NTSB ATL91LA152 — 1991-08-05 · MANNING, South Carolina, United States

Current FAA registration · N29926

Make / Model: WACO UPF-7
Engine: CONT MOTOR W670 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19750810
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A319A6

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N29926 Waco UPF-7 None

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, AND HIS FAILURE TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF IN A TIMELY MANNER ONCE THE AIRPLANE HAD DEPARTED THE RUNWAY SURFACE. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO UTILIZE THE ENTIRE AVAILABLE RUNWAY FOR TAKEOFF.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING AN INTERSECTION TAKEOFF FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT. HE REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT ACCELERATING NORMALLY ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL. AT ABOUT 700 FEET INTO THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO DEPART THE RUNWAY TO THE LEFT INTO THE GRASS. UNABLE TO CONTINUE THE TAKEOFF, THE PILOT GROUND LOOPED THE AIRPLANE. THE FAA INSPECTOR REPORTED THAT THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO CONTINUE THE TAKEOFF AFTER THE AIRPLANE HAD DEPARTED THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THE GRASS ALONG THE RUNWAY WAS ABOUT 12 INCHES HIGH AND THE GROUND WAS WET. RUNUP INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE FAILED TO INDICATE ANY MECHANICAL PROBLEMS OR LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_ATL91LA152.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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