Ercoupe 415 N3816H accident near Maricopa, Arizona

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s failure to prevent the student pilot from exceeding the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent spin. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot’s failure to make a positive transfer of airplane control when the flight instructor directed him to do so.

NTSB analysis

During the takeoff roll for the instructional flight, the student pilot allowed the airplane to veer left of centerline multiple times, but the flight instructor corrected the airplane’s track back to runway centerline with steering control inputs. As the airplane lifted off the ground, the student pilot abruptly pitched the airplane’s nose up, and the airplane began to bank to the left. The flight instructor stated twice that he had the flight controls; however, the student pilot’s continued inputs prevented the flight instructor from gaining control of the airplane.

Afterward, the airplane stalled; the student pilot relinquished airplane control to the flight instructor; and the airplane entered a spin and collided with the roof of a two-story airport building, which caused substantial damage to the airplane and serious injuries to the airplane occupants.

A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preexisting malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

It is likely that full operation of the elevator was not possible while the flight instructor was trying to manipulate the controls and the student pilot was not relinquishing the controls, which led to the roll to the left and the subsequent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack. Even though the student pilot was at the controls before and at the time of the stall, the flight instructor had the ultimate responsibility for the safety of the flight, especially given that the accident flight was only the student’s second time receiving instruction in the accident airplane.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR19LA253 for the full record.