Aviat Aircraft Inc A-1B N200HY accident near Moab, Utah

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate crosswind compensation resulting in a loss of directional control and impact with bushes.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that the accident occurred during a mountain flying familiarization flight from an airport having a field elevation of 3,900 feet mean sea level. At the time of the pilot's takeoff from runway 32, which was 2,000-feet-long and 40-feet-wide, the wind was from 020 degrees at 10 to 15 knots. The pilot indicated that after liftoff, while the airplane was still in ground effect, he failed to maintain a flight track over the runway's centerline. The airplane drifted left, its left wing tip impacted bushes adjacent to the runway, and the airplane came to rest with a bent fuselage and ripped wing skins. The pilot indicated that the accident would have been prevented had he adequately compensated for the crosswind condition.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10CA229 for the full record.