NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA17CA494
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's improper takeoff configuration due to his failure to follow the pretakeoff checklist, which resulted in a loss of lift and collision with obstacles.
Factual narrative
According to the powered-glider pilot, during takeoff he noticed a slower than usual acceleration, but continued the departure. He reported that, "after lift-off the glider exhibited a poor climb rate although the engine was running smooth." Moments later, the glider stopped climbing, then descended and struck the roof of a building located about 800ft southwest of the departure end of the runway. The glider came to rest upright, after colliding with another structure, and was consumed by a post-crash fire. The pilot recalled that during the startup sequence, he was, "anxious to get back to my home base" and that he had not used the checklist. The pilot reported that he had taken off with the propeller in the cruise setting and the wing spoilers deployed. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. According to the powered-glider pilot, during takeoff, he noticed a slower-than-usual acceleration but continued the departure. He reported that, "after lift-off, the glider exhibited a poor climb rate although the engine was running smooth." Moments later, the glider stopped climbing and then descended and struck the roof of a building located about 800 ft southwest of the departure end of the runway. The glider came to rest upright after colliding with another structure and was consumed by a postcrash fire. The pilot recalled that, during the startup sequence, he was "anxious to get back to my home base" and that he had not used the checklist. The pilot reported that he had taken off with the propeller in the cruise setting and the wing spoilers deployed. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Configuration-Incorrect use/operation - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2017_GAA17CA494.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.