NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA15CA272
Registry · N635DC
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
DJI T40
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8509D
Registrant of record
JLJ WHEELER FARMS LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilots failure to maintain a climb after takeoff, which resulted in an impact with terrain.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that during a solo soft field takeoff the tail of the airplane impacted the ground. He lowered the nose, and as the airspeed increased initiated rotation After liftoff, the airplane drifted to the left of the runway, descended, and impacted the bottom of a ditch. The airplane came to a stop in a ramp parking area. The student pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The student pilot reported that during a solo soft field takeoff the tail of the airplane impacted the ground. He lowered the nose, and as the airspeed increased initiated rotation After liftoff, the airplane drifted to the left of the runway, descended, and impacted the bottom of a ditch. The airplane came to a stop in a ramp parking area. The student pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Yaw control-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Climb rate-Not attained/maintained - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2015_GAA15CA272.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.