Event GAA19CA287

Factual narrative

The pilot receiving instruction reported that, during takeoff on the grass adjacent to a paved runway, after adding full power, he held the stick back during acceleration. He added that, the airplane did not accelerate "much above the red line (40 mph)". He felt a "bump", the airplane bounced, and veered to the right. The pilot added left rudder to correct, but the landing gear collapsed, and the propeller struck the ground. The flight instructor reported that, during the takeoff, the angle of attack was "higher than normal" and the airplane aerodynamically stalled 3 ft above the ground. The right wing dropped, the airplane yawed to the right, and he and the pilot receiving instruction attempted to recover with nose down, left rudder, and left aileron input. The airplane landed sideways, the landing gear collapsed, and the propeller struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot and 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 about 4 miles southwest, reported that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 290° at 5 knots. The pilot was departing runway 14. The pilot receiving instruction reported that, during takeoff from the grass adjacent to a paved runway, after adding full power, he held the stick back during acceleration. He added that the airplane did not accelerate "much above the red line (40 mph)" and that he felt a "bump." The airplane then bounced and veered right. The flight instructor reported that, during the takeoff, the angle of attack was "higher than normal" and that the airplane aerodynamically stalled 3 ft above ground level. The right wing dropped, the airplane yawed right, and he and the pilot attempted to recover with nose-down, left-rudder, and left-aileron inputs. The airplane landed sideways, the landing gear collapsed, and the propeller struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot and instructor 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C