NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX94LA320
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
the pilot's failure to raise the flaps prior to takeoff, and subsequent loss of directional control. A lack of total experience was a factor.
Factual narrative
On August 13, 1994, at 1316 Pacific daylight time, a Beech BE-77, N6702Y, collided with a runway sign following a loss of control while taking off on runway 31 at Salinas Airport, Salinas, California. The student pilot, performing supervised solo pattern work, was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot reported that he forgot to raise the flaps prior to takeoff. He was not able to keep the airplane on the centerline and drifted to the left. The left wing struck the runway length distance marker. He then proceeded across the grass to the taxiway. The student's flight instructor provided in a written statement that he observed "one of the wings high" while watching the student's takeoff roll. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS PRACTICING LANDINGS ON HIS SECOND SOLO FLIGHT. HIS INTENTION WAS TO MAKE THREE FULL STOP LANDINGS, TAXIING BACK FOR EACH TAKEOFF. DURING PREPARATION FOR THE THIRD SOLO TAKEOFF THE PILOT DID NOT RAISE THE FLAPS. DURING THE TAKEOFF THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED TO THE LEFT HIT A RUNWAY SIGN AND CONTINUED INTO THE GRASSY AREA BESIDE THE RUNWAY WHERE THE WING WAS DAMAGED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1994_LAX94LA320.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (icing, loss of control). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2022 · Accident report
Loss of Control on Takeoff in Icing Conditions — Citation 560XL
Cessna Citation 560XL fatal takeoff icing accident, March 2018. Investigation of a Citation 560XL loss-of-control takeoff accident in icing conditions.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2012 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis of General Aviation Instructional Loss of Control Accidents
Although student pilots spend many hours practicing maneuvers to improve airmanship and prevent accidents, almost one half of all general aviation aircraft accidents occur during flight training.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Contractor Report (CR)
Icing Physics Studies Using the 3D SIDRM Test Article: 2023 Icing Tests Analysis
In-flight icing is an important safety issue and is a factor that affects aircraft design and performance. Newer regulations are driving a need for improvements in airframe and engine icing simulation…
- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for UAV-Assisted 5G Network Slicing: A Comparative Study of MAPPO, MADDPG, and MADQN
The growing demand for robust, scalable wireless networks in the 5G-and-beyond era has led to the deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as mobile base stations to enhance coverage in dense urb…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
A Scoping Review of Aviation Loss of Control Inflight Research
Loss of control – inflight (LOC-I) contributes to aircraft accidents at unacceptably high rates. Significant industry efforts and research have aimed to improve LOC-I prevention, detection, and recove…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
A Mathematical Model on the Temporal Dynamics of Aviation Competitive Pricing
This study investigates the competitive dynamics of airport pricing using U.S. airport data to validate the findings. It employs linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equation models to analyze t…
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