CEN14CA250

Factual narrative

The private pilot said that during the takeoff roll in his tail wheel-equipped airplane, he lifted the tail off the ground when the airplane was about 50 feet down the runway. The airplane then made a sudden turn to the left and veered off the runway. The left wing struck the ground and the airplane flipped over,which resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the vertical stabilizer and an engine mount. The pilot reported the wind was blowing about 5 knots directly down the runway and there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane or the engine. The private pilot said that during the takeoff roll in his tail wheel-equipped airplane, he lifted the tail off the ground when the airplane was about 50 feet down the runway. The airplane then made a sudden turn to the left and veered off the runway. The left wing struck the ground and the airplane flipped over,which resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the vertical stabilizer and an engine mount. The pilot reported the wind was blowing about 5 knots directly down the runway and there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane or the engine. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

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