Piper PA28 N4187U accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico

Probable cause

The student pilot’s excessing pitch attitude during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control and aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot reported that the accident flight was her second solo flight, and she had accumulated 0.6 hours of solo experience during her previous solo flight. She added that her flight instructor told her that she could practice soft and short field takeoffs if she felt comfortable. During the accident flight, she was attempting a soft field takeoff technique. After liftoff, the airplane drifted left and the student pilot attempted to correct with right rudder, but the airplane stalled left and impacted a parking lot. Both of the airplane’s wings and the fuselage sustained substantial damage during the accident. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures, nor did the student pilot report any. Review of an airport video recording confirmed that the airplane took off in an extreme nose high attitude before it yawed left and stalled.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA275 for the full record.