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WPR15CA094

2015-01-27 · La Verne, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport POC

N805ER has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (ZENITH CH 750 CRUZER, built 2022), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's loss of directional control during takeoff from a runway, which resulted in a collision with a sign.

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that the purpose of the solo flight was for him to practice soft-field takeoffs from a hard surface runway. During the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a sudden gust of wind and the student pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline and continued off the surface, colliding with several signs before coming to rest in a grassy area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot further reported that the accident could have been prevented if he was more vigilant of sudden gusts of wind even in reported calm wind conditions. The student pilot reported that the purpose of the solo flight was for him to practice soft-field takeoffs from a hard surface runway. During the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a sudden gust of wind and the student pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline and continued off the surface, colliding with several signs before coming to rest in a grassy area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot further reported that the accident could have been prevented if he was more vigilant of sudden gusts of wind even in reported calm wind conditions.           Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Sign/marker-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_WPR15CA094.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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