Event CEN10CA290

Factual narrative

The commercial pilot departed a 3,200 foot-long runway on a hot day in his 65 horsepower rated single-engine airplane. When he reached an altitude of 150 feet and an airspeed of 55 knots, the pilot made a left hand turn so he could clear the area for the other aircraft waiting to back-taxi/depart. While in the turn, the airspeed decreased and the pilot was unable to maintain altitude. The airplane collided with trees south of the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical discrepancies with the airplane or the engine, and he should have continued straight out on departure versus turning. The pilot departed a 3,200-foot-long runway on a hot day in his 65-horsepower single-engine airplane. When he reached an altitude of 150 feet and an airspeed of 55 knots, the pilot made a left-hand turn so that he could clear the area for the other aircraft waiting to back-taxi/depart. While in the turn, the airspeed decreased and the pilot was unable to maintain altitude. The airplane collided with trees south of the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical discrepancies with the airplane or the engine and that he should have continued straight out on departure rather than turning. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C