Event ERA12CA313

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, during the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a bump in the grass runway that forced it to lift off the runway several knots under rotation speed. The airplane descended to the left, impacted trees off the left side of the runway, and came to rest in a swampy area resulting in substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the runway after the accident and found it to be in satisfactory condition, with no evidence of bumps. According to the pilot, the airplane encountered a bump in the grass runway during the takeoff roll and lifted off the runway several knots slower than rotation speed. After liftoff, the airplane descended to the left side of the runway, impacted trees, and came to rest in a swampy area, resulting in substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination of the runway found it to be in satisfactory condition, with no evidence of bumps. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

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