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CEN20CA350

2020-08-18 · Olustee, Oklahoma, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport F09

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's decision to attempt a takeoff from the middle of the runway in shifting wind conditions, which resulted in an aborted takeoff and runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot and one passenger had just landed on the runway and come to a full stop. The pilot then attempted a takeoff from the 2,000 ft runway, with only about 1,000 ft remaining. During the takeoff roll and near the end of the runway, the pilot felt the wind suddenly shift from the left rear. He attempted to get the airplane airborne before the runway ended but was unsuccessful. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane as it continued off the end of the runway and into a fence. The airplane nosed over into a field and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and that he should have utilized the entire runway for the takeoff. The pilot and one passenger had just landed on the runway and come to a full stop. The pilot then attempted a takeoff from the 2,000 ft runway, with only about 1,000 ft remaining. During the takeoff roll and near the end of the runway, the pilot felt the wind suddenly shift from the left rear. He attempted to get the airplane airborne before the runway ended but was unsuccessful. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane as it continued off the end of the runway and into a fence. The airplane nosed over into a field and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and that he should have utilized the entire runway for the takeoff. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Sudden wind shift-Decision related to condition
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Sudden wind shift-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN20CA350.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 (runway excursion). All research papers