Event GAA20CA019

Factual narrative

***This report was modified on January 9, 2020. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.*** The student pilot reported that his memory of the accident was spotty. He added that, during takeoff, the weight shift control aircraft climbed to about 30 ft and his foot slipped off the throttle pedal. The aircraft dove toward the ground in a left bank and impacted terrain. Two witnesses reported observing the accident from the airport fuel pumps. One witness reported that, during takeoff, once off the ground, the weight shift control aircraft drifted to the left off the runway. It appeared that the student pilot was correcting and drifted back toward the runway. Suddenly, the left wing struck the ground and the aircraft impacted terrain. The second witness reported that the aircraft touched down and flip over. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to both wings. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about 5 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 030° at 5 knots. The student pilot was departing on runway 02. The student pilot reported that his memory of the accident was "spotty." He added that, during takeoff, the weight-shift-control aircraft climbed to about 30 ft and that his foot slipped off the throttle pedal. The aircraft dove toward the ground in a left bank and impacted terrain. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to both wings. 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-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Student/instructed pilot - C