Skip to content

CEN11CA342

2011-05-17 · Spicewood, Texas, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 88R

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Factual narrative

The pilot told an FAA inspector that he and his passenger departed on runway 35 and planned to practice touch and go landings. He initiated the take off roll from mid-field with a tailwind, and said that the engine was not producing enough power needed to safely depart. The pilot continued the take off and once airborne, the airplane stalled and collided with trees at the end of the runway. The pilot said the engine was running at the time of impact and there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to each wing, the fuselage, and the right elevator. Winds at a nearby airport were reported as wind 160 degrees at 8 knots gusting to 17 knots. The pilot reported that he and a passenger departed on a flight to practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. He took off mid-field with a tailwind, and during the take off roll, he noticed that the engine was not producing enough power. He continued the take off and soon thereafter, the airplane stalled and collided with trees at the end of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to each wing, the fuselage, and the right elevator. The pilot said the engine was running at the time of impact and there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_CEN11CA342.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers