Piper PA38 N6400A accident near Taylor, Texas

Probable cause

The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the student's soft-field takeoff, which resulted in an excessive pitch attitude, settling effect, and impact with a ditch off the end of the runway.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting a training flight, which included touch-and-go landings. During the landing rollout and with about 2,000 ft of runway remaining, the instructor directed the student to transition to a soft-field takeoff. The student conducted the takeoff and attempted to climb with a high pitch attitude, but the airplane settled back to the ground off the end of the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The instructor reported that the pitch attitude during the climbout was too high and that he should not have directed the student to attempt a soft-field takeoff given the runway distance remaining. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN19CA336 for the full record.