- Date
- June 10, 2023, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lumberton, NJ · Off runway 1
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8126XPiper PA-28-181
- 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
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230610009609A
- Case key
- 192615
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 improper flight control inputs and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with the runway edge lights.
Findings · 4
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
During a simulated soft field take off from a paved runway the student pilot followed the procedure of holding control wheel back pressure while accelerating for takeoff. The airplane began to lift off the runway into ground effect with an excessive nose high attitude and began drifting to left of center line. Upon realizing the airplane was in an imminent stall due to the high angle attack and veering away from the runway centerline, the flight instructor took over control of the airplane, but the airplane had already drifted over the grassy area off the left side of the runway. During the subsequent runway excursion, the right side of the horizontal stabilator struck two of the runway edge lights and incurred substantial damage. Neither the flight instructor, nor the student pilot, heard the impact and continued their flight lesson. The damage was discovered after they completed the lesson. Following the accident, the flight instructor stated that he should have been more proactive in either taking control, or ensuring the student was relaxing the back pressure on the control wheel as they started gaining speed to help get the airplane in to ground effect for the simulated soft field departure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8126X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8090154
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 9,105
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Freeflight Aviation Llc.
- Registered owner
- B2fh Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 18, 2023 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- N14 · Lumberton, NJ
- Destination
- N14 · Lumberton, NJ
- Airport
- N14 · Flying W, runway 01, 3,496 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 9, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,514 total · 100 in this make and model · 1,435 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 21 total · 8 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.59 inHg
- Observed at
- KVAY, 2 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KVAY 061954Z AUTO 31010G16KT 10SM FEW090 SCT110 28/07 A2959 RMK AO2 SLP019 T02780067
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 13, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.