NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA14CA430
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's decision to takeoff from a field which resulted in a collision with trees and the ground. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to correctly identify the destination airport and runway, which resulted in an off-airport landing in the field.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was utilizing an iPad for navigation, and mistakenly landed in a field rather than his intended destination, an airport with a turf runway. After landing, he taxied the airplane to a corner of the field and commenced a takeoff roll, estimating the available takeoff distance to be about 600 feet. Just after takeoff, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and engine firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that he was utilizing an iPad for navigation, and mistakenly landed in a field rather than his intended destination, an airport with a turf runway. After landing, he taxied the airplane to a corner of the field and commenced a takeoff roll, estimating the available takeoff distance to be about 600 feet. Just after takeoff, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and engine firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities with the airplane 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 Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- F Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot - F
- F Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Flight planning/navigation-Pilot - F
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2014_ERA14CA430.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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