- Date
- July 19, 1998, 18:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rockland, ME
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5755FPiper PA28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 28, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980719046469A
- Case key
- 43210
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 attain adequate airspeed during the takeoff, which resulted in a stall.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot (SP) was performing a soft field takeoff. He stated, 'I pulled yoke full aft, power full, [and] rolled down the runway. Plane wallowed into air at approximately 60 MPH. I pushed nose forward, left wing dropped. Plane wandered to side of runway. I lost ground effect. Left wing dropped. Plane looped to left. I tried to correct. Apparently pulled nose up too much [and] stalled....' The airplane's left wing tip and propeller struck the ground. The airplane cartwheeled, and came to rest in a swampy area on the left side of the runway, where a post crash fire ensued. Examination of wreckage did not reveal any evidence a mechanical malfunction of the airframe or engine. The SP reported 43 hours of total flight experience, all in make and model.
Factual narrative
On July 19, 1998, about 1830 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA 28-140, N5755F, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during the initial climb, after takeoff from Knox County Regional Airport, Rockland (RKD), Maine. The certificated student pilot (SP) sustained minor injures. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In a written statement, the SP said he was performing a soft field takeoff from runway 21 at RKD. He further stated:
"...As airplane turned to point down runway I pulled yoke full aft, power full, [and] rolled down runway. Plane wallowed into air at approximately 60 MPH. I pushed nose forward, left wing dropped. Plane wandered to side of runway. I lost ground effect. Left wing dropped. Plane looped to left. I tried to correct. Apparently pulled nose up too much [and] stalled...."
The airplane's left wing tip and propeller struck the ground. The airplane cartwheeled, and came to rest in a swampy area on the left side of the runway, where a post crash fire ensued.
Examination of wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector did not reveal any evidence a mechanical malfunction of the airframe or engine.
The SP reported 43 hours of total flight experience, all in make and model.
Winds reported at RKD, at 1855, were from 230 degrees at 7 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5755F
- Reported as
- Piper PA28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-25058
- Airframe hours
- 5,165
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320E2D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Knox County Flying Club Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 4, 1998 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- RKD
- Airport
- RKD · Knox County Regional, runway 21, 4,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 43 total · 43 in this make and model · 15 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RKD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.