NTSB ERA23LA227 — 2023-05-04 · Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Current FAA registration · N26941

Make / Model: GULFSTREAM AMERICAN AA-5A
Year of manufacture: 1979 · 44 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19790323
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A2A36A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N26941 GULFSTREAM AMERICAN CORP AA-5A None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff in gusting wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The student pilot was departing on her third solo flight. During the takeoff the airplane began drifting to the left and the pilot attempted to correct with right rudder application. The pilot said that it then felt as if the airplane encountered a gust of wind that pushed it to the left off the runway and into the grass. The airplane’s left wing struck a runway approach light and was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Response/compensation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA23LA227.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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