Cessna 150 N101FA accident near Round Lake Park, Illinois

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a soft-field takeoff and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that her student was performing a simulated soft-field takeoff from a paved runway. Once the nose landing gear lifted off the runway, the airplane began to drift to the left. The instructor stated that she attempted to correct the drift while instructing the student to apply more right rudder. The airplane continued to drift to the left side of the runway as the main wheels lifted; the instructor reported she then took the flight controls to correct the drift, but was not able to regain directional control of the airplane before the left wing impacted trees. After the impact with the trees, the airplane rotated about 270° and came to rest upright, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s aft fuselage.

The instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The instructor further reported that the accident could have been prevented if she was “shadowing” the flight controls and taken the flight controls sooner.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN26LA083 for the full record.