No fatalities

15 Oct 2019: Piper PA38 112 — Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

On 15 Oct 2019, a Piper PA38 112 was involved in an aviation accident near Colorado Springs, CO. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain the runway heading while taking off with a gusting tailwind, which resulted in impact with a fence. 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

Shortly after departure from runway 08, the airplane drifted left of runway heading, struck a fence, and came to rest in a horse corral, sustaining substantial damage.

Incident Overview

The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, the airplane drifted left of the runway heading. Despite attempts to correct, the airplane continued to drift left, impacting a fence before coming to rest in a horse corral.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Conditions

The airport's automated weather observation station reported wind from 220° at 10 knots, gusting to 18 knots, around the time of the accident. The pilot reported wind from 330° at 11 knots. The airplane was departing from runway 08.

Contributing factors

Heading/course — Not attained/maintainedPilotEffect on operation