Event LAX03LA151

Factual narrative

On May 15, 2003, at 1551 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N585TM, collided with terrain while on takeoff roll at the Camarillo Airport (CMA), Camarillo, California. The airplane was registered to a private individual, and operated by Skyblue Air, Inc., under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local instructional flight was attempting to depart CMA at the time of the accident. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. In a written statement, the CFI reported that during the takeoff roll on runway 26 the airplane drifted right of centerline. He advised the student pilot to release pressure from the right rudder pedal. The airplane moved left of the centerline and the CFI instructed the student to increase right rudder pressure. The airplane continued to the left, and the CFI took control of the airplane. He pulled the throttle to the idle position and applied full right rudder pressure in an effort to stay on the runway. The airplane continued off the left side of the runway, and he added full power. The airplane became airborne and, despite full right rudder, continued a left yaw. Unable to gain altitude, the airplane impacted the dirt infield. It came to rest with the nose about 180 degrees from runway heading. The CFI had about 70 hours of flight instruction time, and the student pilot had about 4 hours of dual instruction. The CFI did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. After the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration inspector interviewed the CFI. He thought that the CFI gave the student pilot an overly comprehensive brief before the flight. He established that prior to the accident, the student pilot was given control input information for all facets of flight and was overwhelmed during takeoff. After losing control, the CFI waited to take remedial action too late and could not recover the airplane. The airplane collided with terrain while on the takeoff roll. The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that during the takeoff roll the airplane drifted right of centerline. He advised the student pilot to release pressure from the right rudder pedal. The airplane moved left of the centerline, and the CFI instructed the student to increase right rudder pressure. The airplane continued to the left and the CFI took control of the airplane. He pulled the throttle to the idle position and applied full right rudder pressure in an effort to stay on the runway. The airplane continued off the left side of the runway, and he added full power. The airplane became airborne and, despite full right rudder, continued a left yaw. Unable to gain altitude, the airplane impacted the dirt infield. It came to rest with the nose about 180 degrees from runway heading. The CFI had about 70 hours of flight instruction time, and the student pilot had about 4 hours of dual instruction. The CFI did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector interviewed the CFI. He established that prior to the accident, the student pilot was given an overly comprehensive brief and became overwhelmed during takeoff. After losing control, the CFI waited too late to effectively take remedial action and recover the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12