Event GAA17CA020

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he performed three off airport, soft field landings, in a field and that he was landing in a southerly direction. He added that after the third landing, he turned the aircraft around and took off to the north, "because of all the tall trees on the south end of the strip". He remarked that the wind was calm on the ground, but during his takeoff climb he encountered "wind shear and my airspeed dropped from 50 kts. to 30 kts.". He recalled that the airplane struck a tree, descended, and impacted terrain. According to the nearest Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR) from an aerodrome located about three miles northeast of the accident site, the wind about the time of the accident was 210° at 13kts. The METAR revealed that the prevailing wind throughout the day was a southerly wind. According to the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, specifically the section on Takeoff Performance, pg. 10-14, para. 5: The effect of wind on takeoff distance is large, and proper consideration also must be provided when predicting takeoff distance. The effect of a headwind is to allow the aircraft to reach the lift-off speed at a lower groundspeed while the effect of a tailwind is to require the aircraft to achieve a greater groundspeed to attain the lift-off speed. A headwind that is 10 percent of the takeoff airspeed will reduce the takeoff distance approximately 19 percent. However, a tailwind that is 10 percent of the takeoff airspeed will increase the takeoff distance approximately 21 percent. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, he performed three off-airport, soft-field landings and was landing in a southerly direction. He added that, after the third landing, he turned the aircraft around and took off to the north, "because of all the tall trees on the south end of the strip." He remarked that the wind was calm on the ground but that, during his takeoff climb, he encountered "wind shear and my airspeed dropped from 50 kts to 30 kts." He recalled that the airplane struck a tree, descended, and impacted terrain. According to the nearest METAR from an aerodrome located about 3 miles northeast of the accident site, the wind about the time of the accident was from 210° at 13 kts. The METAR indicated that the prevailing wind throughout the day was a southerly wind. According to the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, "Takeoff Performance," pages 10-14, paragraph 5: The effect of wind on takeoff distance is large, and proper consideration also must be provided when predicting takeoff distance. The effect of a headwind is to allow the aircraft to reach the lift-off speed at a lower groundspeed while the effect of a tailwind is to require the aircraft to achieve a greater groundspeed to attain the lift-off speed. A headwind that is 10 percent of the takeoff airspeed will reduce the takeoff distance approximately 19 percent. However, a tailwind that is 10 percent of the takeoff airspeed will increase the takeoff distance approximately 21 percent. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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 Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Decision related to condition - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Soft surface-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome