- Date
- April 23, 2025, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Zolfo Springs, FL · On Airport
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N28311Grumman American Avn. AA-5B
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 19, 2026
- 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
- 20250423021249A
- Case key
- 200058
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 pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during the takeoff. Contributing was the flight instructor’s lack of remedial action.
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
The pilot, flight instructor, and the passenger onboard the airplane were attempting to depart from a 3,400-ft-long turf runway. The pilot reported that as the airplane began to lift off from the runway, and he attempted to “ease the nose down” to stay in ground effect and gain airspeed. He attempted to correct a left yaw by applying right rudder and lowering the nose, but the airplane became uncontrollable. The airplane departed the runway, impacted trees, and a post-crash fire ensued that destroyed the airplane. A witness also observed the takeoff and described that as the airplane was taking off, the engine was at full power but it lifted off the runway too soon. Due to the airplane’s low speed, it descended and bounced. When the airplane contacted the ground again, the left with struck the ground and the airplane pivoted to the left, departed the runway, and went into a ditch where it came to rest.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28311
- Reported as
- Grumman American Avn. AA-5B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5B0555
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 3,494.64
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4K, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 5, 2024 · 80 hours before
- Destination
- SGJ · St. Augustine, FL
- Airport
- 67FL · Bald Eagle Airfield- Myakka Head, runway 18, 3,400 × 130 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Handheld GPS, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 11, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,550 total · 28.4 in this make and model · 4,482 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 8, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 249.4 total · 28.4 in this make and model · 179.6 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 15.8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- SRQ, 24 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSRQ 231453Z 13007KT 10SM CLR 27/17 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP198 T02720172 50007=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 19, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.3 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.
Other investigations on N28311 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.