Piper PA 18 N3286Z accident near Greenville, Michigan

Probable cause

The pilot's premature turn during the takeoff climb and subsequent turn to avoid trees, which resulted in his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot reported that, during the takeoff climb for the personal cross-country flight, he turned the airplane too early and at too low of an altitude to clear the trees ahead. The pilot then turned the airplane to avoid the trees, and it stalled. As he continued to try to maneuver the airplane away from the trees, the airplane entered a secondary stall, descended, and impacted terrain in a vertical attitude. There were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane, engine, or related systems that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA366 for the full record.