NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA15CA020
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilot's inadvertent interference with the weight-shift capability of the airplane during the initial climb, resulting in a loss of airplane control and hard landing.
Factual narrative
According to the instructor pilot, he was beginning a local, instructional flight with a student in his weight-shift-control airplane. During the initial climb, the weight-shift capability of the wing became inadvertently restricted by the student, who was seated in the front seat. Due to the tandem seating arrangement, the instructor was unable to get the student's attention to release control. The student was "younger and stronger" than the instructor. The airplane rolled and impacted hard on the grassy area adjacent to the runway. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that substantial damage resulted to the airframe's tubular structure and the wing. The instructor pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. According to the instructor pilot, he was beginning a local, instructional flight with a student in his weight-shift-control airplane. During the initial climb, the weight-shift capability of the wing became inadvertently restricted by the student, who was seated in the front seat. Due to the tandem seating arrangement, the instructor was unable to get the student's attention to release control. The student was "younger and stronger" than the instructor. The airplane rolled and impacted hard on the grassy area adjacent to the runway. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that substantial damage resulted to the airframe's tubular structure and the wing. The instructor pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. 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 systems-Flight control system-(general)-Unintentional use/operation - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Student/instructed pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2014_ERA15CA020.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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