Accident Sequence
A flight instructor and a private pilot were conducting an instructional flight focused on the soft field takeoff maneuver. The flight instructor did not brief the private pilot on positive transfer of flight controls before departure. The private pilot taxied to runway 28, completed takeoff checks, and positioned the airplane for takeoff.
During the takeoff roll, the airplane reached rotation speed but the private pilot did not rotate. The flight instructor verbally instructed the pilot to rotate, but the pilot did not respond. The flight instructor then pulled back on the control yoke, causing the airplane to become airborne in a nose-up attitude with both pilots on the flight controls.
The flight instructor reported that the airplane stalled and the left wing dropped. He verbally instructed the pilot to release the flight controls, and the pilot complied. The flight instructor leveled the airplane as it collided with the ground off the left side of the runway. The airplane continued forward and struck a fence before coming to a stop.
Pilot Statements
When asked about mechanical problems, the flight instructor stated there were none. He further stated that the accident was his fault, explaining that he failed to exercise good cockpit resource management by not properly transferring the flight controls, which resulted in the airspeed not being maintained when he pulled back on the control yoke.