Event ERA12CA434

Factual narrative

The pilot reported he conducted 6 previous uneventful flights utilizing both runway 18 and 36 for takeoff due variable winds. He elected to depart from runway 18 on the accident flight because the windsock indicated a primarily southwesterly wind. The pilot stated that the takeoff roll was normal; however, shortly after liftoff the airplane encountered a tailwind which resulted in a degradation of performance. The airplane began to sink and lose airspeed, and the pilot elected to abort the takeoff. The airplane touched back down onto the runway, and subsequently nosed-over, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot, pilot-rated passenger and several witnesses reported a wind shift around the time of the accident. A weather report from a nearby airport revealed a 20 degree shift in wind direction and a 7 knot increase in winds with a 24 knot gust from the northwest during the hour that the accident took place. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that there were no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he had conducted six previous uneventful flights on the day of the accident utilizing both runways 18 and 36 for takeoff due to variable winds. He elected to depart from runway 18 on the accident flight, because the windsock indicated a primarily southwesterly wind. The pilot stated that the takeoff roll was normal; however, shortly after liftoff, the airplane encountered a tailwind, which resulted in a degradation of performance. The airplane began to sink and lose airspeed, and the pilot aborted the takeoff. The airplane touched back down onto the runway, and the pilot applied the brakes in an effort to stop the airplane on the remaining runway. The airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot, pilot-rated passenger, and several witnesses reported a wind shift around the time of the accident. Weather reports from a nearby airport revealed that, during the period from about 1 hour 40 minutes before to about 20 minutes after the accident, there was a 40 degree shift in wind direction and an increase in wind speed from 9 knots to 18 knots, gusting to 24 knots. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. 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 Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Sudden wind shift-Effect on operation - C
• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Climb rate-Attain/maintain not possible