Piper PA28 N839AL

Summary

On 5 December 2018 at about 20:35 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N839AL was involved in an accident near Cornelia, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 December 2018 at 20:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Cornelia, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Habersham County (AJR)

Coordinates

34.4994, -83.5572

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N839AL

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cornelia → Cornelia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA088

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain the runway heading during an attempted takeoff in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that, during a touch-and-go landing in crosswind conditions and with the student pilot on the controls, the airplane touched down on the runway centerline "but without perfect longitudinal (heading) alignment," and the airplane then veered left. The instructor took control of the airplane and added power to take off, but she did not retract any of the "partial" flaps. She maintained the "slightly" offset direction from the runway during the takeoff roll, and the airplane became airborne as it exited the left side of the runway. The left wing impacted trees and brush. Subsequently, the airplane came to rest at the bottom of a ravine. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 330° at 7 knots, gusting to 14 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 6.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.