No fatalities

20 Jul 2010: AERONCA 11AC — Randolph, NY

Randolph, NY, United States

On 20 Jul 2010, an AERONCA 11AC was involved in an aviation accident near Randolph, NY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The certified flight instructor's delayed response to the student pilot's loss of directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a building. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a tailwheel training flight, the airplane veered right during takeoff, exited the runway, and struck a building, damaging the left wing spars. The student pilot had applied the right brake.

Accident Details

On an unspecified date, a student pilot under the supervision of a certificated flight instructor (CFI) was conducting takeoff training in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. During the takeoff roll, the airplane began to veer to the right, departed the runway, and impacted the corner of a building. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the forward and aft spars of the left wing.

Pilot Statements

The CFI reported that during the takeoff roll, the student pilot was pushing heavily on the right brake. According to the student pilot, approximately 300 feet into the takeoff roll, the airplane veered a few degrees to the right. At that point, the CFI took control of the airplane, but it continued to veer to the right. Prior to the impact, the student pilot retarded the throttle. Both pilots stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane before the accident.

Damage and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board was notified of this accident on February 25, 2011. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spars. No other details about the aircraft, occupants, or injuries were provided in the source.

Contributing factors

Instructor/check pilotStudent pilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained