On December 30, 2005, a Grumman AA-5 (registration N5435L) was involved in an aviation accident near Boulder City, NV. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot forgot to remove the flight control's gust lock prior to takeoff. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During takeoff, a pilot could not raise the nose and discovered the gust lock was still engaged. The airplane veered left off the runway into terrain and sustained damage.
Sequence of Events
The pilot completed a preflight through the "ready to taxi" checklist. While taxiing, he observed a large seaplane take off, followed by a Cessna departing ahead of him. During the ground roll, the pilot attempted to rotate at 60 mph but was unable to raise the nose. He then realized he had forgotten to remove the flight control gust lock before takeoff. The airplane subsequently veered off the left side of the runway and encountered terrain.
Contributing Factors
The pilot noted that a portable GPS mounted to the yoke obstructed his view of the gust lock and access to it, which likely contributed to the omission.
Damage
The airplane sustained damage when it encountered terrain after veering off the runway.
Probable cause
The pilot forgot to remove the flight control's gust lock prior to takeoff.