Incident Overview
A student pilot was conducting a takeoff roll in a tailwheel-equipped airplane when directional control was lost. The airplane veered to the right side of the runway and struck a taxiway berm, causing substantial damage to the empennage.
Pilot Reports
The student pilot reported that he lost directional control during the roll. The flight instructor, who was present, noted that the airplane initially yawed to the left. The instructor took over the controls and attempted to correct the yaw, but the airplane veered off the right side of the runway and impacted the berm.
Pilot Experience
The flight instructor had a total of 563 flight hours but reported no flight time in the make and model of the accident airplane. The student pilot had a total of 9.8 hours of flight time, with 4.5 hours in the make and model.
Instructor's Comments
The flight instructor stated that he should have closed the throttle as soon as directional control was lost and that he should have executed a positive exchange of flight controls.