- Date
- August 13, 2022, 08:08 local (14:08 UTC)
- Place
- Pueblo, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3727XAero Commander 100-180
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20220813014559A
- Case key
- 105788
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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the demonstrated soft-field takeoff, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.
Findings · 5
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 student pilot reported that the flight instructor was attempting to demonstrate a soft-field takeoff with 10° of flaps after having completed a short field landing. The flight instructor had the student pilot “follow along on the controls” during the demonstration. After takeoff and while in ground effect, the stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane drifted to the right. Unable to gain airspeed by pitching the nose down due to their low altitude, the flight instructor instructed the student pilot to retract the flaps to 0°. The student pilot reported that immediately following the flap retraction, the airplane stalled to the left and impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to left elevator. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3727X
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 100-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5033
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 1,938
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A2F, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 18, 2022
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- KPUB · Pueblo Memorial, runway 8L, 4,690 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 22, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 3,743 total · 2 in this make and model · 3,568 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 61 total · 61 in this make and model · 44 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 6, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 13.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.