Event GAA16CA284

Factual narrative

According to the pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane, during the takeoff roll, the airplane drifted left of the centerline. He reported that he corrected the drift by applying right rudder and the airplane began to decelerate. He recalled that he released the right rudder input in order to reposition his foot off of the heel brake and noticed that the airplane was approaching a left landing strip boundary marker rapidly. He reported that he decided to rotate early and the airplane continued drifting left, collided with the roof of a hangar, and dropped to the ground where it caught on fire. The airplane was destroyed by the fire. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the airplane prior to the takeoff roll that would have prevented normal flight operations. The pilot's last flight review was 08AUG2009. The pilot has accumulated 165 total hours of flight time and a total of 7 hours in make and model. According to the pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane, during the takeoff roll, the airplane drifted left of the centerline. He reported that he corrected the drift by applying right rudder and the airplane began to decelerate. He recalled that he released the right rudder input in order to reposition his foot off of the heel brake and noticed that the airplane was approaching a left landing strip boundary marker rapidly. He reported that he decided to rotate early and the airplane continued drifting left, collided with the roof of a hangar, and dropped to the ground where it caught on fire. The airplane was destroyed by the fire. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the airplane prior to the takeoff roll that would have prevented normal flight operations. The pilot's last flight review was 08AUG2009. The pilot has accumulated 165 total hours of flight time and a total of 7 hours in make and model. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
• — Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Recent experience-Pilot
• — Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience-Pilot
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Airport structure-Contributed to outcome