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GAA19CA085

2018-11-28 · St. Petersburg, Florida, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SPG

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to remove the gust lock before flight, which resulted in the airplane’s inability to rotate and a subsequent runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to follow the preflight checklist.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, before the flight he was rushed and did not follow the preflight checklist. During the near maximum gross weight takeoff, he noticed the acceleration was slow, but the airspeed was sufficient. He applied elevator back pressure to rotate, but immediately noticed the control lock was still in place on the yoke and attempted to remove it to no avail. He added that he does not recall trying to abort the takeoff or reduce power. The airplane overran the end of the runway, impacted water, and inverted before sinking. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, before the flight, he was rushed and did not follow the preflight checklist. During the takeoff with the airplane its near maximum gross weight, he noticed that it was accelerating slowly but that the airspeed was sufficient. He applied elevator back pressure to rotate, but he immediately noticed that the control lock was still in place on the yoke, and he attempted to remove it to no avail. He added that he did not recall trying to abort the takeoff or reduce power. The airplane overran the end of the runway, impacted water, and inverted before sinking. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot 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 systems-Flight control system-Gust lock or damper-Unintentional use/operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Attain/maintain not possible - C
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA19CA085.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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