ERA19LA041

Factual narrative

On November 11, 2018, about 1314 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28R-201, N52737, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground during the initial climb after takeoff from Cannon Creek Airpark (15FL), Lake City, Florida. The private pilot and two passengers were seriously injured, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.The right front seat passenger stated that as soon as they took off, he knew something was wrong because the airplane was not climbing very fast. He thought the airplane was going to touch back down on the runway when he noticed the airplane's nose going "up and down." The airplane made several nose-up and nose-down oscillations before going to the left side of the runway and contacting tree tops. The airplane then impacted the ground and cartwheeled. The pilot stated that he remembered the takeoff roll. He stated he was "having difficulty getting the airplane in the air." The next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital several days later. A witness, who was parked on the side of the runway to watch the airplane taking off, stated he observed the pilot perform a preflight engine run-up and the airplane begin the departure on runway 27, a 2,600 ft-long turf runway. The wind was a right quartering tailwind at an estimated velocity about 8 to 10 mph. He thought the pilot "forced" the airplane off the ground and it immediately began "oscillations." When the airplane appeared to be near stall speed, the nose lowered and would then raise again, which repeated until the airplane contacted some tree tops. He further stated that each time the airplane oscillated, it resulted in a lower altitude. Another witness, who was also a pilot, watched the airplane during the takeoff. He stated that it appeared as if the accident pilot had "pulled" the airplane off the ground too early, and he watched as the airplane "porpoised" 3 to 4 times down the runway, while flying at or near stall speed. The witness further described that there was no change in the engine's sounded throughout the takeoff, and that it appeared to be running well the entire time. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane's wings sustained buckling and tears. The left main landing gear collapsed. The fuselage had buckling along its length aft to the elevator. The rudder was undamaged. The four seat, low-wing, tricycle gear airplane was manufactured in 1989. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-360 series, 200-horsepower engine, equipped with a two-bladed McCauley propeller. The pilot held a private pilot certificate, with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His FAA third class medical certificate was issued on August 20, 2015. He reported 3,583 total hours of flight experience at that time. The private pilot was attempting to depart from a 2,600-ft-long turf runway with a right quartering tailwind with three passengers onboard. A witness estimated that the tailwind was about 8 knots. The pilot reported that the only thing he could recall about the flight was that he had "difficulty getting the airplane into the air." Another witness reported that, immediately after becoming airborne, the airplane entered a series of pitch oscillations; during each oscillation, the airplane appeared to be near the stall speed and lose altitude. After several oscillations, the airplane neared the left side of the runway and impacted treetops before impacting the ground and cartwheeling. One of the witnesses stated that the engine sound did not change during takeoff and that the engine appeared to be running well the entire time. Given the evidence, it is likely that the pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed before attempting the takeoff with a tailwind, which led to the airplane being unable to sustain flight. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation - C