NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA20CA042
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to move the fuel selector position to the "on" position before takeoff, which resulted in a total loss of engine power and necessitated a forced landing to a field shortly after takeoff, and his subsequent improper decision to take off from unsuitable terrain, which resulted in collision with an embankment and a postcrash fire.
Factual narrative
According to FAA Aviation Safety Inspectors, the pilot reported that he initiated a soft-field takeoff, with the intent of flying out of the field after making a forced landing. During the takeoff roll, the airplane collided with an embankment and the airplane momentarily ascended before landing hard. The nose landing gear separated from the airplane, "causing a rupture in the fuel tanks." The airplane came to rest upright, but a fire erupted, "under the right wing" according to pilot. The airplane was consumed by fire and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, the engine "shut down" due to the fuel selector being in the "off" position. Subsequently, he made a forced landing to a field adjacent to the runway. He moved the fuel selector to the "on" position and then initiated a soft-field takeoff. During the takeoff roll, the airplane collided with an embankment, and it momentarily ascended before landing hard and then coming to rest upright. The nose landing gear separated from the airplane, and the fuel tanks ruptured. A fire ensued, which consumed the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on operation - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2019_GAA20CA042.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
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- Semantic Scholar 2022 · Article (ORL)
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- Semantic Scholar 2022 · Article (Journal of Safety Research)
The effect of COVID-19 on self-reported safety incidents in aviation: An examination of the heterogeneous effects using causal machine learning
Introduction: Disruptions to aviation operations occur daily on a micro-level with negligible impacts beyond the inconvenience of rebooking and changing aircrew schedules.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗