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GAA15CA272

2015-09-19 · Sanford, North Carolina, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport TTA

N635DC has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (DJI T40), which was not involved in this event.

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

FAA avdata. C = Cause, 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 ↗.

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