The certified flight instructor (CFI) was conducting an instructional flight and landed at the intermediate stop with out incident. Prior to departing on the return flight, the CFI checked internet weather, and observed "bad weather" approaching the departure airport. He and the student pilot departed from runway 25 performing a soft field take off. Immediately after rotation the CFI leveled the airplane to increase airspeed. The CFI stated, "this took longer than usual due to wind shear." The airplane reached 60 knots and they were between 25 to 50 feet on initial take off climb, when they encountered a "severe cross wind gust of an estimated 40 to 50 knots from the right putting the wings in a near vertical attitude." The CFI applied rudder and aileron, and the airplane collided with the trees and the ground. Another pilot who landed at the airport before the accident airplane departed stated, black clouds were visible in the distance and there were thunderstorms in the area.

On June 12, 2004, at 1400 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N5153E, registered to McCauley Aviation Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, collided with trees on initial take off climb from Short Creek Airport, Dover, Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The commercial pilot flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from Dover, Tennessee, at 1359 on June 12, 2004.

The CFI stated he was conducting an instructional flight from Springfield, Tennessee, to Dover, Tennessee, and back to Springfield. They departed Springfield and arrived at Dover without incident. After landing they met with friends, ate lunch, and "checked live internet radar on the computer. The CFI observed approaching "bad weather" located 20 miles from Short Creek. "He and the student pilot went outside, conducted a through-flight inspection of the airplane, and no anomalies were noted. They entered the airplane, completed the required checks, and taxied out for takeoff, and departed from runway 25. The student pilot was following him through on the flight controls, and they made a soft field takeoff with 10-degrees of flaps. The winds appeared to be straight down the runway. Immediately after lift off, the CFI leveled the nose of the airplane to increase airspeed. The CFI stated, "this took longer than usual due to wind shear." They were on initial climb out between 25 to 50 feet at 60 knots, when they encountered a "severe cross wind gust of an estimated 40 to 50 knots from the right. The airplane rolled left with the wings in a near vertical attitude. The CFI applied rudder and aileron, and the airplane collided with trees and the ground. After the accident the CFI stated, "I observed strong rotating winds as a thunderstorm cell came over the field." When the CFI was asked if he experienced any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident, he stated no.

A pilot who landed at the airport right before the accident stated, "Black clouds were visible in the distance and there were thunderstorms in the area." The wind was less than 10 knots with gusts. He further stated, "that he would not have taken off under the approaching weather condition." He saw the aircraft lift off, reach about 20 feet AGL before it rolled to the left, and then roll back to an almost wings level attitude before it collided with the trees.

Review of the Clarksville, Tennessee, 1352 surface weather observation located 30 miles northeast of Dover revealed the winds were 320-degrees at 13 knots gusting to 23 knots, variable between 280-degrees and 350-degrees, visibility 10 miles, vicinity of thunderstorms, 3,700 scattered, 4,600 scattered, 9,000 broken, temperature 88-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 73-degrees Fahrenheit, altimeter 29.98 with remarks, lighting all quadrants, thunderstorm east 16 miles, thunderstorm began at 1339,and pressure rising rapidly.