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CEN20CA190

2020-05-23 · Bunkie, Louisiana, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 2LA4

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that during takeoff, when he pushed the control stick forward to raise the tail of the airplane, the airplane went to the left. He tried to correct back to the right but was unsuccessful. In an effort to prevent an accident, he decided to attempt the takeoff and became airborne briefly before the wheels impacted the sugarcane field. The airplane nosed over and sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. He stated that he was wearing a helmet and only received minor injuries during the accident. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. 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-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN20CA190.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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