Skip to content

GAA16CA093

2016-01-02 · Newton, Iowa, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport TNU

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the takeoff, resulting in a runway excursion, and airplane nose over.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, his intent was to perform a touch and go landing on a runway with patches of snow extending from the approach end to the departure end. The pilot reported that the touchdown and landing roll were uneventful. He reported that as he aborted the landing and configured the airplane for takeoff, he retracted the flaps, advanced the throttle and applied right rudder. He recalled that when he advanced the throttle, the airplane immediately made a sharp left turn, exited the runway to the left, and impacted the residual snow that was previously cleared from the runway. The airplane nosed over and the pilot exited the runway under his own power. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation. According to the pilot, his intent was to perform a touch and go landing on a runway with patches of snow extending from the approach end to the departure end. The pilot reported that the touchdown and landing roll were uneventful. He reported that as he aborted the landing and configured the airplane for takeoff, he retracted the flaps, advanced the throttle and applied right rudder. He recalled that when he advanced the throttle, the airplane immediately made a sharp left turn, exited the runway to the left, and impacted the residual snow that was previously cleared from the runway. The airplane nosed over and the pilot exited the runway under his own power. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation. 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-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Snowy/icy-Decision related to condition
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Snow/ice-Effect on equipment
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Snow/slush/ice covered-Decision related to condition
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA093.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers