GAA18CA394

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, during the initial climb, the airplane drifted off the runway to the left towards a wooded area. He attempted to slow and stop the airplane, but the airplane struck a culvert, which "launched" the airplane back into the air. He then increased the engine power to full, pitched the nose up, flew the airplane back into the traffic pattern and landed without further incident. After taking time to gather himself, he departed to conduct a basic navigation exercise in the local area, but became disoriented, and used the airplane's Global Positioning System (GPS) to return to the departure airport. Due to previous issues with touch-and-goes and navigation issues during the flight, the pilot was mentally distracted on downwind and allowed the airplane to slow. During the turn to base, the airplane stalled, and the pilot overcorrected. The airplane entered a spin and collided with trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that, after completing a touch-and-go landing without incident, during the takeoff, the airplane drifted left off the runway toward a wooded area. He attempted to slow and stop the airplane, but it struck a culvert, which "launched" the airplane back into the air. He then increased the engine power to full, pitched the nose up, flew the airplane back into the traffic pattern, and landed without further incident.  After taking time to gather himself, the student took off again, this time to conduct a basic navigation exercise in the local area, but he became disoriented and used the airplane's GPS to return to the departure airport. The student stated that he was distracted during the downwind leg due to the previous runway excursion and the navigation issues he experienced during the accident flight and allowed the airspeed to decrease, which resulted in the airplane stalling. While making the turn to base, the student overcorrected with left rudder, which resulted in the airplane entering a spin and subsequently colliding with trees.    The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The student 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

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
• 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 Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Attention-Student/instructed pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome