Event GAA18CA460

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that, while practicing soft field takeoffs, the airplane lifted off about mid-field and drifted to the left. He and the flight instructor tried to correct, but the airplane struck a runway sign, and spun to the left. The flight instructor reported that, during the soft field takeoff, as soon as the airplane lifted off the ground, the student pilot lost his composure. He added that, while calling for the flight controls, he began to fight the student for the flight controls and yelled "let go". The airplane struck a taxiway sign and the airplane spun to the left. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 15 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 210° at 11 knots. The student pilot reported that the wind was from 220° to 240° at 11 knots, gusting to 18 knots. The airplane departed runway 17. The student pilot reported that, while practicing soft-field takeoffs, the airplane lifted off about midfield and drifted left. He and the flight instructor tried to correct, but the airplane struck a runway sign and spun left. The flight instructor reported that, during the soft-field takeoff, as soon as the airplane lifted off the ground, the student pilot lost his composure. He added that, while calling for the flight controls, he began to fight the student for the flight controls and yelled "let go." The airplane struck a taxiway sign, and the airplane spun to the left. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 15 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 210° at 11 knots. The student reported that the wind was from between 220° and 240° at 11 knots, gusting to 18 knots. The airplane departed from runway 17. 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-Heading/course-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Sign/marker-Contributed to outcome