- Date
- May 28, 2023, 12:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N771NDPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Dragged wing/rotor/float/other
- 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 FSDO
- Case key
- 192337
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 student pilot’s failure to attain a proper takeoff attitude while demonstrating a soft field takeoff and his improper control inputs resulting in a dragged wing. Contributing to the accident were the gusting wind conditions.
Findings · 2
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 his student were performing a soft field take off following a touch-and-go landing. The operator reported that the airplane started to drift to the left with a “higher than normal” pitch attitude and the airplane encountered a wind gust. The right wing dropped and contacted the runway surface. According to the flight instructor, during the take-off, the student “instantly” applied right aileron, instead of right rudder, to maintain the runway centerline. The flight instructor took over controls and continued the takeoff. While in the traffic pattern, the flight instructor noticed an “abnormality” on the right wing and landed the airplane without further incident. A visual inspection found that the right aileron sustained substantial damage. The operator stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. About the time of the accident wind was recorded as 160° at 17 knots with gusts to 29 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N771ND
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2881036
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 4,706
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- University Of North Dakota
- Registered owner
- University Of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 12, 2023
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- GFK · Grand Forks Intl, runway 17L, 3,900 × 75 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, Video recording device, ADS-B, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 11, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 780 total · 742 in this make and model · 532 as pilot in command · 137 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 9, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 75 total · 75 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 17 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KGFK, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KGFK 281753Z 16017G29KT 10SM FEW150 30/04 A2994 RMK AO2 PK WND 14030/1721 SLP136 T03000039 10306 20161 56011 $,M
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 27, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 MB in all.