WPR14CA397
2014-09-28 · Rancho Murieta, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport RIU
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff and the certified flight instructors delayed remedial action, which resulted in the stall.
Factual narrative
The pilot, who held a private pilot certificate, stated that the purpose of the flight was for him to acquire hours in the airplane with a certified flight instructor (CFI) for insurance purposes. They departed from the airplane's base to a nearby airport to practice landings. After completing about two landings, the pilot configured the airplane for a short field takeoff. During the takeoff roll, he waited for the airplane to reach rotation speed and shortly thereafter they were airborne. The airplane immediately began to veer to the left and subsequently stalled. The airplane came to rest about 50 yards off the runway surface. As a result of the impact, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot stated that there were no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot, who held a private pilot certificate, stated that the purpose of the flight was for him to acquire hours in the airplane with a certified flight instructor (CFI) for insurance purposes. They departed from the airplane's base to a nearby airport to practice landings. After completing about two landings, the pilot configured the airplane for a short field takeoff. During the takeoff roll, he waited for the airplane to reach rotation speed and shortly thereafter they were airborne. The airplane immediately began to veer to the left and subsequently stalled. The airplane came to rest about 50 yards off the runway surface. As a result of the impact, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot stated that there were no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
- C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2014_WPR14CA397.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers
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- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER) Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…