Cessna 172P N62740 accident near Falcon, Colorado

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with a taxiway sign.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that his student was performing a simulated soft-field takeoff from a paved runway. During the takeoff roll, about 25 to 30 knots, the airplane veered left of runway centerline and began to liftoff. The student overcorrected to the right, the airplane bounced, and exited the right side of the runway. The flight instructor directed the student to reduce the power to idle as the airplane struck a taxiway sign. The flight instructor then took over the flight controls and landed the airplane back on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage.

The instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN25LA027 for the full record.