Cessna 152 N95005 accident near St. Augustine, Florida

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to properly set the elevator trim prior to takeoff, which resulted in her inability to effectively control the airplane’s pitch and a collision with trees at the end of the runway during initial climb.

NTSB analysis

The accident takeoff was the student pilot’s second solo flight lesson. She reported that the airplane began to climb with difficulty from the 8,001 ft-long runway, while the airspeed was increasing. She checked the cockpit instrumentation, and everything appeared normal, except the altitude and airspeed. She further described having difficulty pitching the airplane up and it struck trees at the end of the runway. Review of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data revealed that the airplane was traveling at 100 kts groundspeed just prior to the collision with trees. The airplane came to rest in a marsh, upright and partially submerged. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. Further examination of the wreckage revealed that the flaps were near the 15° extended position, and the elevator trim was near the full nose-down position. Based on this information it is likely that the combined position of the elevator trim resulted in the student pilot’s difficulty controlling the airplane’s pitch during initial climb.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA26LA023 for the full record.