Event GAA18CA358

Factual narrative

The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction reported that, the pilot performed a soft field takeoff and once in ground effect, he reduced back pressure and the instructor heard the stall warning horn and observed a low airspeed. The instructor told the pilot to reduce the pitch, the pilot lowered the nose a little, but the airplane continued to climb. The instructor told the pilot to reduce pitch again, but the pilot reported he was concerned about a possible propeller strike. The flight instructor took the flight controls, but the airplane had turned to the right and he experienced a "loss of control". The airplane landed off the right side of the runway, the instructor reduced power, the left main landing gear separated, and the airplane came to rest. The instructor and student reported that the airplane had aerodynamically stalled. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction both reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction reported that the pilot performed a soft-field takeoff, and once in ground effect, he reduced back pressure, and the instructor heard the stall warning horn and observed a low airspeed. The instructor told the pilot to reduce the pitch, the pilot lowered the nose a little, but the airplane continued to climb. The instructor told the pilot to reduce pitch again, but the pilot stated he was concerned about a possible propeller strike. The flight instructor took the flight controls, but the airplane had turned to the right, and he experienced a "loss of control." The airplane landed off the right side of the runway, the instructor reduced power, the left main landing gear separated, and the airplane came to rest. The flight instructor and pilot reported that the airplane had aerodynamically stalled. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The flight instructor and pilot both reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C