- Date
- September 2, 2019, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Taylor, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6400APiper PA38
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 17, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Flight Standard District Office
- FAA report
- 20190902017919A
- Case key
- 100386
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the student's soft-field takeoff, which resulted in an excessive pitch attitude, settling effect, and impact with a ditch off the end of the runway.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting a training flight, which included touch-and-go landings. During the landing rollout and with about 2,000 ft of runway remaining, the instructor directed the student to transition to a soft-field takeoff. The student conducted the takeoff and attempted to climb with a high pitch attitude, but the airplane settled back to the ground off the end of the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The instructor reported that the pitch attitude during the climbout was too high and that he should not have directed the student to attempt a soft-field takeoff given the runway distance remaining. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting a training flight that included touch and go landings. During landing rollout, with about 2,000 ft of runway remaining, the flight instructor directed the student to transition to a soft field takeoff.The student made the takeoff and attempted to climb out of with a high pitch attitude, during which the airplane settled back to the ground off the end of the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted a ditch, which damaged the fuselage. Following the accident, the flight instructor recognized the pitch attitude during the student's climb out was too high and that he should not have directed the student to attempt a soft field takeoff, based on the runway distance remaining. The accident report form indicated that there were mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6400A
- Reported as
- Piper PA38 (112)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-78A0415
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 6,223
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilots Choice Aviation Equipment Leasing
- Registered owner
- Pilots Choice Aviation Equipment Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 27, 2019
- Departed
- GTU · Georgetown, TX
- Destination
- T74 · Taylor, TX
- Airport
- T74 · Taylor Muni, runway 35, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 14, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 628 total · 292 in this make and model · 532 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 72 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 114 total · 100 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KEDC, 12 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.