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CEN21LA197

2021-04-22 · Faribault, Minnesota, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FBL

Current FAA registration · N7114C

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-181
Year of manufacture
2017 · 4 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O-360-A4M (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20171013
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A982AB

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s failure to maintain control during takeoff in gusty wind conditions and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in the airplane colliding with trees and subsequently the ground.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that, while the student pilot was conducting his fourth takeoff during his first flight lesson, the airplane encountered a wind gust and entered a “sharp” left turn toward a tree line. The flight instructor took control of the airplane, verified the throttle was at full power, and adjusted the airplane’s pitch for best angle of climb airspeed. He thought the airplane had cleared the trees; however, the aft fuselage or empennage struck some branches causing the airplane to lose airspeed. The airplane entered a descent and impacted a field on the other side of the tree line. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, left horizontal stabilizer, and the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the student pilot was taking off on runway 30 with wind from 270o at 11 knots with gusts to 15 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_CEN21LA197.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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