NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR12CA270
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a fence during takeoff initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to not use all of the runway distance available for takeoff and the high density altitude.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he utilized the asphalt portion of the 5,100-foot long runway due to the dirt portion of the runway being rough and containing loose rocks. During takeoff from the 1,300-foot long asphalt surface, which was the area closest to the departure end of the runway, the airplane rotated at the normal takeoff speed, however, did not climb as he expected. Subsequently, the airplane struck a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and rudder and came to rest upright beyond the departure end of the runway. The pilot further reported that he felt the airplane did not climb due to the high density altitude and crosswind present at the time of the accident. Using reported weather conditions about five minutes prior to the accident and airport elevation of 3,075 feet mean sea level (msl), the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge calculated the density altitude to be about 6,389 feet. The pilot reported that he only used the 1,300-foot asphalt portion of the 5,100-foot runway because the dirt portion of the runway was rough and contained loose rocks. During takeoff from the asphalt surface, which was the area closest to the departure end of the runway, the airplane rotated at the normal takeoff speed; however, it did not climb as the pilot expected. Subsequently, the airplane struck a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and rudder, and then came to rest upright beyond the departure end of the runway. The pilot further reported that the airplane did not climb as he expected due to the high density altitude and the crosswind present at the time of the accident. Using weather conditions reported about 5 minutes before the accident and the airport elevation of 3,075 feet mean sea level (msl), the density altitude was about 6,389 feet. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
- F Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa-(general)-Decision related to condition - F
- F Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-High density altitude-Effect on operation - F
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2012_WPR12CA270.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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- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2015 · Journal article (JAAER)
Is “Green Dot” Always the Optimum Engines-Out Glide Speed on the Airbus A320 Aircraft?
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- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Leveraging Large Self-Supervised Time-Series Models for Transferable Diagnosis in Cross-Aircraft Type Bleed Air System
Bleed Air System (BAS) is critical for maintaining flight safety and operational efficiency, supporting functions such as cabin pressurization, air conditioning, and engine anti-icing.
- arXiv 2024 · arXiv preprint
Distilling Tiny and Ultra-fast Deep Neural Networks for Autonomous Navigation on Nano-UAVs
Nano-sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are ideal candidates for flying Internet-of-Things smart sensors to collect information in narrow spaces.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2023 · Conference paper
Airline Pilot Risk Profiling by Using Unstable Approach Management Case
Risk and human decision-making cannot be separated from each other. Many of theories and studies have tried to analyze pilots’ decision-making processes, risk factors, and preference behavior in the a…
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