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GAA19CA486

2019-08-04 · Bayse, Virginia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport VG18

Current FAA registration · N424BC

Make / Model
CESSNA 172F
Year of manufacture
1964 · 55 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19641024
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A50A97

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during takeoff initial climb, once above the tree line, he felt as though the airplane encountered, "a strong quartering tailwind." The stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane began to descend to the left. He was able to put the airplane's nose down, and the airplane touched down in the grass area that outlined the left side of the runway surface and bounced. He cut the engine's power and the airplane touched down again in the grass area on the left side of the runway and "went onto the nose-wheel and the left main. The pilot applied right rudder and he was able to steer the airplane back onto the runway and stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that about the time of the accident, the wind at the accident site was calm. 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, during the initial climb, once the airplane was above the tree line, he felt as though it encountered "a strong quartering tailwind." The stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane began to descend to the left. He was able to lower the airplane's nose, and the airplane touched down in the grass area that outlined the left side of the runway surface and then bounced. He cut the engine's power, and the airplane touched down again on the nosewheel and the left main landing gear. The pilot applied right rudder, and he was able to steer the airplane onto the runway and stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. 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 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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA486.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers